I'm saying it right now: Tracy Kendall should start a side business of log cutting at weddings, because I have a feeling the tradition is going to quickly become popular in the United States.
Let's travel back about 15 years to Germany. Mark's elementary teacher, Frau Mueller, was getting married, and she had invited us. First we were invited to the Polterabend, an engagement party traditionally held the night before a wedding. When we showed up, Mark and I had no idea what was going on. There was all kinds of fireworks and noise makers and pottery being thrown onto the ground, and drinking. Goodness, nobody knows how to drink like a German! We just stood outside and watched :-)
The wedding was much more subdued although the music that was chosen for the ceremony was very German pop. Haven't heard of it, or don't know what it is? There's a reason for that :-). However, it was rather unusual when the guests processed out of the church before the bride and groom. Mark and I just stood outside the church with everyone else, wondering what was going on. (As a side note, much of our time in Germany was spent like this. Not many Americans were invited to the legitimate German traditions, so it wasn't like we could ask anyone what to expect. Of course, this always made any event exciting!). We waited for a few minutes until the bride and groom came out, and not five steps out of the church, they picked up a saw and started sawing a log (how I didn't notice it in the first place, I don't know). I had absolutely no idea what was going on, and it wasn't until I saw Frau Mueller later on (when she came to tutor Ethan) that I asked her.
The sawing of the log is a long-standing German tradition. It's the first difficult thing the newly married couple is supposed to do together. Of course symbolically, if they can saw a log together, they can make it through anything together. I mean think about it: they have to work together (always pulling on the saw and not pushing it); they need to coordinate their efforts; it's difficult, and it might seem never ending; it requires work, but in the end, they do it!
Frau Mueller's log was significant. I remember her dress sat on her shoulders, and it was falling all over the place as she worked on getting though the log. I've since seen some other weddings and some couples choose a small branch that could almost be broken with their hands. But I'd like to think that Brother Kendall knows our kids (after being their home teacher for eleven years), and he knows what they're made of! He picks hard wood, and he picks trunks of trees, not spindly branches! And how wonderful is it that all we had to do was send an email off to Tracy, and he and Keri-Lynn replied immediately that they would take care of it all and that they would actually be here with us on the wedding day?!
I was pleased that with Mark and Allison, they would be able to saw the log just steps away from the temple doors. We just snapped photos of the wedding party, and then we headed over. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's really touching to me to see two people whom I love so much starting their lives out with this tradition. It's just so symbolic of so much in their lives.
And if that wasn't enough, Allison wanted the friends and family who weren't at the temple to participate in the tradition too, so she asked Brother Kendall to bring a log for the ring ceremony as well. Different venue, different dress and different people but same idea. And Allison was right--her family and friends definitely enjoyed seeing the newly married couple saw the log. It felt with the second log, they both were sweating a bit and breathing heavier (maybe it was the fact that they weren't outside in 40 degree weather?), but what a fun accomplishment!
I love this next photo. The couple was having a hard time keeping the log stable and keeping it from rocking back and forth, so Ethan and Kat stepped in to hold it steady. Yep, sometimes a married couple needs family to help them through the tough times.
Once again, our lives revolve around "before Germany", "when we lived in Germany", and "after Germany." As Mark said, he wasn't trying to brag about living in Germany when he was describing the tradition to everyone. It was just part of our lives that continues on <3
Let's travel back about 15 years to Germany. Mark's elementary teacher, Frau Mueller, was getting married, and she had invited us. First we were invited to the Polterabend, an engagement party traditionally held the night before a wedding. When we showed up, Mark and I had no idea what was going on. There was all kinds of fireworks and noise makers and pottery being thrown onto the ground, and drinking. Goodness, nobody knows how to drink like a German! We just stood outside and watched :-)
The wedding was much more subdued although the music that was chosen for the ceremony was very German pop. Haven't heard of it, or don't know what it is? There's a reason for that :-). However, it was rather unusual when the guests processed out of the church before the bride and groom. Mark and I just stood outside the church with everyone else, wondering what was going on. (As a side note, much of our time in Germany was spent like this. Not many Americans were invited to the legitimate German traditions, so it wasn't like we could ask anyone what to expect. Of course, this always made any event exciting!). We waited for a few minutes until the bride and groom came out, and not five steps out of the church, they picked up a saw and started sawing a log (how I didn't notice it in the first place, I don't know). I had absolutely no idea what was going on, and it wasn't until I saw Frau Mueller later on (when she came to tutor Ethan) that I asked her.
The sawing of the log is a long-standing German tradition. It's the first difficult thing the newly married couple is supposed to do together. Of course symbolically, if they can saw a log together, they can make it through anything together. I mean think about it: they have to work together (always pulling on the saw and not pushing it); they need to coordinate their efforts; it's difficult, and it might seem never ending; it requires work, but in the end, they do it!
Frau Mueller's log was significant. I remember her dress sat on her shoulders, and it was falling all over the place as she worked on getting though the log. I've since seen some other weddings and some couples choose a small branch that could almost be broken with their hands. But I'd like to think that Brother Kendall knows our kids (after being their home teacher for eleven years), and he knows what they're made of! He picks hard wood, and he picks trunks of trees, not spindly branches! And how wonderful is it that all we had to do was send an email off to Tracy, and he and Keri-Lynn replied immediately that they would take care of it all and that they would actually be here with us on the wedding day?!
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| None of this would have been possible without Brother Kendall! It's hard to believe that when we first met him, Mark was only 13 years old. What a testament to home teaching! |
And if that wasn't enough, Allison wanted the friends and family who weren't at the temple to participate in the tradition too, so she asked Brother Kendall to bring a log for the ring ceremony as well. Different venue, different dress and different people but same idea. And Allison was right--her family and friends definitely enjoyed seeing the newly married couple saw the log. It felt with the second log, they both were sweating a bit and breathing heavier (maybe it was the fact that they weren't outside in 40 degree weather?), but what a fun accomplishment!
I love this next photo. The couple was having a hard time keeping the log stable and keeping it from rocking back and forth, so Ethan and Kat stepped in to hold it steady. Yep, sometimes a married couple needs family to help them through the tough times.
Once again, our lives revolve around "before Germany", "when we lived in Germany", and "after Germany." As Mark said, he wasn't trying to brag about living in Germany when he was describing the tradition to everyone. It was just part of our lives that continues on <3
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