Yesterday I heard from my best friend, for the first time in ages. She had rather startling and unexpected news: she is engaged. (This was only startling and unexpected because I hadn't heard from her in a long time, so I didn't realise she and her boyfriend had progressed to that stage.) No date is set because she and her fiance live a long way apart and have a lot of things to sort out about where they will live, finding new jobs there and so forth.

Anyway. The conversation got around to me asking whether they had any plans for the wedding yet, in terms of venue or time of year or whatever, and we spent some time talking about that. So far, I have managed to establish the following:

1) Her fiance wants his wedding ring to be a replica of the One Ring from the LotR movie. No word yet on how the flaming magically appearing and disappearing Elvish inscription will be managed.

2) They don't think they will have it in a church, but if they do, she wants evil hunchbacked bell-ringers.

3) With regard to the bridal party, the two options currently under consideration are Matrix-style agents in sunglasses and those little earphones, or a broadsword-and-big-furry-boots-wearing barbarian-hero guard of honour.

My response was along the lines of "Hahaha! That is so cool! Sure I will! ... wait. Whoa. You're being serious."

Brunnen-"hoping for at least a year's notice and a free gym membership if she picks the barbarian theme"G