I Love Geek Weddings II
aka Chad Con (length warning)
Chad is a very dear friend of the WGH and a member of Infinite Imaginations, Inc. (I3), the gaming group we belong to whose sole purpose is to run games at Gen Con. When we received his wedding invite, I knew we were in for a fun time because a. Chad's a geek like us, and b. the invite described the wedding as a masque. Unfortunately I have no pictures because I forgot to pack my camera. I wondered why the wedding was in frigid January until the WGH explained to me that Chad and Laura are heavily involved with ren faires, as are many of their friends, and January is the only month of the year with almost no ren faire activity.
Mercifully, Brian made all the travel arrangements, including programming our new GPS for the drive down to the southern part of Missouri. He wanted to attend the festivities planned for Friday, so we left Thursday after work. We would have left early Thursday, but I had a daylong meeting at the Day Job (that was stressful to plan, but boring as hell to attend). We broke the drive down into two parts, listening to an unabridged CD version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne while Brian drove, and staying the night in Illinois (eeew!).
We arrived at the hotel where almost all the wedding guests were staying, and Brian went to join the festivities. He was annoyed that I didn't want to attend, but a long drive and sleeping for crap the night before made me need rest. I stayed in our hotel room and read The Princess Diaries X: Forever Princess (PDX). When Brian returned, he informed me of the room on the first floor where many of the guests were hanging out, playing games and eating and drinking. I referred to this as the Con Suite, as did many others (including the WGH after a fashion).
I decided to enjoy the hotel's hot tub, and I took PDX with me and read and soaked. I must remember to go into the pool first, then the hot tub, not the other way around. Then I visited the Con Suite for the first time while still in my (Mrs. Madison 1997) swimsuit. The gentlemen in the Suite expressed their appreciation of my attire.
After going to Golden Corral, our new favorite buffet, for dinner, we attended the rehearsal dinner party where I finally met Chad's bride: a lovely young dark-haired lady named Laura who is a nurse. I met Laura's sister Sandy and mother Alvitta, all delightful women of Mexican descent. Alvitta was very striking in looks and genteel in manners, and Brian described Sandy as the "Anti-D." (my snarky SiL) because Sandy seemed to bring joy and warmth to a room just by her presence and demeanor. I also met Chad's parents. Ironically his mother's name also is Laura and also is a nurse practitioner. I think the only way for Chad to distinguish the names of his bride and his mother is by RN vs. NP.
Before bedtime, the WGH and I were thirsty, but I couldn't find the ice and soda machines. A group of men were smoking cigars and drinking scotch in a corner suite where they fortunately left their door open. I knocked on the frame and said, "You guys look like you're having a party. Can you tell me where to find the ice machine?" They pointed me on my way, and I filled my bucket; however, I decided not to pay $2 for a 20 ounce bottle of soda. I went to the Con Suite for free sodas, and the same gentlemen as earlier in the day complimented me on my pajamas.
We slept late on Saturday morning, then Brian and I went to the Con Suite. He played some games, while I chatted with some friends that I typically only see at Gen Con. Off to lunch at Hardee's and some last-minute wedding-gift shopping. Then it was time to dress for the wedding. The WGH cleans up so nicely and is such a handsome man in a suit.
The wedding venue was a beautiful theatre, where jugglers and other circus performers greeted us at the door. The masque theme continued with most guests and all the wedding party wearing beautiful face coverings. My friend Sue, the Grand Poobah of I3, wore a gorgeous masque that she purchased on a trip to Venice. Aaron, another member of I3, was very funny as the minister performing the wedding ritual. More members of I3 were the groomsmen, while Sandy and a friend of the bride looked smashing in the blue taffeta and black lace gowns.
The star of the show was the Bride in her matching gown of red taffeta and black lace. The ceremony incorporated traditions from many cultures: Red is a traditional color for Chinese brides, the masque originated in Italy, and the Bride's Mexican heritage was represented in the gift of 13 gold coins from the Groom and blessed by everyone present. Juliette, the cantor, wore a gorgeous costume of blue, and sang a beautiful a cappella version of the " Ave Maria." She didn't even falter when her elaborate headdress fell off. Another friend recited a Mexican poem of love in both Spanish and English. I adore unique wedding ceremonies and sometimes wish the WGH and I could redo ours.
The reception was in the theater's banquet hall, and the Bride and Groom sprung for free beer and wine all night. Needless to say, I enjoyed their generosity. The WGH wasn't worried if I got drunk. 1. He was driving, and 2. If I made a fool of myself, we'd have great stories to tell for years to come. After about 3-4 glasses of wine and bottles of beer (each), I started drinking water. I also refrained when the Master of Ceremonies offered anyone to give a wedding toast (much to Brian's surprise, as I usually cannot refuse an invitation to talk). I preferred to be in the audience and enjoyed what others said of the Bride and Groom.
