kilts aren't too bad!

When we last left off, we were arriving at the hotel for the reception. The girls went straight to the party, while the guys went up to the bridal suite to change into our kilts. Yes, you can rent kilts! A company called Scotland Yard had a very friendly and easy to use website to get them from. None of us have ever worn a kilt before, so we didn't think it would be too bad, and all in all it really wasn't, but there was some confusion for a while which resulted in a half dozen or so guys standing around in their underwear trying to figure out how to get dressed. I got close on my first try. I only had it backwards and wrapped wrong. There are three buckles to hold it together, and I put the wrong part in the middle at first, so I could only get at one of them. And half of the kilt has lots of pleats in it, which are supposed to go in the back I found out. So a half twist around and a rewrap and I was in my kilt! Throw on some knee high socks, stick a knife (which they also rented out!) in one, put on your shoes that lace up around your legs, clip on the sporran (aka crotch guard/purse combo!), and thow on a new jacket and we were set!

Of course, this all took waaaay too long for the girls, and we all got chewed out for taking so much time when we got to the reception. As if we have never stood around waiting for girls to get ready! Anyways, we make our grand entrace to much cheering and a few laughs, but overall, I have to say...we looked damn good!

Dinner was promptly served, and that was some really good food. But before I could find this out, I suddenly realized that it was speech time. And to be perfectly honest, I was still feeling some of the effects of the beverages from the limo ride. I have never been a best man before, and so this was my first speech to give at a wedding, and I suddenly noticed just how many people were there. There were actually four of us to give speeches, since there were two best men and two matrons of honor, but the way it was going, Julie and I were doing speeches, and Mike and Erica read off a celtic wedding prayer. And they all decided that I got to go first. First thought through my head: should have written this down! But I step up to the mic, and it all flows pretty well. Some parts didn't come out as eloquently as I originally intended them, but I had a lot of laughs from everyone there, so I think it went pretty well. I saw one picture which shows John and I laughing, and Lisa has a forced looking smile on her face, so I think I know exactly when that was taken. At one point in the speech I pointed out that John was one of the last guys to get married from our group, and as such, I had prepared a little tutorial for him to catch up to the rest of us. It consisted of learning the line "Yes, dear," "I'm sorry, that's my fault," "Let me do that for you," and then I said "No, that doesn't make you look...oh, wait, sorry! That's from the advanced class!" I know the guys thought it was funny. The girls looked less than amused. That's ok, I can live with keeping half of the people laughing.

Having survived that, I could now move on to dinner. Which was one of the most tender, flavorful New York strip steaks that I've ever had in my life. Followed by some amazing cake, and then a chocolate fountain with cakes and fruits to dip into it. Oh...that was a great meal!

The dancing started up, and much to the surprise of my wife, I was up there dancing most the entire time. Usually at weddings, I don't dance much. A cross between wanting to socialize with everyone and the fact that I have two left feet and am the whitest man alive when it comes to dancing. But that night I said screw it. I'm at the best wedding that I have ever been to, I'm in a kilt, let's rock this place! And so we went nuts. And it was a blast. At one point, they put on some Flogging Molly, and we all tried to do Irish jigs to it. Tried was most definitely the applicable word here. I'm told everyone had a great time watching it, but I have a feeling it wasn't for the quality of the dance. Oh, well. At least they were laughing!

One of the funniest quotes of the night came from one of the bridesmaids who came up to a bunch of us in kilts and asked "are you guys wearing underwear under those?" To which most of us replied yes. Her response: "I'm not wearing any. Why are you?" I didn't really have a good answer to that. But later in the night (read: several drinks later) one of the groomsmen who was going...regimental...all night pointed out: How many times are you going to be wearing a kilt at an Irish wedding on St. Patrick's Day? Shouldn't you do it right? I couldn't argue with him, so I wandered off the restroom and modified my attire. So yes, I can now say that I have worn a kilt properly. 8-) Towards the end of the night, I ended up putting them back on though when someone else said "How many other people have gone regimental in that rental kilt?" I couldn't argue with him either, so the boxers went right back on. 8-)

This was, by far, the most fun that I have ever had on St. Patrick's Day, and something that I will remember each year for the rest of my life. It was also the most fun that I've had at any wedding, besides my own of course. Thanks again to John and Lisa for making us a part of your day. It was a great honor for us to be included. You guys are the best, and we hope you have a long and great life together.

And remember, if someone asks you what do you wear under a kilt, the answer is: socks and shoes.

John and Lisa's wedding part 2

So, we're now happily married, and on our way to the reception. But, you can never go straight to the reception when you're in the wedding party! First there's pictures at the church, which were pretty much the same as any other church pictures ever are. I'm sure they look great, St. Monica's is a beautiful church. But then the pictures get more interesting. As we all get into the waiting limo (hey look! The limo was actually there! What a nice surprise considering he forgot us earlier! But I digress...

Once in the limo, we popped open many of the aforementioned bottles of champagne, and after a few toasts the Jameson bottle got cracked open as well. Then we were dropped off at a park for a few pictures. It's a little park, but it's got a great view, it's up on a bluff with the lake behind it. Should make for some great pictures. Being a good wedding party and St. Patrick's Day celebrators, we brought our beverages along with us of course, which made for some funny moments as people who weren't in particular shots tried to hold all of the drinks of those people who were in the pictures. And also in the case of the women all of their jackets, because it was a little cold out. Several pictures later, we're back in the limo, refilling beverages, drinking said beverages, and on our way to another park. The girls complain a little bit about it because of the cold, but between the guys, random jackets, champagne and Jamo, we promise to keep them warm.

