After our morning excursion searching for a Best Buy, we arrived back at our hotel around noon to begin preparing for our friend's wedding. Lori had to iron her dress, do her hair and makeup, and get dressed. I had to decide which shirt and tie to wear, get dressed and gather up the cameras and tripod - all in about 25 minutes. We quickly rushed through the tasks at hand, and made it back out the door around 12:30 pm. The wedding started at one o'clock. We were at least fifteen mintues away and still had to set up so that Lori could video the wedding.
As we left the hotel parking lot, we came up to one of those "Michigan Lefts" which sent us headed in the wrong direction. Actually it was a regular "No Left Turn". I had planned to turn right, make an immediate left into the parking lot of the business across the street, whip around and head in the right direction. As I pulled out squealing my tires, a car behind me pulled out and merged into the left lane blocking me from turning into the parking lot across the street. My only other option was to go to the stoplight and try to turn around at one of the businesses at the intersection. Luckily for me, this intersection did not include a "Michigan Left" and I was able to make the left turn that I needed. (They are SOOOOOOO inconsistent with left turns in Michigan.) I whipped into the parking lot I originally wanted to turn around in and got us headed in the right direction. Lori was not saying anything during this time, but I am sure she was none to pleased with my driving.
The GPS directed us onto the interstate, but I decided to ignore the GPS because we had spent enough time driving around in the morning, that I knew a more direct route. Although it was more direct, it might not have been the quickest. I weaved in and out of lanes like a mad man and probably exceeded the speed limit by at least 15 MPH (anything more and I would have to retract my earlier statement about being a law-abiding citizen). We arrived at 12:50 pm to a mostly empty church parking lot. At first I thought we might have been in the wrong place and then I thought maybe the wedding started at 1:30 pm. Neither turned out to be the case as we simply ended up being one of the first guest to arrive. The parking lot filled pretty quickly after we arrived. We entered the church to find the bridal party sitting for pictures. As we looked around, we realized the layout of the church prevented us from having a good place to set up to video. Lori would have to do it from her seat on the aisle.
The wedding was a very lovely mass and one of the nicest weddings that I have attended. It was a simple elegance that words can not begin to describe. Most importantly, it was not only a celebration of love for the bride and groom, but a reminder to all who attended of the importance of having love in our life. Considering, I had lost my faith and hope with the graduate school process, the wedding was a very refreshing experience. For a brief moment, I found peace.
Ashley, our friend was absolutely beautiful in her bridal gown. She looked so elegant and sophisticated that I didn't even recognize her, except that she was the bride and I knew it was her wedding we were attending. She looked so grown up compared to what we see of her everyday at work. E.J. looked equally handsome, but this is the bride's day, so we will concentrate on that.
The wedding lasted about an hour. The reception would not start until 4:30 pm, giving us about two hours in between. Lori and I decided to find the Best Buy that we had looked for earlier. I now had a much better idea of the area and where it was that I needed to go. We found the Best Buy with little effort (and NO GPS). They had four GPS dash friction mounts left. (They had nine when we tried to find it earlier.) After purchasing the mount, we stopped to buy some Father's Day presents and then headed to the reception.
The funny thing - after purchasing the dash friction mount, we realized we would be unable to use it until we got home, because we had failed to bring the windshield mount with us and both mounts share a common clip that attaches the GPS to the mount.
Like the wedding, the reception was very simple yet, very elegant in its simplicity. Dinner was served family style, which was the first I had seen at a wedding reception. I have been to buffets and plate dinner weddings, but this was definitely a first for me. It was also very nice because it helped one interact with the people at the table. We were seated with two other very nice couples and held conversation as though we had known the couples for years. It was very pleasant. Many times when you attend a wedding and are seated with people you don't know, it can be awkward. The bride and groom did an excellent job with the seating arrangements. Dinner was perfectly prepared.
We were also impressed with the DJ. He was no overly loud, but he was very engaging. He knew his job and, in my opinion, did it superbly. He played music that kept the party going and people on the dance floor. At one point, I requested a song for Lori and I to dance to - Edwin McCain's "I Could Not Ask for More" (the sound you are hearing as you read this blog if your speakers are turned on). The DJ commented that it was an excellent choice and said he would play it. To my surprise, he played it right after the current song ended! Usually when a DJ says they will play a song, it is put in a long list of requests and you are lucky if you hear it within the next hour. He was the best DJ I have seen at a wedding.
As the night wore on, Lori and I decided to leave the reception a little early and spend some time together. We decided to drive down to the Detroit River and find a lighthouse. We haven't visited many lighthouses after dark, but I think one of the most romantic things a couple can do is spend time together at a lighthouse when it is lit up at night.
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