Wedding horror stories are a dime a dozen. But can anything beat having your wedding venue sold right out from under you, two weeks before the big day? Lance Arnold and Shyla Coleman, both registered nurses in Cody, Wyoming, found themselves in just this situation, when the ranch they’d planned to get married on was bought by Kanye West. For seven months they’d been organizing a September wedding in a barn, in the middle of a four-thousand-acre fishing property known as Monster Lake Ranch, where Lance’s father, Mike, worked as a caretaker. Then, the ranch’s owner suddenly sold the place to West. (The asking price was fourteen million dollars.)
After an initial panic, the couple learned that West was keeping Mike Arnold on the payroll; perhaps, with a little diplomacy, the wedding could go on as planned. Lance was a huge Kanye fan; he had always defended the rapper when people criticized him for supporting Donald Trump (“I think it’s refreshing,” Lance said). But, now, he was worried about his wedding. “I hope Kanye doesn’t do something to fuck it up,” he said.
Mike Arnold had only a passing familiarity with his new boss. “In high school, Lance would listen to ‘College Dropout’ in the basement, and I’d yell, ‘Turn that shit off,’ ” he recalled the other day. “When I found out that Kanye was buying the ranch, I did a little research, and I was surprised. Just a few years ago, he was fifty-three million in debt.” But as the new owner and his employee got to know each other (they drove around the ranch in Mike’s pickup truck, discussing the water quality), Mike ventured to ask if his son’s wedding was still in the cards. West said sure.
That settled, the couple faced a new dilemma: would Kim and Kanye come to the wedding? A two-day affair, complete with a fly-fishing derby before the rehearsal dinner, the celebration would take over the ranch. Attendees would stay in the guest cabins and in R.V.s parked on the property. Two locations were off limits: the West family’s living quarters, inside the main house, and an old saloon, which West is said to have been using as a recording studio. (Last Friday, he dropped a new album, “Jesus Is King.”) West, his wife, Kim Kardashian, and their four children have been enjoying their new spread. “Wyoming is amazing,” Kardashian said on the Emmys’ red carpet. “It is just so chill, and you can do absolutely nothing. I bring no makeup, and just my sweats, and hang out.”
The morning before the wedding, the Wests were nowhere in sight. But, a few hours later, two black S.U.V.s pulled into the gravel driveway. That afternoon, as wedding guests towed rafts down to the lake for the fly-fishing derby, there was a full sighting: Kardashian and her children were seen sitting in an all-terrain vehicle. Her hair was pulled back, and she wore large sunglasses. West, wearing a helmet, sat in a second A.T.V. The surprised guests waved to the famous family, and the family waved back.
The groom got closer. He saw West getting out of his vehicle, and he walked up and introduced himself. “I just shook Kanye’s hand,” Lance told some guests during setup. “I told him that I was the groom, and thanked him.” West apparently said, “No problem,” and then he and Kardashian offered their congrats. “He’s not at all what I expected. He’s pretty quiet, and very nice,” Lance said. “He has a higher-pitched voice than I expected.” Asked if he was nervous, Lance grew philosophical. “He’s just a man,” he said.
The next day, Lance and Shyla, who was five months pregnant, said their vows by the lake near West’s barn. The barn’s interior had been decorated with swags of lace and a Wyoming state flag. Mason jars, filled with flowers and tiny lights, glowed on the tables, where guests ate pulled pork and potato salad. As the reception got under way, a whisper went around: West and Kardashian were going to make an appearance.
Around the barn, the word “Kanye” was audible in every other sentence, like a murmur of cicadas. One guest wondered why the Wests had bought the place, given the “Applebee’s-level food” in Cody and the fact that West isn’t known to be a fly fisherman. A woman chimed in, “If you knew the area, you’d probably buy up the South Fork.” (Monster Lake Ranch is so close to the Meeteetse Highway that there’s traffic noise at all hours.) The father of the groom upped the ante during his toast: “He’s not here yet, but I’d like to give a big shout-out to Kanye West!” Mike said. “He’s bent over backward to make this wedding happen.”
Like Vladimir and Estragon, the guests debated the possibilities. Maybe the Wests would make a brief appearance: congratulate the newlyweds and leave. This, one guest put in, would endear them to the community. But another wondered, Would it upstage Lance and Shyla? Or, another suggested, maybe West would come alone, and rap some lines from his song “Monster.” (Maybe this line: “My presence is a present, kiss my ass.”)
The plates were cleared, the cake was cut. The Wests never showed up. There was a little grumbling, but it didn’t dim the happiness of the newlyweds. “I was relieved, in a way,” the groom said. “It would have overwhelmed everything. In the end, I think Kanye understood that.” ♦