The next stop is closer to the lakefront, and actually is on a rugby pitch. Nice open field shots with the lake as a backdrop. This time we kept the drinks in hand for most of the pictures. We also were getting a little goofy, and the photographer went with it and we had a blast taking pictures. She was really cool, one of the most fun photographers that I've had at a wedding. My wedding resume isn't huge, but I've been in a half dozen or so and tagged along for several others when I knew most of the people in it. There were a bunch of shots here that I really can't wait to see, both serious ones, and a few where she just told us to "strike a pose" and I think will turn out funny. At least, I certainly hope so, because I know she was laughing at me and took several pictures of me at that point. Here's hoping that they look as good now as I thought they would then (which was several toasts into the afternoon :D)

So we're back in the limo again, refilling again, and cruising along...when we make a third stop! This time at a marina, so yup, we've got the lake behind us again, but this time we're climbing on some rocks. That part was a bit more difficult that I imagined it would be. I'm going to blame it on the poor traction of the dress shoes. Definitely not on the drinks that are still being carried around by us...or the bottle of Jamo that someone brought this time too. Oh, the photographer had a real fun time with us on this one. We probably had a one to one ratio of serious shots to silly ones at this stop. I can't imagine why...

Last time getting into the limo, we are finally on our way to the reception. By the time that we get there, all six bottles of champagne are empty, and there's only maybe an inch left at the bottom of the bottle of Jameson. Which we found out that we couldn't take in with us without paying a "corking fee." And we certainly weren't going to waste it by throwing it out! Goodness no! So a few of us passed it around quick, and then disposed of the empty bottle.

In retrospect, consuming that much alcohol before attempting to figure out how to put on a kilt may have been a bad idea. Oh, well. That's what hindsight is for, right? The girls wandered off to the reception, and the guys went up to the bridal suite to change into our kilts, and that's where I'll leave this chapter off. This has been enough typing for right now. :D Next time, getting into the kilts and the reception!

Irish Weddings

A huge congrats to John and Lisa McCarville, who got married on St. Patricks Day! This was the most fun wedding that I've ever been to (besides my own, of course!). Rehearsal went well. I got to see some friends that I hadn't run into for a while there, so it was a nice reunion time. It continued at the reheasal dinner which was held at the Rock Bottom brewery in Milwaukee. I highly recommend their pretzels with this really great dipping sauce that they come with! Cheesy and kinda spicy, it was really good! Julie and Renee joined us for a while, and then they went back to the Hilton so Renee could go to sleep. I'll be paying Julie back for this when her brother's wedding comes up later this year, but for now, I was having an awesome night out with everyone. Lots of yummy beers, some good food, and great friends. Although we didn't stick with beer for long, since we were here for an wedding on St. Patricks Day, we switched over to Jameson Irish Whiskey quite early on! Then we were playing darts and singing along with the jukebox all night long. A short 3.5 block walk back to the hotel had me in bed around 1-1:30.

Saturday was the big day! All of the guys met for breakfast at the Wooden Goose in Mequon, where half of the guys were too tired to notice the OR in the menu for the "Omlete with bacon, ham, or sausage" and kept trying to order a 3 meat omlete. We all got a good laugh out of that. Then it was a quick run down to West Allis to drop off Renee with Grandma, Grandpa, Kevin, and Kelly (thanks guys!), and back to downtown again to put on the tux! And this is where the fun begins...

It's about noon, and we're close to being ready. We're all hanging out in the Bridal Suite, which was just gigantic and amazing. At least four to five times bigger than our room, and really beautiful with a great view. The limo was supposed to drop off the girls at the church, and then be at the hotel by 11:45 to pick up the guys. So we send someone down to find him and let him know that we'll be there shortly. Except that they can't find the limo. We give him a few minutes and then call to see where he is. After a few calls, we find out that he's sitting out back of the church. He claims to have not known that he was supposed to pick up the guys, but I know there's no way John and Lisa would not be clear about what had to be done. The guy flat out forgot and was trying to cover his butt. The problem was that he was in Whitefish Bay, and we were downtown. The wedding was at 2:00, and it was now getting pretty late. We finally get the programs, and put half of us in John's car to race up to the church. Which of course means that the limo shows up right as we're about to pull out. But of course, the limo takes the last turn too wide, and needs to go into oncoming traffic lanes to complete it. With the small problem that there are cars in those lanes, so he's just sitting there waiting for room to move. So we floor it out of there and let the rest of the wedding party wait for the limo and have them follow us up.

We'll just say that we made remarkably good time on the way to the church and leave it at that, ok? 8-)

The girls, bless their hearts, kept the bride completely in the dark. I believe some flat out lying was involved, but that's fine because the last thing you want right before a wedding is a panicked bride. She did thank them later on for keeping the limo problems from her. Which is much easier to do in retrospect after everything goes off well. The wedding started a little bit late, but it went off just fine. The priest, of course, had to interject a little "If your married life goes even a little bit better than the wedding itself has started, you'll have it made," but then it was all back to normal again.

I'll bring you part two of the wedding story a bit later. I have a feeling it will take a third part before I'm done with this tale, especially once we get into the limo ride from the church to the reception. I'll just say this much right now, 11 people in the limo (although two were sick, and so not drinking much), and the trip started with 6 full bottles of champagne and Jameson. I'll let you guess how much was left at the end of the road. 8-)