When bride-to-be Kristin Mar began planning her wedding, like most brides she had the basics already in mind. She knew the perfect venue, but had no idea the government would shake up her plans.
The recent government shutdown, which was averted late April 8, sent the bride and groom into an unplanned scramble the day before their wedding.The Washington Post reported the story, showing that the shutdown got personal.
I liked that the article highlighted the fact that the government affects far more people than we usually stop to think about. The article articulated the story in a personnal way, almost making the reader feel like they went through all the uncertainties and were seated at the ceremony.
"The government shutdown brinkmanship offered lessons about the ways of Washington, about a president gearing up for reelection and a forceful opposition." The article stated. I this was well put, explaining the shutdown scare of those of us outside of government circle.
But the article didn't focus on the government, it was focused on the bride and her groom Kam Hassan.
The couple, who had planned to marry in an old Art Deco bumper car pavilion in Glen Echo Park, reserved the spot seven months before their wedding. Only the day before did the government jeopardize their wedding, and send the couple searching for an alternative.
"But Friday afternoon — with friends and relatives already in town from California, Texas and beyond — they were told the site, owned by the National Park Service, would be shuttered if the government ran out of money," The Post reported. Throwing the reader into a fury of emotions, feeling sorry for the poor bride who had to face rearraging her important day.
Luckily, the government came to an agreement, and Mar and Hassan had their happily-ever-after.
“Our heads were all over the place,” he said. “We were like, ‘You know what? It doesn’t matter. These things always work themselves out.’”
There were a few good quotes from the couple, like the one above, but what I wanted from the article was more in-depth information on the bride and groom. I love profiles, especially profiles about weddings. While the main problem was the shutdown and how that affected their plans, as a 20-something girl I could have kept reading.
The second to last paragraph makes me believe the writer was either at the wedding, or asked very indepth questions from someone who was.
There was a Koran reading by his uncle, bubbles from the crowd, and a hand-holding exit to Huey Lewis and the News singing about the power of love. They walked to the 1920s-era carousel just outside, Hassan lifted her up onto a lion and they kissed.
The article even quoted vows and stated that "Hassan, in bow tie and black leather Jack Purcell tennis shoes, picked up a guitar and sang his vows."
While the article was well written, and clear in its point about the wedding trauma thanks to the government, I personally was left wanting to know more about the bride and groom, and why the bride was so calm amidst a disaster that would have exploded any woman's emotional state, especially on her wedding.
“She handled it better than I would have.” The story quoted Emily Rogers, part of the park staff who scrambled to find a last minute alternative at a community club house nearby.
I also liked that the article referenced the groom in more of a panic than the bride. It gave the article life, showing that these were everyday people, with no direct connection to the government.
“The great thing about Kristin is … she’s not going to be a Bridezilla. I’m the Groomzilla, actually,” Hassan said.
I'll end with my favorite line from the author which proved that he wrote creatively, and left me wanting more.
"On Saturday she smiled for last-minute photos for friends in her strapless, knee-length dress, the chilly wind as irrelevant as the nation’s government. She walked in with her father, past toy bumper cars on the tables, and stood beside Hassan."
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