Hello, children.
I'm back from Lisa and James's wedding in Hobart/Valparaiso, Indiana, the first wedding I've been to where I've known the groom for longer than the bride, but also where I know both bride and groom equally well, as do many of my friends.
The wedding was lovely, the bride and groom relaxed (at least they looked it) and clearly a handsome couple. I love weddings where there isn't any nervous or tense silence. Even when people make mistakes it should feel normal, or just comfortable and familylike. At this wedding, there weren't any mistakes, and even the silences felt natural. It was a good wedding.
The reception was a good time for everybody. We ate buffet, and even before we ate they did the toasts. The cake was even cut right away, without a lot of fanfare. Same with the couple's first dance. It was sort of like, ok, let's do the wedding stuff while we are calm and unsweaty, then relax more and cut loose and spend time with people without having to be pulled away for duties. A lot of times they space that stuff out through the reception, and it's hard to get everyone together, especially when they're talking to people. Here, everything was all done and we could dance, and early-to-bedders didn't have to miss those moments.
I'm throwing a shout-out to The Safes here. There was a DJ for the first part of the reception, then the band played, and they really got the dance floor working, with a good mixture of songs from different times. I got very sweaty, the strapless bra ended up about two inches lower than it should be a few times, and I got told by the dance superstar of the evening, who is four, that since she did such a good job dancing, I owe her money. It was hilarious.
I have some nice pictures of people, but I feel leery about posting without their permission, so instead, here's my room at the Courtyard Marriott: