Some of you may remember that back in 2020, about 10 potential YAGers had to cancel their trips at the last minute due to the COVID travel restrictions, especially regarding international travel. One of those YAG hopefuls nevertheless managed to “visit” with the in-person YAG attendees via video call: Angela Arthur from Melbourne, Australia.
Well, come December of that year, Angela was finally able to realize her long-held wish of coming to the United States for a few months to visit friends and family – particularly the Eldrachers in Michigan, the Simpsons and the Omlors in Cincinnati, and her sister in the convent in Florida. Over the course of that three-month visit, well, some things became rather apparently obvious . . . like the fact that she and Peter Eldracher, who had met her in Australia in November of 2019 on a visit with his siblings, well, er, rather liked each other. Liked each other a whole lot!
So, rather than have her return to Australia and run the risk of never seeing each other again, or at least not for a few years, they decided to get married. Before her visa extension expired, which was right before Easter. Intense discussions ensued with Bishop Sanborn to find out just what was allowed and not allowed for having a highly unusual wedding during Lent. The project was green-lighted, and consequently Peter’s scattered siblings got an email on the morning of Monday, March 8th, announcing his upcoming marriage . . . soon. His sister the YAGermeister, being slightly out of the loop down in Cincinnati, assumed this meant the week after Easter, but no. On Tuesday, another email went out fixing the date: St. Patrick’s Day. As in Wednesday of the following week!
In the next 10 days, everything came together like the old furlough weddings of WWII fame.
A wedding dress was borrowed from Mrs. Simpson and altered to fit (4 other dresses were also borrowed and tried on, from 2 different states). Shoes and accessories came in the nick of time thanks to speedy online delivery. The bride’s future sister-in-law Christina, a pastry chef, made a tiered wedding cake and topped it with Mr. and Mrs. Eldracher’s cake topper from their wedding 31 years prior. Mrs. Eldracher’s parents’ wedding rings were mailed in by an aunt for the young couple to use. Even a reception was arranged at a local restaurant, and a choir was cobbled together from friends coming from out of state.
After the honeymoon, the new Mr. and Mrs. Eldracher got very busy filing the mountain of paperwork required to begin the permanent residency process for the wife of an American citizen. Until it is processed, Angela cannot leave the United States, which works out just fine for Peter!
The couple resides in Florida near Most Holy Trinity Seminary.
Take that, COVID, can’t stop us! :]
