A Gameward Bound Wedding of Games and Critters
Enjoy a look back at a pandemic wedding filled with board games, Calico Critters, and a couple of absolute nerds.
Well, that was a bit of a hiatus for a few weeks! But it was no secret where I was… Off to get married! Although this might seem like the worst time for it, it all worked out and we managed to create some wonderful memories amidst all the facemasks and social distancing. Solo board game players everywhere were invited to the past week’s festivities!
In Preparation of the Big Day
I had lofty plans of incorporating almost every board game into some sort of celebration! Naturally, there was no time for all of that. Still, I slowly worked my way through to create some adorable and hilarious scenes. No need to go into a lengthy explanation, though! There are 14 photos to scroll through below. Be prepared for too much cuteness!
A Fancy Sort of Sign
We wanted to do something small, partially due to the current situation, but also to reduce stress. Laugh all you want at some of my fantastic decorations!
I made this sign, which doubled as a surprise card for my husband-to-be. The only thing I didn’t capture was all of the Calico Critter guests… Almost 300 of them, in fact!
Across about 3-4 shelves, I arranged them all to attend. They were a hit! And no one toppled over during the day.
They’re still set up since I haven’t had time to pack them up. I’ll try to get some good shots to show them all off!
Prowling in Greenery
Don’t think I got away from the well-known Stealthy Elephants. I was surrounded by them on all sides… And there were likely many I didn’t even know about. Ha ha!
When I set up the food table, I should have taken a photo. It contained the most abstract sort of wedding decorations known to man. I don’t think anyone understood.
But that was part of the humor! I wanted to make sure people had fun and didn’t have to worry about much.
I may need to do a thorough check to make sure that I didn’t leave any Stealthy Elephants behind. Oh, my!
A Hyacinth “Bucket”
A wonderful surprise from my parents came with my bouquet. This beautiful arrangement didn’t include Stealthy Elephants… That was all for effect, of course!
But the bouquet itself had a few sprigs of cloth hyacinth in it. As we learned, hyacinth isn’t in season yet, sadly.
The significance of this might be quite obscure, but others might be laughing at this little touch! It was technically not a hyacinth bouquet, but a Hyacinth Bucket.
Indeed, I paid a little homage to the fantastic British show called Keeping Up Appearances! Oh, Hyacinth!
The 1 Player Guild Table
As silly as it might sound, one of the most important things I wanted at this wedding was a table with a single chair, reserved for everyone from the 1 Player Guild.
In fact, I even posted an invitation thread to try to include anyone who wanted to “attend” in some way!
Maybe this wasn’t exactly what anyone had in mind, yet this was a prominent feature of the Calico Critters exhibit. They proudly watched over the solo chair and die.
Fellow solo board game players are awesome. I can never thank the community enough for being so wonderful!
A Pandemic Wedding with Style
We were as careful as we could be with an extremely small guest list and some amazing facemasks! They were a hit, particularly since we got matching ones for everyone that stated who they were. Even our officiant was impressed and I sent the link to her so she could get a custom one of her own! Although potentially ridiculous, we’re all about safety.
Enjoy browsing through the following photos from the day! Highlights include a glimpse at my hyacinth bouquet, a bow tie I learned how to tie just days before, my handiwork decorating the wedding vehicle, fun with random hats that didn’t quite pan out, the dogs of honor, and my favorite photo from the day. I married another board game player!
%
My Wedding
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
10
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
The Perfect Sort of Day
Alright, so maybe my “ratings” above are a little biased. Ha ha! Yet it really was just wonderful. We had video calls throughout the day with people from all over the world who would never have been able to attend. There was a very relaxed sort of atmosphere to the day. I mean, we stopped to pick up milkshakes in a drive-thru after the ceremony!
I had some board games ready in case things slowed down, yet it all went by so nicely. Our friends and family were awesome. Especially my brother-in-law, who went out to pick up a food order that was prepared 2 hours early.
Thank you again to everyone in the solo board game community who sent us kind words and warm wishes! This is a day we’ll never forget, and I can’t tell you how happy we are. That’s my husband, Ganesh! The same man I met years ago at my friendly local game store. But fear not… My solo board game days are far from done. Ha! All the best to everyone!
Continue the Conversation
Out of curiosity, have you had or attended a wedding that somehow incorporated board games? We probably would have done more, yet it was important to try to stay safe and not share any components. Did you “attend” this silly sort of wedding? That chair was there for everyone, so perhaps you did… Only I doubt anyone could actually fit in that thing!
