What a nice day for a (beat) white wedding.

The nuptials of Mr. and Mrs. James Strowe rocked the house despite several days of rain and high humidity.

We all met in New Brunswick for a late lunch at a Mongolian barbecue place near the train station, then went up the street to Kirkpatrick Chapel for a rehearsal. I am not sure why the minister, while addressing the groomsmen out back about decorum and dignified behaviour, chose to look at ME the entire time. 

 After the rehearsal, I got to spend some quality time with my fellow groomsmen Friday night. The plan was to meet at a given time, drop all our cars at the hotel and carpool from there to Yutaka, a hibachi grill in Somerville.  Somehow I ended up killing time with two of James' friends, Matt and Hank in a comic book store off George Street before the rendezvous. (Another horizon broadening venture into an uncharted subculture brought to you by the Curmudgeon.)  Yutaka was a good solid hibachi restaurant, although they apparently don't have a liquour license, or I'd've ordered some sake to share. However, it pays to be able to channel Toshiro Mifune at his most badass when the chef brandishes a plastic squeeze bottle of cooking sake with which he has just liberally doused one's neighbors. He looked at me, I looked back and said "No thank you," firmly. If one is not going to drink sake in a civilized fashion, one should be swilling it straight from the crock in front of a smoky fire in the rain with half a dozen bushi, not have it shot into one's mouth from six feet away out of a plastic bottle. It was fun, it was silly and I really enjoyed spending time with The Guys.

Got back down to New Brunswick this morning a little early, having not known what to expect traffic-wise, so I tooled up through my old campus by car, which was weird. Met up with the guys at Kirkpatrick Chapel and headed into the back for photos well away from where the bride's party was to assemble. Matt, Drew and Hank did usher duty down front and I stayed in the back with James and his brother Bob until it was time to start.

Sylvia looked lovely in an old fashioned ivory satin gown with a lacy beaded overgown and her girls were all in bright jewel toned formals. James - of the fleece jackets and eternal tee shirts and jeans -  cleaned up darned nice and natty in a band-collared shirt and grey cuffed slacks. I was the shortest member of the groom's side and the only one in pantyhose and a skirt. James had his back to us, but Sylvia was glowing and smiling the entire time. I don't think anybody cried. It was just a good, happy occasion, with a bit of Star Trek silliness from the minister  thrown in for good measure. The only downside is that as a member of the wedding party, I really didn't manage to get any pictures. I will have to rely on the official photos when they come out.

The reception was at a restaurant downtown called Old Man Rafferty's - food was good and there was too much of it. I just stashed the better portion of my peppercorn steak in the fridge when I got home.

In short, I had a fabulous time, I got to know James and Sylvia's friends and family better and I really need to log off and collapse in a heap soon.

EDIT: Hank has already uploaded some stuff HE shot.

Nice one of the groom (left)and Best Man(right):
http://picasaweb.google.com/viriiman/JamesWedding?authkey=Gv1sRgCIWwpfHEjqO0Cw&feat=directlink#5333960261966419298

Sylvia's grin says it all in this picture of the bride and groom with their families: 
http://picasaweb.google.com/viriiman/JamesWedding?authkey=Gv1sRgCIWwpfHEjqO0Cw&feat=directlink#5333960362381481042