When my husband launches into the story of his times in the northeast Iowa city of Guttenberg, he can get to rambling on. There are the summers of his youth, his grandparents’ cabin, adventures with friends, fishing, boating and being a carefree boy on the Mighty Mississippi. Eventually, at times, I have to nudge him for the main plot twist — it’s where we were married.
Of course, the reason we were married there was his childhood connection and our own shared fondness of the little river town where we spent weekends while courting.
As I was getting to know my then-boyfriend, he always talked about Guttenberg. To this day most recollections involve his grandfather who liked to spend time in a restaurant and bar named Doug’s and a tavern called Moxie’s.
On his first birthday we were together as a couple, I conjured up a plan to visit this town he spoke so highly of. My first mission was to replace his aging Moxie’s T-shirt, so I called the bar and asked if they would send me a new one. Somehow explaining it was for Larry Pelzer seemed to satisfy their curiosity about the request.
I made plans for our accommodations, wrapped up his T-shirt and told him to pack a bag. He was definitely surprised he was returning back to his favorite river town for his birthday.
Once I arrived and had my nickel tour, I understood the draw. It’s fairly relaxing and low-key on the river. Everyone is “Iowa Nice” and even more so when you explain a family connection to the area.
When we eventually decided to tie the knot we knew we wanted a small wedding with the closest of friends and family. Guttenberg’s historic St. Mary’s Catholic Church was selected as the perfect location, and we made further arrangements from there. Having connected with local friends who help guide us from catering to flowers, everything came together without a hitch. My cousins still refer to this wedding weekend as one of the best our family has ever had. I have to agree.
Following the nuptials we were contacted by the Guttenberg Press, which featured a front page article about our “destination wedding.” As a newspaper professional I was, of course, flattered by the coverage and enjoyed sharing about our special weekend and the Guttenberg friends and businesses that helped make it happen.
Since that time we’ve returned at least annually to enjoy a long weekend, celebrate birthdays or spend time with friends. We’re typically known as “the couple that got married there.”
While autumn is typically a busy time for traveling northeast in Iowa, we prefer our summer days to enjoy some of our favorites like catching the Cassville Car Ferry to Wisconsin, taking a pontoon down the river, driving over to Prairie Du Chien, catching a concert in the park, watching as a monstrous barge makes its way through Lock & Dam No. 10 and spending a fair amount of time at Moxie’s.
Sunday marked another wedding anniversary for us. We’ll always be grateful for the family and friends who made the trek to Guttenberg for our big day. I sure am glad I got to marry my husband in our beloved little river town.
Contact Abigail Pelzer
at apelzer@newontdailynews.com