We sat at the same table with many members of I3 where we caught up on what we missed last Gen Con. The food was a good buffet, but as usual, the waitstaff couldn't keep everything (like the dinner rolls) filled. My late mother, the amateur caterer, would have been very disappointed.
Throughout dinner, the circus performers kept entertaining the guests. One juggler loved coming to our table because he adored how much I laughed at his jokes and performance.
Early in the evening, Laura NP, the mother of the groom, and I happened to be in the Ladies Room at the same time, so I asked her how she was doing.
"Oh, I'm shnockered."
"Good," I said, "I'm on my way there.
When the music started, I in my semi-inebriated state wanted to dance, but the WGH didn't because (IMHO) he suffers from the white-heterosexual-male curse of dancing like a frog in a blender. I apologized for putting him on the spot like that.
I met many wonderful people. The Jewish man with the matching yarmulke and mask was funny, and he didn't mind when I dragged him to the dance floor when the DJ played " Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes. He and Sandy seemed to be very interested in each other, much to the chagrin of the skinny young Latin man that I thought had an excellent tush. The biggest hit of the evening was I3 member Mark's infant son; every woman at the reception, myself included, wanted to hold him and fuss over him.
After the party proper had run its course, we went back to our hotel where the party continued in the Con Suite. More games were played, Pizza was ordered and ate, and Chocolate martinis were made and drunk.
Late Sunday morning we all convened at the hotel's breakfast buffet, including the Bride and Groom and their families. The poor waitstaff had a hard time keeping up with who had and had not received checks, but we gamers are an honest lot and gave them a big tip for all their troubles. The chef cooking the made-to-order omelettes obeyed my order of "Don't be skimpy with the cheese; I'm from Wisconsin." It was one of the best omelettes I ever ate.
Finally it was time to say goodbye. We headed north with Jason (Groom of the first " I Love Geek Weddings" post and another I3 member), who originally planned on staying another day, but his wife had a minor emergency and needed him home. During the long drive to drop him off near Chicago, he brought us up to speed on some of the I3 gossip that we hadn't heard at Gen Con last year. I let Jason ride shotgun while I read PDX for a second time.
During the last leg of the journey, Brian and I finished listening to our Jules Verne CD. We arrived home between 10 and 11 PM to three kitties who missed us almost as much as we missed them. As I told Chad during the breakfast brunch that morning, "I had a blast."
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam... And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva... So tweasure your wuv." -The Impressive Clergyman, The Princess Bride
Chad is a very dear friend of the WGH and a member of Infinite Imaginations, Inc. (I3), the gaming group we belong to whose sole purpose is to run games at Gen Con. When we received his wedding invite, I knew we were in for a fun time because a. Chad's a geek like us, and b. the invite described the wedding as a masque. Unfortunately I have no pictures because I forgot to pack my camera. I wondered why the wedding was in frigid January until the WGH explained to me that Chad and Laura are heavily involved with ren faires, as are many of their friends, and January is the only month of the year with almost no ren faire activity.
Mercifully, Brian made all the travel arrangements, including programming our new GPS for the drive down to the southern part of Missouri. He wanted to attend the festivities planned for Friday, so we left Thursday after work. We would have left early Thursday, but I had a daylong meeting at the Day Job (that was stressful to plan, but boring as hell to attend). We broke the drive down into two parts, listening to an unabridged CD version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne while Brian drove, and staying the night in Illinois (eeew!).
We arrived at the hotel where almost all the wedding guests were staying, and Brian went to join the festivities. He was annoyed that I didn't want to attend, but a long drive and sleeping for crap the night before made me need rest. I stayed in our hotel room and read The Princess Diaries X: Forever Princess (PDX). When Brian returned, he informed me of the room on the first floor where many of the guests were hanging out, playing games and eating and drinking. I referred to this as the Con Suite, as did many others (including the WGH after a fashion).
I decided to enjoy the hotel's hot tub, and I took PDX with me and read and soaked. I must remember to go into the pool first, then the hot tub, not the other way around. Then I visited the Con Suite for the first time while still in my (Mrs. Madison 1997) swimsuit. The gentlemen in the Suite expressed their appreciation of my attire.
After going to Golden Corral, our new favorite buffet, for dinner, we attended the rehearsal dinner party where I finally met Chad's bride: a lovely young dark-haired lady named Laura who is a nurse. I met Laura's sister Sandy and mother Alvitta, all delightful women of Mexican descent. Alvitta was very striking in looks and genteel in manners, and Brian described Sandy as the "Anti-D." (my snarky SiL) because Sandy seemed to bring joy and warmth to a room just by her presence and demeanor. I also met Chad's parents. Ironically his mother's name also is Laura and also is a nurse practitioner. I think the only way for Chad to distinguish the names of his bride and his mother is by RN vs. NP.
