save what?

The wedding was held Saturday evening in the outdoor courtyard of the bride and groom's condo building. A brisk June breeze cooled down guests waiting for the show to start, but we didn't have to wait for long. Eventually the procession began — in silence, which surprised me.

When the bride came forward, a trumpter hummed out the traditional bridal march. I hadn't laid eyes on her in months, and I would not have recognized her if not for the tell-tale white dress. Her hair was different than I recalled, and I was accustomed to seeing her face behind glasses. The groom had shaved the beard I last saw him with, and his cheeks were shining. He told me later he'd had a facial that day.

The ceremony was brief, perhaps the shortest I've ever seen. One of the bridesmaids was a gay boy. He wore a black suit and tie, and was butcher than I'd ever seen him act before. Which isn't saying much.

Some vows were swapped. Someone read from a Madeleine L'Engle book, I believe. We were standing near the back and there were no mics.

Then came a simple reception, with wine and beer and a no-nonsense (but delicious) Chinese buffet. No fuss over the cake: Help yourself. No embarrassing toasts from drunken brothers-in-law or weeping grandmothers. No undergarments tossed, no icing licked (that I saw, anyway).

Dusk fell and guests started to slowly leave. I jokingly asked the groom if he had plans for later. "I'm busy," he said. I'll bet.

It was an understated and elegant affair — surely a lot more fuss than it looked like from outside, but such a nice reprieve from the usual congress of nuptials.

. . .

Today, President Bush urged the Senate to approve a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, echoing ideas from his Saturday radio address. The amendment isn't expected to clear the Senate, but it's still awfully depressing that the Decider in Chief feels the need to focus his energies on this polarizing debate, especially considering:

• Gas prices are now 77.6 cents higher than a year ago.

• In Iraq, the city of Baghdad just had its most murderous month since the U.S. invasion.

• Iran has started making outright threats.

• At least 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness during a year in the United States and 40 percent of them will be children.

• Terrorist cells are again on the move.

But clearly, the thing our country needs to be focusing on is "saving" marriage.
Funny, from what I saw on Saturday, looks to me like marriage is doing just fine. It's everything else I'm worried about.