Today Allison and I went to Andy and Rondi’s wedding. That was at 5:00pm. Before the wedding we spent the morning and the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a very nice breakfast and lunch with them. Breakfast with Grandma on the sun porch that my Dad built. Lunch was out on the patio outside. We had a very nice weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. It was very nice of them to put us up for the weekend. It was nice to spend a good amount of time with them talking and enjoying each other’s company. We also had a lazy afternoon and got in a few naps after our recent late nights.

At 3:30 we headed over to West Dennis beach to give Heidi a hand with the beach set up. We brought down the chairs, the bottles of cider, the Frisbees, the shells and the sand. There was quite a bit to set up but the three of us worked very well as a little team. We set up the aisle first. It was lined with seashells that Rondi had spent many days collecting. Then we set up the chairs on either side for the immediate family. There were bottles of cider for everyone to have a toast after Andy and Rondi were married. The Frisbees were Andy’s idea. You see at every wedding he has ever been to he’s made the program into some sort of paper airplane or something so instead of a program they got 60 blue Frisbees and on the front was the explanation of the Frisbee and on the inside were the Thank You’s. So with everything set up people were beginning to arrive we began welcoming folks. I set up my mini video camera on the tiny tripod to tape the ceremony. Despite the wind the camera picked up all the words from the participants and the camera was in a good position to record the entire ceremony. (I reviewed the video and it came out excellent.)

Now West Dennis Beach is a public beach and it is a very long beach. Andy and Rondi choose one of the furthest points, which is Chair 11. Past Chair 11 kiteboarders and windsurfers can launch their crafts. This made for a wonderful and colorful backdrop during he ceremony. Because it is a public beach there are people who were already on the beach while we were setting up. Luckily there were none who were directly in the area where we were setting up but off to the left there was a couple with a dog that barked a good deal. I was hoping they would clear off once the ceremony started. To the right was a man who had his paper, his beer and a cigar. I was certainly hoping he would clear off. And also to the left there was a young skinny couple who was playing in the surf who might have been a bit distracting. But once the ceremony got under way we didn’t notice them at all. Also there were a few kiteboarders who weren’t quite in total control of heir kites. One guy slammed his kite into the ground mere feet from the couple with the barking dog. And other kiteboarders slammed her kite into the water and her boyfriend helped her out, but mostly they stayed further out and gave a very fitting backdrop to the proceedings. Andy kiteboards and he does it often at West Dennis Beach.

The ceremony began and Andy and his brother Zach walked in behind Reverend Bill. Bill was Rondi’s pastor and Youth Group Advisor while she was growing up. Next came Rondi’s mom who was the Matron of Honor and then Rondi and her Dad. Rondi had the perfect dress for a beach wedding. Simple and elegant with some ties that blew in the wind. I was rapid firing photos throughout the whole ceremony, playing with the focus point to get the kiteboarders in the background and then the couple in the foreground. Rondi’s sister Tammi did the first reading, Allison the second and Andy’s friend Matt did the third. The video picked up each very well. The readings were very special to both Andy and Rondi. They exchanged vows and the families did a Sand Ceremony. This was a wonderful idea. Rather than a unity candle they used sand. Each member of Rondi’s family had a little vial of black sand. Each member of Andy’s family had one of white sand. The Rondi’s family poured their sand into a glass container that Rondi had. Andy’s family poured their sand into the container that Andy had. Then Andy and Rondi each poured their containers into a thin round container. The symbolism was excellent. That new families come from existing families and all that each family has brought together is now so intermixed that it cannot possibly be separated. This was such a special symbol within the ceremony. I loved it.

After the Sand Ceremony and they were pronounced husband and wife the cider was passed around and we had a toast to the newly married couple. We also followed them out to the exit and had a group picture taken. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and the care and thought that was put into the planning of the wedding couldn’t have been more perfect. We had an excellent time at the ceremony.

After the ceremony I stuck around ad cleaned up and took pictures of the couple and their families and basically shadowed the photographer while trying to stay out of the way. I hope I succeeded in not being a pest. I also walked down to the water and some of the kiteboarders came in and did some tricks. I got a few pictures but missed one guy because he came out of no where when my back was turned, I turned around to just miss catching him doing some crazy trick. I will have to go back down to the beach sometime with Andy and get some pictures.

The reception was held at the West Dennis Yacht Club. This was a very nice setting for the rest of the pictures as well as for celebrating Andy and Rondi’s wedding reception. There were some great hors devours and even clam chowder and steamers and mussels. We sat with friends of Rondi’s named Amanda and Justin and showed Amanda the proper way to eat steamers. I tried t get a couple more pictures of Andy and Rondi but I knew I would have been in the Photographer’s way. He must have gotten some fantastic shots though and I cant wait to see them.

For dinner we were seated with a few of Rondi’s friends, Justin and Amanda, Brian and Katy, and David and Anna. We had a great time talking about weddings how we proposed, what we liked at other weddings we had attended. We had a good time, a nice table for us to be at. On the table there were mini 1/16 scale replica lifeguard chairs. These were the exact to scale replicas of the lifeguard chairs that are on West Dennis Beach. Rondi made them herself. We got to keep one to add to our beach theme room at the Cape. There were also painted seashells with a wedding tradition written and explained on the inside of the shell. This was another of Rondi’s touches and it was a nice icebreaker at the table.

I got some more pictures when Andy and Rondi performed their first dance. They went to the same Dance studio that Allison and I did and they did a great job together for their first dance. I had the camera on the wrong setting when they first started and luckily I noticed it because the first 4 pictures were totally black. I corrected that and did get some nice shots. The wedding cake looked spectacular. There were two tiny chairs on top and all around the bottom was brown sugar to simulate sand, there were beach fences along each tier and candy seashells all over it. It looked awesome. And it tasted pretty good too.

