the wedding weekend
and so here goes. there were a hell of alot of pictures, and after cycling through them all i realized that most of them don't really describe how much fun we had through the day because you don't see flowing cans and cups of booze floating about.
so here goes..
friday, i went for the rehearsal in this really small, quaint church. it was quite neat looking, though had creepy scary music playing, that kind of reminded me of a silent movie with vampires free-flying all over the place. and so as i'm sitting there, watching everyone fakewalk, i've realized that i still haven't gotten my notes to do the emcee-ing. it didnt matter, i'm good at making things up on the fly.. or so you'd think..
and so that night was filled with a bit of drinking at my sister's place, fighting with their cat, and playing xbox.
and then the next day comes. i'm looking fabulous as usual. ha. things kind of went by quickly. a haze until it was time for the ceremony. the groom, dany (i didn't spell it wrong, he goes with only one n), tells me he needs me to videotape the whole thing, and of course i say yes because it's his day and i'm a nice guy, though standing through an hour long ceremony to videotape in 35c weather is insane. (though i had the best angle to steal some pictures) somehow, during the ceremony dany's cell phone goes off. i had no idea it was in the bag below and so i didnt answer it, but he gave me a few glares to turn it off. i saved that thought for later and used it as my introductory joke.. "im andy, and that was not my cellphone"
Pictures from the ceremony
the priest, saying his thing to corrie and dany
tried to catch corrie giggling at the term "obey"
and then it was time to load up the bus they rented to drive them to and from places.. i dubbed it the "Buss Beer Bus" because my grandparent's last names are Buss but im sure you've figured that out.
coming out, and loading the bus
coming out of the church
smiling for the cameraman
my dad is definately the best looking in this crowd
my sister on the bus
cousin scott handing out beer
cousin samantha
nice hat
andy, cousin kaila rai
and so after a few arduous blocks full of beer and naps, we get to the legislative building. there's 3 other wedding parties taking pictures, and we spend roughly an hour or so there, taking various pictures all over the damn place. i think i went inside a few times just to get rejuvinated with alcohol, and to work a bit on a few jokes i'd mustered up through the day.
in front of the Leg
scott, girlfriend sherry
brother and sister
aunt and uncle, parents of the bride
taking a picture of a person taking a picture of two people posing for the picture
sister and grandmother
parents, with the newlyweds
olafsons, with dany
the olafson clan
siblings
all the girls under thirty
dany's friends from romania, recently moved here. dont speak any english
newlyweds and grandparents
newlyweds, parents, grandparents
newlyweds, cousins, aunt, uncle
the whole dang wedding party
a good looking man and his grandmother
and so we wait. and we wait. another hour goes by. it's about 5ish. time flies in picture form. we get to the hotel, go through the standing thing where everyone says hi and shakes hands (people were skipping me because they thought i was the photographer whose cell phone rang). and then i get up on the microphone. im nervous as hell because i have hardly a thing prepared. we're going nicely through the list of people at the head table and i can feel my nervousness in the pit of my stomach, just waiting for me to screw something up so that i could get easy and calm and headforth. and it happens. "beside the best man is scott, sister of the bride". i thought of saying it, but didn't mean for it to spring out. people laughed. that was my chance. it was all uphill after that (except for the fact that whoever wrote my notes forgot the bride's parents on the list. oh, there was hilarity there too), through the speeches, the supper and soforth. making quips about little things in the right places made it easier for me because people actually laughed at my jokes. someone pointed out how odd it was that before supper i said "just as an FYI the bar will be closing in 5 minutes until the end of supper" and that i was able to be first in line at the OPEN bar 50 feet away.
i'll spare you the other little things, but basically it was a great night. i caught that thing that the groom throws.. the gurtle? sure. it's my second one. howabout that. i hope it's all just a myth.
random pictures
bride's sister and friend who joked about making out
my dad and aunt holly
the only picture i caught with my mom in it.(dad, uncle, aunt, mom)
it upsets me that i didnt get a picture of myself with the bride & groom, or with my whole family, but i was too busy as were they, just relishing in the moment that the first of the kids were getting married and that we're all getting old. i saw things that night i've never seen. an example? my grandparents dancing wildly to upbeat songs. about half of the grandkids noticed, and went "wow, i didn't know they can do that..."
so how did the night end? i walked up to the bar to order two more vodka + 7-ups, somewhere past 10 drinks. i sit down, five minutes later i hear "Last Call!". so i run up and grab 3 more, accidentally slipping into my hunter thompson impression to the bartender. he notices and laughs. . i sit down with my 5 drinks, and move all the straws to my mouth when my mom beckons me to leave. after much bitching i hand out 4 drinks, finish mine and leave. it was somewhere about 3am but everything after that is neither here nor there because i dont remember the rest.
and to think i almost had to work 4 hours after that. oh, today was hangover central, i tell you. but im glad. everyone had fun, tears were shed, but all for happyness. im happy as hell for those two. genuinely in love. smiling through all the heat and the embarassment.
