On Saturday, December 13th, 2008, Lisa and I got married. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, full of friends and family and much loving care and support. The first thing to note was the weather: incredible! I still can not get over it: the day started off just gorgeously sunny, then after the ceremony and photos, it rained outside while we were indoors (I hear rain is good luck on your wedding day!), then again was just gorgeous when everyone left. Truly remarkable.
The ceremony itself was full of love and was very personal. The officiating by our Tai Chi teacher was really special, as he brought such a great warmth and joy to the ceremony. Our dear friends John and Jenn both spoke such beautiful words, and it was a treat to hear our friend Rebekah played her viol. We walked down the aisles with our families, and at the end of the ceremony walked away with great joy and applause.
Afterwards we were outside doing photographs while the caterers rearranged the room for the reception, which occurred in the same room as the ceremony. When everyone got seated to prepare for lunch, our friend John announced us as we walked into the room again to applause and smiles. We turned on some music we had chosen ahead of time (an enjoyable mix of lounge music and classic singers like Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole, and others) and had a wonderful meal. Conversation seemed to be everywhere, delicious food served, all amidst a room full with lovely flowers.
After lunch, as is a traditiona, Lisa and I cut the cake and served each other pieces of the cake. After this the caterers cut up the cake and everyone filled their cups with champagne. My brother, the best man, gave a wonderful and funny account of our family’s life and my own with Lisa, followed by beautiful toasts from our fathers and friends. Their words were precious and will be treasured for a very long time.
With the toasts complete, Lisa and I began going around and thanking everyone for coming, giving and receiving many hugs, and being thankful for everyone’s loving kindness and support. As friends and family began their exits, the event came to a close with the feeling of being a remarkable success.
I don’t think I could have asked for a more beautiful way to start my married life with Lisa, and will always remember the day fondly.
REGARDING VENDORS
I wanted to mention the venue and vendors we used as we found each and everyone had done just an amazing job.
Venue: Brazilian Room at Tilden Park, Berkeley, CA.
What a gorgeous place, especially with the incredible weather! We chose this venue because we thought that December would be cold and possibly rainy, and the venue had a nice fireplace to offer. It was a little chilly, but gorgeously sunny, and we did make use of the fireplace which added a very nice ambiance to the ceremony and reception.
Caterer: Serves You Right Catering
Delicious! They prepared the food on site on the day of the wedding and the food was excellent. We received great compliments on the food!
Florist: Branch Out Floral and Event Design, Leighsa Montrose
The flower arrangements, corsages, and boutonnieres were really beautiful. Lisa had taken care of working with both the caterer and florist so they were both a surprise to me, and it really was a surprise how gorgeously the flowers and how wonderful the food came out. Beautiful work!
CAKE: Masse’s Pastries
As delcious as it was beatiful! The experience of working with them was just fantastic, from the tasting to the end product, everything was just so wonderful. The cake was a beautiful 3-layer cake surrounded and covered with flowers. Their cake was really exceptional and again was complimented on by everyone.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Martina Konietzny
Martina was great! She has such a wonderful energy about her, and her assistant Kevin was incredible. Together they ran around taking photos all through the ceremony and reception. They made us all feel very comfortable and were funny and friendly, making the photography a very enjoyable experience. We are waiting to see the results, but I have no doubt that they will be excellent, and am glad we went with Martina.
A big thanks to all of these vendors for their wonderful work!