Before bedtime, the WGH and I were thirsty, but I couldn't find the ice and soda machines. A group of men were smoking cigars and drinking scotch in a corner suite where they fortunately left their door open. I knocked on the frame and said, "You guys look like you're having a party. Can you tell me where to find the ice machine?" They pointed me on my way, and I filled my bucket; however, I decided not to pay $2 for a 20 ounce bottle of soda. I went to the Con Suite for free sodas, and the same gentlemen as earlier in the day complimented me on my pajamas.
We slept late on Saturday morning, then Brian and I went to the Con Suite. He played some games, while I chatted with some friends that I typically only see at Gen Con. Off to lunch at Hardee's and some last-minute wedding-gift shopping. Then it was time to dress for the wedding. The WGH cleans up so nicely and is such a handsome man in a suit.
The wedding venue was a beautiful theatre, where jugglers and other circus performers greeted us at the door. The masque theme continued with most guests and all the wedding party wearing beautiful face coverings. My friend Sue, the Grand Poobah of I3, wore a gorgeous masque that she purchased on a trip to Venice. Aaron, another member of I3, was very funny as the minister performing the wedding ritual. More members of I3 were the groomsmen, while Sandy and a friend of the bride looked smashing in the blue taffeta and black lace gowns.
The star of the show was the Bride in her matching gown of red taffeta and black lace. The ceremony incorporated traditions from many cultures: Red is a traditional color for Chinese brides, the masque originated in Italy, and the Bride's Mexican heritage was represented in the gift of 13 gold coins from the Groom and blessed by everyone present. Juliette, the cantor, wore a gorgeous costume of blue, and sang a beautiful a cappella version of the " Ave Maria." She didn't even falter when her elaborate headdress fell off. Another friend recited a Mexican poem of love in both Spanish and English. I adore unique wedding ceremonies and sometimes wish the WGH and I could redo ours.
The reception was in the theater's banquet hall, and the Bride and Groom sprung for free beer and wine all night. Needless to say, I enjoyed their generosity. The WGH wasn't worried if I got drunk. 1. He was driving, and 2. If I made a fool of myself, we'd have great stories to tell for years to come. After about 3-4 glasses of wine and bottles of beer (each), I started drinking water. I also refrained when the Master of Ceremonies offered anyone to give a wedding toast (much to Brian's surprise, as I usually cannot refuse an invitation to talk). I preferred to be in the audience and enjoyed what others said of the Bride and Groom.
We sat at the same table with many members of I3 where we caught up on what we missed last Gen Con. The food was a good buffet, but as usual, the waitstaff couldn't keep everything (like the dinner rolls) filled. My late mother, the amateur caterer, would have been very disappointed.
Throughout dinner, the circus performers kept entertaining the guests. One juggler loved coming to our table because he adored how much I laughed at his jokes and performance.
Early in the evening, Laura NP, the mother of the groom, and I happened to be in the Ladies Room at the same time, so I asked her how she was doing.
"Oh, I'm shnockered."
"Good," I said, "I'm on my way there.
When the music started, I in my semi-inebriated state wanted to dance, but the WGH didn't because (IMHO) he suffers from the white-heterosexual-male curse of dancing like a frog in a blender. I apologized for putting him on the spot like that.
I met many wonderful people. The Jewish man with the matching yarmulke and mask was funny, and he didn't mind when I dragged him to the dance floor when the DJ played " Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes. He and Sandy seemed to be very interested in each other, much to the chagrin of the skinny young Latin man that I thought had an excellent tush. The biggest hit of the evening was I3 member Mark's infant son; every woman at the reception, myself included, wanted to hold him and fuss over him.
After the party proper had run its course, we went back to our hotel where the party continued in the Con Suite. More games were played, Pizza was ordered and ate, and Chocolate martinis were made and drunk.
Late Sunday morning we all convened at the hotel's breakfast buffet, including the Bride and Groom and their families. The poor waitstaff had a hard time keeping up with who had and had not received checks, but we gamers are an honest lot and gave them a big tip for all their troubles. The chef cooking the made-to-order omelettes obeyed my order of "Don't be skimpy with the cheese; I'm from Wisconsin." It was one of the best omelettes I ever ate.
Finally it was time to say goodbye. We headed north with Jason (Groom of the first " I Love Geek Weddings" post and another I3 member), who originally planned on staying another day, but his wife had a minor emergency and needed him home. During the long drive to drop him off near Chicago, he brought us up to speed on some of the I3 gossip that we hadn't heard at Gen Con last year. I let Jason ride shotgun while I read PDX for a second time.
During the last leg of the journey, Brian and I finished listening to our Jules Verne CD. We arrived home between 10 and 11 PM to three kitties who missed us almost as much as we missed them. As I told Chad during the breakfast brunch that morning, "I had a blast."
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam... And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva... So tweasure your wuv." -The Impressive Clergyman, The Princess Bride