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!