Jon & Stacy Cantu - The Wedding

"Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." - Oscar Wilde

This weekend I attended the wedding of my friend Jon & Stacy Cantu in Victoria, Texas. I took Friday off of work and made the 3 hour drive to Victoria Texas. It was originally going to be in Buda, Texas where I live, which would of made the commute awesome, but they ended up finding a better place in Victoria. The wedding and reception were held at Schroeder Dance Hall, the second oldest dance hall in Texas. Second to Gruene, which I have been to as well.

I met Jon in the 3rd grade at Canterbury elementary school, which at that time was still Central AALP. We stayed good friends from that day forward. We have a lot of stories from high school ranging from lunch to spring break. Once we left for college, Jon to Oklahoma, I didn't see him too often. Jon decided to stay in Oklahoma after graduation where he works now. I met Stacy over Christmas break and you couldn't meet a nicer person. They shared with me the story of how they met and they really hit it off. I was honored to be asked to be one of the Groomsmen at their wedding.

Thursday night I had went out with Oscar for Danny's birthday. Friday I woke up a bit hungover from the night before and packed and got ready to go. My trip to Victoria wasn't as long as I thought it would be. It went by pretty fast. The first thing I did once I got in town was go and pick up my white tuxedo. This I was nervous about, I mean it is white. Everything seemed to fit well enough, so I headed to the hotel to check in. I didn't yet have socks to wear with a white tux/white shoes get up, so I figured I'd go shopping for them later.

I met up with Rick (whom I've known since the 2nd grade) and his girlfriend Kate and we car pooled to the rehearsal at the Dance Hall. I got to see where the wedding was going to be held and got to meet the other groomsmen, the bride and her family. Everything seemed simple enough and then we all went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I think the rehearsal dinner is one of my favorite parts of the occasion. Jon got use engraved beer pilsner glasses as gifts, very thoughtful.

After the rehearsal dinner, we went back to the hotel and then to a bar for the night. The bar had a nice outdoor area for us to sit. We met up with Jerry (friend since Jr. High) and his girlfriend Leonor. I hadn't visited with them in a while and it was great to catch up. Leonor had a Palm Pre, so I was very excited to check it out and play with it for a bit. It is a very nice phone. After much drinking, we called it a night.

Saturday was the big day. I woke up a bit early, but knew that I had a lot of time until the wedding in the evening. Staying at a hotel by yourself is a bit lonely. I went to Target and purchased a the pair of socks I needed. They didn't have white, so I did my best. I then went to the Henry's house where Jon was having a BBQ for the groomsmen. Jon couldn't see Stacy all day, so everyone had to be extra careful they didn't actually see each other. After the BBQ, I went back to the hotel for a good nap. Drinking takes a toll on you I think. I wanted to be rested for the night to come.

I finally woke up and it was time to get ready for the wedding. I put on my white tux and tired to look as presentable as I could. I then met up with Rick and Kate again and Rick drove to the wedding.

So here is my Jon & Stacy's Wedding Pictures Album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyadus/sets/72157619653604095 I posted a few on Facebook, but all my pictures are stored on Flickr.

We got there and started to take wedding pictures. At one point both Jon and Stacy were in the hall taking pictures and Jon had to make sure his back was always to her side of the room. It was pretty funny I think. This was his wedding and he was going to do it right.

The wedding ceremony started and it was very nice. It was outdoors beneath some trees and the minister was a friend of Jon's. There were some woodwind instruments playing and overall it has a very nice outdoor look to it. After saying I do, everyone applauded and Jon and Stacy walked away as man and wife. The lawyer in me wonders when you are legally married. It it when you say "I Do," when the marriage certificate is signed, or when you turn it in to city hall? I probably should know this. I have to say, neither of them at any point seemed nervous. Both where just happy and excited to be getting married. I was probably more nervous for them.

After we took more pictures and then the Reception began. We had assigned seating, which a lot of care and thought had went into.

The reception was nice and the hall was very big. We had dinner, the speeches by the best man and maid of honor and the bouquet and garter toss. The garter toss was funny because Jon's friend Stock was taunting him about throwing it well and Jon turned around and threw it right at him like a fast ball. Poor Stock. There was also the father daughter dance, the mother son dance and the couple's first dance.

At the reception I hung out with Rick, Kate, Jerry, Leonor, Juan and his wife Vanessa. Vanessa is expecting soon, and I was very happy for them. I hadn't seen Juan in a very long time. We are all friends from as far back as elementary. I had a lot of fun talking with them and hanging out.

With all the couples, it made my non-plus-one status felt apparent. Luckily, I was with friends so it didn't feel awkward. Those are weddings for you I think. A lot of drinking ensued and the night was fun. The DJ was a bit dissapointing, but we were in Victoria.

After the reception was over, all of us high school friends went to Denny's by the hotel to eat. We had good conversation and ate while my buzz was still in full effect. I think it is neat how we can pick up where we left off. I then called it a night and resigned to my hotel room. It didn't take long before I fell asleep.

Sunday morning there was a breakfast at the Henry house (Jon's new in-laws) at 9am. I wasn't able to wake up in time for it. My night was way too long. Instead, I got up, dropped off my tux with Jon's mom for her to return for me and then headed back on my road trip to Austin. It felt a bit longer, but was nothing to complain about.

When I got home, I decided to take a good nap in my own bed. I watched an episode of the canceled series Kings (why I am getting involved with a show that is gone is beside me.) I then watched the UFC fight I had missed on Saturday night. In the evening, Abram and I went to pick up a workout set I had found on craigslist. It was an amazing deal I think. We'll see if we can put it back together. We picked up some groceries and I tried to get to bed for work the next morning.

And that is it folks. I'm done with weddings for quite some time. 3 couples I know lives changed and I'm wishing them all the best. Now back to the regular world.

second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience