The Wedding -- Day Three

Well the bride and groom are off to Lost Wages. The ceremony was very pretty. It started with my niece at the top of a huge staircase. She had rehearsed her part the day before, but there weren't any people sitting in chairs and looking up at her like the real thing.

She was wearing a pretty white dress with a huge black bow and she carried a basket of roses with petals for tossing. Her eyes got very wide when she saw everybody. The first thing she did was scrunch down, stick her head through the balustrade and say, "Hi everybody!!"  Then she started down the winding stairs holding the railing with one hand while she looked around to see if there was anyone she knew. "Oh!! Hi, Daddy!!  Hi, Mommy!!"  Lots of laughter. At the bottom of the stairs she was pointed towards the aisle that led to where the groom and the minister were waiting.  That's where she could start tossing her flower petals.

Instead of walking down the middle of the white covering for the carpet, she walked along the edge so she wouldn't get it dirty. She stopped to drop a few petals. Then she walked a little farther and dropped a few more petals. She pretty much milked it for all it was worth, taking her time, enjoying the whole process along with the rest of us. Not bad for a two year old. Okay, she'll be three in June.

The other flower girl, who looked equally adorable in her white dress and big black bow, had clearly done this a million times. She marched down the stairs, tossed her flowers and finished with a flourish in about thirty seconds. Maybe beinig four years old helped.

After the ceremony, which was captured on video and cellphone as well as a number of professional and amateur digital cameras, we adjourned to the dining room for my favorite part of the occasion -- FOOD.

After some excellent hot hors d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne, we got down to serious gnostication, starting with a mixed green salad, followed by a fantastic big fat noodle sun-dried tomato pasta. I was full by then. But they brought me salmon with whipped potatoes and baby carrots anyway. Steak and chicken were the other options. I forgot what I ordered, so I just asked what they had the most of. Dessert was out of the question. I just stared at the huge pate of wedding cakewith a side of ice cream in a molded chocolate cup. The cake was very tasty, but I could only muster a single bite.

I'm not one for DJ's at weddings, but after listening to a couple of very loud, very bad bands in recent years, I have a greater appreciation for the variety they offer. You don't like one tune, here's another. I could do without the tacky spinning colored ball though. In a room with multiple crystal chandeliers, it's like having a huge swag lamp. At least the DJ didn't wear a green brocade vest.

I went home afterward and passed out fully clothed.  Not from drink. From being too damn old for this anymore.

The next morning I managed to roll out of bed for yet another meal anyway. There were lots of out of town relatives staying at the Marriott so we all gathered again for MORE FOOD! The bride and groom joined us, yawning. It was a casual group. My half brother, the nuptial boy, was wearing his tux shirt and patent leather shoes with a pair of sweat pants.

I polished off a chef's omelette, orange juice and bacon and I could barely move. My 13 month old nephew ate a whole bagel, half a Belgian waffle, a bowl of Cheerios, a bowl of fruit, and his bottle. Then he had breakfast. 

His uncle, the groom, was almost ten pounds when he was born. He drank sixty ounces of milk at three months. He used to eat an entire fourth meal in the middle of the night until he was past two years old. He's almost six four, so at least he grew tall, not wide.

I wonder if there's any Zantac around here. I haven't eaten this much food since, oh, right, since Easter.  Ooops.