"Never marry but for love; but see that thou lov'st what is lovely." - William Penn
I spent the weekend in San Diego attending the wedding of my friend Sam and his fiance Lauren. The celebration was spectacular and like my high expectations for San Diego, it did not disappoint. I was honored to have been invited and had a pretty memorable time.
I first met Sam in elementary school on the bus. Sam loved the Houston Oilers and it was clear then that he would grow up to be quite the sports fan. Sam was a year younger than me so we didn't interact too much until high school. From drama trips to chess matches, we hung out, but were not especially close, though we got closer over the years. Sam also became really good friends with my friend Rick during and after college, so on visits home we got to hang out a lot more. Being on the East coast, Sam was great about coming to town to visit and his personable nature helps him make friends anywhere. Before I knew it, Sam was one of the handful of people I kept in contact with after high school, back when you didn't have Facebook to make it so easy.
I was excited for Sam when I heard the news that he was getting married. After meeting Lauren for the first time on this trip, I must say, he did very well for himself. They are both reflexively kind and it is evident on their faces how much they adore each other. They are both crazy smart which is something I always admire. Talk about doing it the right way. Both of them going to school and getting their Phds and then getting married...if I were their parents I'd be very proud, which you can tell, they were.
I flew into San Diego on Thursday night after work. I checked into the hotel, met a new friend at the front desk, and then headed downtown. I went to meet up with the guys at a bar where they were having a bachelor party which was just meeting up with the bachelorette party. When I arrived, I met Lauren after only knowing her through stories and facebook postings. I was instantly impressed with how genuine she was. Since I got there before the guys, I got to meet her friends too and I was happy to see how nice and personable everyone was. I got to meet Lauren's friends, Sam's friends and cousins. The night was fun, we ended up at a karaoke bar and I had a fun debate about how awesome Uncle Jesse was, which I hope she took in jest. I had a fun chat with one of Sam's cousins, who once you got past the exterior cuteness, was pretty down to earth with an interesting take on mixing drinks. Sam and Omar did a rendition of Garth Brooks' Friends in Low Places that was the highlight of the night for me.
Rick was kind enough to let me stay at the hotel with him and Friday we got up and did some sightseeing. We visited Little Italy, had some pizza at a recommended joint and later walked around Old Town. What really blew me away was the weather. About 75 degrees, sunny with a cool breeze that made you feel like if you lived there, you would be the most outdoorsy active person alive. We then headed to the nice hotel where the wedding was going to be held for the rehearsal. I finally got the meet the rest of the wedding party and everyone was so friendly. I also ran into Omar and Krissy who I knew from high school and it was nice to catch up. I was lucky enough to join in on the rehearsal dinner and it was great to hear the bride and groom talk about how much their friends meant to them. This is where I got to know Max and Leah better and my suspicions that they were cool people were confirmed. The story about how Max and Sam met and became friends was pretty epic.
Saturday, I took my rental car out and tried to take in more of the town before the wedding began. I spent the morning at the San Diego zoo, which was a blast. I have never seen a zoo that was so big. I will have to return one day to fully take it in. I then went down to the beach and had a late lunch on the boardwalk after I did some sightseeing. By the time I got back to the hotel, I had just enough time to get my suit on and load the bus to the wedding.
The wedding was superb. There is just something about being out on the beach with a cool breeze while the sun is shining. You can tell they were very particular about every detail. The bride looked outstanding and Sam looked very sharp. Sam and Lauren prepared thoughtful vows for each other that they read. They were very moving and it said a lot that they both used the term "teamwork" when talking about their union. Rick did a good job as a groomsman, actually all the groomsmen did. This was probably the first wedding where I sat in the audience with a drink in hand. It was a nice touch.
The wedding was followed by a cocktail hour, which is a great idea by the way. They were now a married couple and it was time to celebrate. The couple looked very happy and I must say again, the ambiance on the beach cast a perfect background. Then was the reception. The tables were numbered with math problems which I thought was clever. I met some new friends at the table. Dinner was filling and the constant stream of Maker's from the open bar kept me in great spirits. The speeches were touching and then people danced, or in my case tried to dance, but there were smiles all around. I had my dollar dance with the bride, which I think is the first dollar dance I have ever had. I figured I'd follow up with my second with a dollar dance with the groom. It seemed like a fun idea at first, but I wasn't prepared for the fact that I couldn't lead, which was fair since he was the groom, but felt different. I don't know how you ladies do it. The cake was great tasting and looked cool, but I have never been a cake person.
At one point we all went out on the balcony and saw the fireworks over the water, which I believed were for the wedding, but were actually from Sea World, but you know, for the wedding too, why not. I want fireworks at my wedding.
When the reception ended, I decided to keep drinking, I mean celebrating. Krissy and I headed over to the Class of 1971 Class Reunion and hung out with the classmates, took pictures with the letterman jacket and cheerleading outfit. We even got a memento of the 1971 class picture to take home. Then, next door to that was another wedding reception. Dares ensued and some how I end up on the dance floor with the mother of the bride as I tell her I'm one of the groom's cousins before I take my free drink and move on to the hotel bar to join everyone who was still out. We hung out at the beach for a while and then called it a night.
I put some of my photos on Facebook, but here are more of my photos of the weekend: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyadus/sets/72157627277210701/
It was a classic wedding experience and I had a really great time. I'm very happy for the bride and groom and I think I might enjoy weddings more than I thought I did. There is just something about seeing two people crazy in love with each other. Next wedding is up in November with another in October 2012.
Bliss
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