i just hope someday that'll happen to me.
so here goes..
friday, i went for the rehearsal in this really small, quaint church. it was quite neat looking, though had creepy scary music playing, that kind of reminded me of a silent movie with vampires free-flying all over the place. and so as i'm sitting there, watching everyone fakewalk, i've realized that i still haven't gotten my notes to do the emcee-ing. it didnt matter, i'm good at making things up on the fly.. or so you'd think..
and so that night was filled with a bit of drinking at my sister's place, fighting with their cat, and playing xbox.
and then the next day comes. i'm looking fabulous as usual. ha. things kind of went by quickly. a haze until it was time for the ceremony. the groom, dany (i didn't spell it wrong, he goes with only one n), tells me he needs me to videotape the whole thing, and of course i say yes because it's his day and i'm a nice guy, though standing through an hour long ceremony to videotape in 35c weather is insane. (though i had the best angle to steal some pictures) somehow, during the ceremony dany's cell phone goes off. i had no idea it was in the bag below and so i didnt answer it, but he gave me a few glares to turn it off. i saved that thought for later and used it as my introductory joke.. "im andy, and that was not my cellphone"
Pictures from the ceremony
the priest, saying his thing to corrie and dany
tried to catch corrie giggling at the term "obey"
and then it was time to load up the bus they rented to drive them to and from places.. i dubbed it the "Buss Beer Bus" because my grandparent's last names are Buss but im sure you've figured that out.
coming out, and loading the bus
coming out of the church
smiling for the cameraman
my dad is definately the best looking in this crowd
my sister on the bus
cousin scott handing out beer
cousin samantha
nice hat
andy, cousin kaila rai
and so after a few arduous blocks full of beer and naps, we get to the legislative building. there's 3 other wedding parties taking pictures, and we spend roughly an hour or so there, taking various pictures all over the damn place. i think i went inside a few times just to get rejuvinated with alcohol, and to work a bit on a few jokes i'd mustered up through the day.
in front of the Leg
scott, girlfriend sherry
brother and sister
aunt and uncle, parents of the bride
taking a picture of a person taking a picture of two people posing for the picture
sister and grandmother
parents, with the newlyweds
olafsons, with dany
the olafson clan
siblings
all the girls under thirty
dany's friends from romania, recently moved here. dont speak any english
newlyweds and grandparents
newlyweds, parents, grandparents
newlyweds, cousins, aunt, uncle
the whole dang wedding party
a good looking man and his grandmother
and so we wait. and we wait. another hour goes by. it's about 5ish. time flies in picture form. we get to the hotel, go through the standing thing where everyone says hi and shakes hands (people were skipping me because they thought i was the photographer whose cell phone rang). and then i get up on the microphone. im nervous as hell because i have hardly a thing prepared. we're going nicely through the list of people at the head table and i can feel my nervousness in the pit of my stomach, just waiting for me to screw something up so that i could get easy and calm and headforth. and it happens. "beside the best man is scott, sister of the bride". i thought of saying it, but didn't mean for it to spring out. people laughed. that was my chance. it was all uphill after that (except for the fact that whoever wrote my notes forgot the bride's parents on the list. oh, there was hilarity there too), through the speeches, the supper and soforth. making quips about little things in the right places made it easier for me because people actually laughed at my jokes. someone pointed out how odd it was that before supper i said "just as an FYI the bar will be closing in 5 minutes until the end of supper" and that i was able to be first in line at the OPEN bar 50 feet away.
i'll spare you the other little things, but basically it was a great night. i caught that thing that the groom throws.. the gurtle? sure. it's my second one. howabout that. i hope it's all just a myth.
random pictures
bride's sister and friend who joked about making out
my dad and aunt holly
the only picture i caught with my mom in it.(dad, uncle, aunt, mom)
it upsets me that i didnt get a picture of myself with the bride & groom, or with my whole family, but i was too busy as were they, just relishing in the moment that the first of the kids were getting married and that we're all getting old. i saw things that night i've never seen. an example? my grandparents dancing wildly to upbeat songs. about half of the grandkids noticed, and went "wow, i didn't know they can do that..."
so how did the night end? i walked up to the bar to order two more vodka + 7-ups, somewhere past 10 drinks. i sit down, five minutes later i hear "Last Call!". so i run up and grab 3 more, accidentally slipping into my hunter thompson impression to the bartender. he notices and laughs. . i sit down with my 5 drinks, and move all the straws to my mouth when my mom beckons me to leave. after much bitching i hand out 4 drinks, finish mine and leave. it was somewhere about 3am but everything after that is neither here nor there because i dont remember the rest.
and to think i almost had to work 4 hours after that. oh, today was hangover central, i tell you. but im glad. everyone had fun, tears were shed, but all for happyness. im happy as hell for those two. genuinely in love. smiling through all the heat and the embarassment.
i just hope someday that'll happen to me.