If it had been any other couple headed for holy matrimony, Deacon Neil Crispo would have offered this advice:

Be faithful.

Be understanding of each other forever.

Accept children from God.

But in the case of Mr. Q and Miss U, it was kindergarten students who used old-fashioned ABC rules to prove the two were ready for marital bliss:

Quarter.

Quack.

Quick.

These words show Q and U belong together forever, the kids said.

With that, Crispo, the deacon at St. Joseph School in Dallastown, nodded in approval.

Kindergarten teacher Diane Harper wore a corsage and gave away U, the bride, during a wedding ceremony in St. Joe's basement Thursday.

To help early readers understand the letters' relationship, Harper has

Seats were reserved for the other letters of the alphabet that attended the marriage of Q and U. (Daily Record/Sunday News - Jason Plotkin)
hosted the formal union of Q and U for 13 years. Students carry puppets to represent the bride and groom in the ceremony.

"Q and U are always together in words," she said. "My goal in teaching is . . . make it fun. This is something they'll remember for the rest of their lives."

Eric Schlough, 11, who acted as the priest during the ceremony, said he has fond memories of the Q and U wedding when he was in kindergarten.

"There were bubbles. . . . And there are a lot of words that begin with Q and U," the fifth-grader said.

The ceremony helps young students understand that the letters are a team, he said.

"I think it's great because they know what the letters mean."

The rest of the Alphabet family participated in the wedding -- which included paper letters scattered across the aisle, musicians who performed "Canon in D" as the couple headed toward a flower-covered altar, and a purple-and-white cake that read "Congratulations Q and U."

And the guests loved it.

"This is our third Q and U wedding," said Elizabeth Wikle of Springfield Township. Her daughter, Maria, 7, represented the letter W in the ceremony.

Wikle has two older kids who were previously in the kindergarten class.

"We look forward to it every year. It's delightful. (Harper) leaves an indelible mark that is profound in the lives of these children."

After the celebration, the couple set out on their honeymoon -- and on their quest for happily ever after.

NOT ALWAYS A HAPPY COUPLE


If you play word games such as Scrabble, you might already know that Q isn't always followed by U. Here are some words for which that's not true:

--- qi (and qis)

--- qat (and qats)

--- suq (and suqs)

--- qoph (and qophs)

--- qaid (and qaids)

--- umiaq (and umiaqs)

--- tranq (and tranqs)

--- qanat (and qanats)

--- faqir (and faqirs)

--- sheqel (and sheqelum)

--- qwerty (and qwertys)

--- qiviut (and qiviuts)

--- qintar (and qintars)

--- qindar (and qindars and qindarka)

--- buqsha (and buqshas)

Source, and definitions for these words: Scrabble Online, www.atari.com/scrabbleonline/scrabblewordlist.htm