A RAGBRAI wedding

Thu August 04 2005
Posted Aug 4, 2005
6,112

By RACHEL GALLEGOS REGISTER STAFF WRITER July 26, 2005 Sanborn, Ia. - Before Dolly Morgan met J.R. Owens, she had never even been on a bicycle before. But Monday, at their RAGBRAI-stop wedding, the bicycle theme seemed to fit them both perfectly. Allene Baichtal, executive director of the Sanborn Chamber of Commerce and the wedding planner, sang a version of the song "A Bicycle Built for Two" that used both their names. Two kids from the town rode around on their parade-winning bikes, with pop cans dragging from the back. And the bridesmaids wore hot-pink bicycle jerseys along with pink feather boas, the bride's favorite color. Their wedding in the RAGBRAI pass-through town, population 1,400, brought riders and locals alike. People pulled up lawn chairs and moved a bench closer to enjoy the festivities in front of the town's famous caboose. The bride changed from her white tutu skirt over her biker outfit to a white summer dress. The black biker shorts, however, stayed on underneath. The groom and his ushers wore white T-shirts with a suit-resembling image printed on them. When the Baltimore couple first started discussing marriage, they planned to have it in a church. "But I just couldn't deal with the pressure," J.R. said. During a dinner conversation with some friends, the wedding came up, and one friend suggested having it during RAGBRAI. J.R., on his 17th RAGBRAI, felt it was perfect. So the two planned to hold just a quick service with a justice of the peace on the courtroom steps in Sanborn. But once town officials got wind of the idea, it took off. "It's taken a life of its own," said Dolly, now on her fifth RAGBRAI. "They did everything. It's just amazing."