Iowans Have a Grandy Old Party as Their G.o.p. Gopher Takes a Bride in a Blizzard

Spring weddings are so romantic, don’t you think? Birds singing, tulips blooming, sun shining—all the optimistic omens that a happy couple needs as they embark on their new life together. Of course, if you hold your nuptials in Sioux City, Iowa in late March, there’s always a chance you’ll get blue lips instead of tulips, which is what happened when seven inches of snow fell on the day Rep. Fred Grandy, 38, married Catherine Mann, 42. Grandy is probably better known from the nine years he played Gopher on Love Boat than from the two months he has played Capitol Hill as a freshman congressman. A TV reporter and novelist, Mann met Grandy when she interviewed him for Entertainment Tonight four years ago.

The ceremony was held in front of about 60 friends at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Fred’s son Charlie served as best man, and Charlie, 13, was nervous. “I had to carry both rings,” he said. “I was afraid I was going to drop them.” Nevertheless, he continued, “It was cool.” Grandy’s 15-year-old daughter, Marya, sang Vivaldi’s Domine deus, which sounds nothing at all like the theme from Love Boat.

The bride was decked out in a cream-colored gown with a beaded bodice, while the groom wore a pinstriped suit and a red tie. The new Mr. and Mrs. Grandy, both of whom have been married once before, are not taking a honeymoon because of Fred’s congressional duties. They plan to divide their time between Washington, D.C. and Sioux City.

The reception, reported the Sioux City Journal, was highlighted by “succulent shrimp, hot hors d’oeuvres…and chocolate and white wedding cake.” Although the blizzard prevented about 200 invitees from attending the reception, 400 or so folks did show, many of them from Storm Lake, Mason City and the surrounding heartland—Grandy’s constituency. According to the Journal, “Many guests took the opportunity to talk politics with the Congressman, discussing the merits of increasing the 55-mph speed limit and GOP presidential contenders.”

Springtime will do that to you.