The rest of the night was great with a good DJ and some fun tunes. Andy’s brother Nate who is the most sedate guy most of the time almost knocked me out. On the dance floor he is a machine, a machine with some flailing arms that end in fists. I had to pull my face away more than once. The crowd enjoyed dancing to many 80’s tunes. The DJ had our number all right and he kept them coming. We stayed on till the end and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Today is Erik’s birthday. Happy Birthday Erik!

Today I went with Andy and his three brothers and his father out on a ski boat on Bass River in Dennis, MA. Andy brought along his two wakeboards and a towrope. We motored out through the channel and into the speed zone. We were basically the only boat out on the water today. There were a few kayaks and a couple other powerboats but essentially the whole speed zone was ours to do with what we wanted. Once we figured out the proper trim settings and went down to four people in the boat (Andy’s dad and brother Zach stayed on shore.) we got some speed out of the boat. I had Tara’s camera and was perfectly fine trying to take pictures. Andy went first and he got right up on the wake board and was switching lead feet and everything. Then his brother Nate tried and I think he might have gotten up, then his brother Ethan tried and he got up too. We went back to the beach and Ethan and Zach switched. Zach got right up on his first try and got the hang of it very quickly.

After Zach was done I gave it a try and did pretty good leaning back and having the boat tow me but I would lean too far forward each time and the board would get sucked under the water and me along with it. We tried this a couple of times and I just couldn’t wrap my head around what I needed to do. So I got back on the boat. Apparently I was the only one who needed the swim ladder and I left it down. When Nate got back in the water to go for another turn on the wakeboard the rooster tail that the swim ladder kicked up was impressive. Oops. I took a ton of still images (we need to get a better zoom lens) and then I used my other camera to take some video. Got some great wipe out shots and some great action video of the guys. We dropped back over to the beach and I switched places with Ethan so the four brothers could have some time together on the water. Andy’s Dad and I talked about kayaking while we watched the fiddler crabs on the beach. There were tons of them, I’ve never seen that many before in one place. The four brothers came and picked up Gordon and me. We did a few high-speed turns around the speed zone and then headed back to the dock. At the dock Andy told me where the beach was for the ceremony and the rehearsal so I drove out there to make sure I knew where I would be going later in the afternoon. I found the beach and where we were to go and then turned around and picked up some lunch at Pizza Paradise. They made some really good pizza there and they had a Jimmy Buffett/Island/Red Sox theme int eh place. It was a fun atmosphere, very New England, very beachy.

I went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and reviewed the pictures and video from the morning. I transferred everything to my laptop and recharged the camera batteries. Then Allison and Grandma came home. They had been out shopping and running errands while I was being dragged behind the boat. Allison got two pairs of very nice shoes for the rehearsal and the wedding ceremony. We began to get ready for the rehearsal because we were going to be going to a very fine restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. It is a good thing that I knew where I was going and had scouted ahead because we were running late. Not too late just late by my definition of late.

We got to chair 11 on the West Dennis Beach and ran through the rehearsal. Andy and Rondi have some great ideas for their wedding I am looking forward to it tomorrow. After the rehearsal we rode over to a reception for guests who were arriving from out of town. Andy’s four younger brothers were all dressed up and had coordinating colors with their ties and shirts. I asked them if that was an accident or if they planned it and why had they not included Andy on that memo. The reception was very nice and I took a few pictures while we were there.

Then we were to the rehearsal dinner. It was at the 902 Main Restaurant. The food was excellent. I had the most amazing filet ever. And as we know I love my Filet. This was fork tender melt in your mouth like butter Filet. And I am not just saying that, I have heard people say that and thought, “What are they talking about? Like butter, that makes no sense.” It was not until I had this Filet for dinner that I actually understood and experienced that. I told the chef that, I told everybody that. The restaurant also has some very interesting bathrooms. The men’s room has a James Bond/martini theme. I was told that the women’s room had a Tiffany’s theme to it.

Andy and Rondi were such gracious and generous hosts. We even got to sit with them for the meal. The meal also had a wonderful fresh salad with a slice of Blue Cheese on top. I got two of them because Allison does not like Blue Cheese. I set it aside to have with my Filet. This restaurant had very good servers, if you got up to use the bathroom when you returned your napkin was folded again on the table for you. So as we were waiting for the main course they began to clear the bread plates. That is where I stashed my second piece of Blue Cheese. I was talking and didn’t realize that they had taken the plate till the server was halfway down the table. I made a noise like, “Ah” or “Um”, you know the noise you make when you want to say something but realize that it might not be appropriate to shout out, “Hey where are you going with my Blue Cheese.” The server heard me, (and the meaning of what I was going to say) and she returned the Blue Cheese. I stated, “I was going to save that piece for my Filet.” She was very happy that I was going to eat that Blue Cheese and even checked on it as I ate the meal. The first bite of the Filet was the most perfect bite of Filet I had ever had. I was so happy while eating this meal. I was probably helped by the fact that each time my wineglass was empty the servers were right on top of things and topped me off. Such good wine too. It was a very tasty Pinot Grigio. I had a far amount of it, not enough for Tiki Drew to come out but enough for his milder cousin to make an appearance. I probably got Andy in trouble with one or two comments about wedding traditions.

For dessert we had a crème brulee. I t was okay not spectacular. The presentation was spectacular but the crème brulee tasted a bit too eggy for me, not that creamy. Andy and Rondi did put a Crème Brulee set and recipe book on their registry and I told Andy that maybe he and I can make some fantastic Crème Brulee sometime. Then the statement that Derek makes about my Crème Brulee making prowess would be true.

We had a very nice day today. We are so looking forward to tomorrow as well.