This is amazing!!! Thank you for giving all of us at the 1PG a seat at the event.
Well done, and happy future to you! ♥
Thank you very much, Aaron! It was awesome to have everyone… There? Ha!
Awesome post and congratulations!! What a fine-looking couple!
May your lives be happy & caring & full of wedded bliss!
Thanks for sharing your special day! I think you should expand your rating level to 11 for this post. 🙂
Thank you kindly, Derek! It’s the bow tie that sets things off, right? Ha ha! I appreciate the kind words, and I almost did go up to 11… I may need to make an edit to this post purely for that reason. Sometimes I underestimate how my obscure references somehow aren’t so obscure in the solo board game community!
Congratulations! What a beautiful wedding review. 🙂
Thank you so much! I was definitely biased, but that affordability section is quite accurate. I’m pretty sure this entire wedding cost less than some of my more expensive games… Ha ha!
Awesome to read and flick through photos Jessica.
I wonder, did you ever hear what David Turczi and his fiance did for their wedding?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidturczi/pocket-dragon-a-game-and-a-wedding/description
That’s the first thing that came to mind when you asked of a wedding that incorporated games. They certainly did!
Excellent example! I remember seeing this game at one point and thinking what a great idea it was to use at a wedding. We have lofty plans to do something similar for a future celebration, way down the line. It might be more of an RPG and will probably only make sense to us. But it certainly will be memorable. Ha ha!
Congratulations Jessica!! Awesome pictures! Thanks for inviting me and the rest of the Guild. The little table was just perfect for me. Best of luck and continued happiness. I look forward to seeing you in the forums on BGG soon.
Thanks, Jeff! It was wonderful having you there with everyone else… Figuratively speaking. Ha ha! I’m still getting caught up on a few things, but I’ll be right back to my usual non-stop talkative self around BoardGameGeek in no time. See you there soon, and thank you again for the kind words!
Congratulations, Jessica and Ganesh! I LOVE the solo table for the 1 Player Guildies! Together we celebrated with you, alone! 🙂
Ha ha! Thanks so much, Marit! It was awesome to be able to celebrate with everyone!
I’m so happy for you Jessica. I especially love the themed face masks. I wish you both the best. Marriage is awesome when you marry your best friend and it seems you have found just that. May you both have many years of happiness and gaming.
Thank you, Derek! We have such a wonderful time together. Even errands are fun with our conversations, and we’re trying to make a little more time to play board games with one another. It really is a joy to find someone who understands you and challenges you to be better in certain ways without trying to change you. He’s my person!
And I just realized that we never fixed his jacket collar in the facemasks photo. Don’t worry: He’s not a vampire, though that outfit makes him look like one. Ha ha! This is why I didn’t want professional photographs. It’s just so funny to find the little oddities. All the more reason to laugh!
This is great! I’m so happy for you! The only gaming that was brought up at my wedding was my best man mentioning that he didn’t believe this was really happening and him thinking this was just all an elaborate LARP. Given that I met my wife at a Vampire: The Masquerade game, and we both had run Cthulhu Live games for most of the attendees, it was a legitimate concern.
Ha ha! That’s still an amazing thing and it would be been hilarious to do a pre-wedding that really was just a fancy LARP. I love your story of how you and your wife met, too. We almost met over RPGs, but it was the board game night that won out. Now I think we play RPGs more often together, although my characters are mostly just ridiculous and offer brief bursts of comedic relief. Thank you for the kind words, too!
I got the Bucket reference! I can’t believe someone else in the U.S. knows about Hyacinth and her long-suffering husband and their never-seen ‘actor’ son, Jeffrey. My favorite was her sister’s house. Was it Daisy? My family always watched that show and As Time Goes By with Judi Dench and Geoffrey (name escapes me) back-to-back on PBS. I didn’t watch as many shows of Vicar of Dibley.
I didn’t know you married a fellow board gamer. Doubly cool!
Yay, Marita! I’m always thrilled when someone knows the show. Although wasn’t their son’s name Sheridan? I just remember Hyacinth answering the phone and saying his name with such enthusiasm. Ha! All the sisters had floral names: Hyacinth, Daisy, Rose, and Violet. But Daisy’s house was the best. So messy and awful, but for some reason I wanted to visit… And maybe get startled by the dog living in the wrecked car. Ha ha!
I have a whole list of additional retro shows I need to watch. They certainly beat out most modern programming as far as I’m concerned, but I do have such odd taste. Although I won’t say that applies to my husband. I think. Ha!