The man who had everything got married this weekend. I flew in from California.

He built an entire wedding venue on "his land", from scratch: 900 tons of gravel to build a half mile of road on bare dirt, a tent for 300, and an electrical system strong enough to illuminate the place, and let an eight-member band perform in the tent (though powered by gas generators).

The guy drove my friends nuts refusing their help, then needing it at the last minute. He certainly has vision, though; I have to hand it to him, because for the most part, he put his mind to doing something everyone thought was crazy and for the most part, pulled it off.

The episode made me think of the "faith in experts argument" I have with Caroline. It's a difference of opinion we've had for years, that underlies a lot of our disagreements. Marriage is full of these things.

Caroline trusts experts. When the car breaks, her first inclination is to take it to a mechanic. Whereas I tend to be more of a DIY sort of person, doing my own taxes, and fixing things myself. The wedding was the consummate DIY project.

I've become less of a DIY person over the years. Specialization and all. Calling the experts is usually the right move (especially if you live in a big city), though I'll admit the undeniable romance of doing things yourself.

My friends made fun of me all weekend: "Did you know Dave's wife is an architect?" after I reminded them of this fact—they'd done an entire construction project and never even consulted her, which I thought was ridiculous.

It's possible to get in over your head. Caroline works with PG&E to install transformer vaults. I think the guys thought they could get utility electrical service on the land in a week or two; Caroline would've been the first to tell them, that's just not going to happen.

What's even more ironic is that some of them are professionals themselves, so you'd think they'd appreciate the power of specialization. Cobbler's children, I guess?