It is only fitting that the characters who had the most charming (by which we mean, we cried) marriage proposal in TV history also had one of the most charming (by which we mean, we cried) weddings in TV history. Such is the tale of "Parks and Recreation" couple Leslie and Ben, who tied the knot in last night's "Leslie and Ben" episode (see, even the episode title is appropriately simple and perfect).
[Related: Look back at over 80 TV weddings]
Amy Poehler's Leslie and Adam Scott's Ben -- one of the rare TV couples whose will-they-or-won't-they portion of their relationship did not test viewers' patience -- decided to get married on the spur of the moment, after the Pawnee gala, giving them just two hours to pull together a dress, rings, and a marriage license, and fix a smelly situation involving stink bombs, in order to become Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt.
Here, the best moments from the perfect -- well, perfect for Leslie and Ben -- primetime wedding:
- The search for rings led Ben and Chris (Rob Lowe) to a pawnshop and then to Ann's jewelry box, but they eventually ended up with a pair of beautiful, custom-made rings … courtesy of Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), who ripped a sconce off Ann's wall, melted down the metal, and fashioned it into a pair of wedding rings -- in 20 minutes. He noted, "Any moron with a crucible, an acetylene torch, and a cast-iron wafflemaker could have done the same. The whole thing only took me about 20 minutes. People who buy things are suckers."
- Leslie's dress, the one she was having custom-made for her original wedding day, wasn't finished, so her BFF Ann (Rashida Jones), calling on her secret love of "Project Runway," fashioned a knee-length gown out of various paper documents from Leslie's career. It was a perfect representation of Leslie's commitment to her career and her friend's recognition of what makes her tick. Oh, and also: It was a cute dress. Ann Perkins made Tim Gunn proud, as she did indeed "make it work."
- Leslie's reaction to the dress: "It is the most beautiful object I've ever seen. It is like the Ann Perkins of dresses."
- Chris's wedding gift to Ben: the letter from the Indiana statehouse that assigned the two friends to go work in Pawnee, back in 2009, which, of course, eventually led to this wedding. And because Chris does nothing halfway, the letter wasn't given in an envelope, or even in a frame, but mounted on a piece of wood.
- There were some traditional touches -- perfect, because Leslie Knope is a delightful mix of the quirky and the traditional -- including the bride walking down the aisle to the sounds of Pachelbel …
- … which was interrupted by drunken Councilman Jamm, who, upset about the Pawnee Commons deal, threw a stink bomb (which he says he bought on Amazon.com, leading to a hilarious shoutout to Amazon Prime) and stopped the ceremony. Despite everyone's best efforts to calm the weasel, only a single punch to his kisser, thrown by Ron Swanson, shut Jamm up, and temporarily landed Ron in jail.
- With Ron bailed out, and plans for a wedding at the gala site abandoned, Mr. Swanson then walked Leslie down the aisle … of the courthouse. "You are a wonderful person. Your friendship means a lot to me. And you look very beautiful," he told his friend, then offering his arm to her, and alerting her that her friends had pulled together a surprise ceremony at, oh so appropriately, her office.
If NBC had sent out promotional hankies for the episode, we would've used them during this scene.
- The cutest ringbearer/flowerdog/bridesmaid ever: Champion, Chris, and April's three-legged dog.
- Ben's vows: "In my time working for the state government, my job sent me to 46 cities in 11 years. I lived in villages with eight people, rural farming communities, college towns … I was sent to every corner of Indiana. And then I came here, and I realized that, this whole time, I was just wandering around, everywhere, just looking for you."
- Leslie's vows, after her friends expressed extreme relief that she wasn't going to recite the 70-page version she'd penned: "You're all I need, and I love you and I like you." Seriously, NBC, why didn't you send out promotional hankies?!
- During their reception, also in the office, of course, Ron danced (sorta); Andy and Donna turned the Li'l Sebastian tribute song, "5,000 Candles in the Wind," into Leslie and Ben's wedding song; and everyone except Leslie and Ben (and Ron) passed out after imbibing too much of Mr. Swanson's hooch.
- In another new episode, "Correspondents' Lunch," Leslie and Ben returned home from their Hawaiian honeymoon (where they went to see Honolulu City Hall) with gifts for everyone, including fertility tea for Ann, which Leslie realized during a presentation was really weed; airplane freebies (including the SkyMall catalog) for Jerry ("Same thing you got me from your trip to Washington!"); and for Andy, as he had requested, a three-pack of white T-shirts from Target ("Thank you, Hawaii").
Watch the "Correspondents' Lunch" full episode:
What were your favorite moments from the "Parks and Recreation" wedding? And, fess up, which ones got you a little teary?
Watch the "Leslie and Ben" full episode:
"Parks and Recreation" airs Thursdays at 8:30 PM on NBC.
