The Wedding

The point of the trip was to come out and join Alyson and Matt as they got hitched out here near Torch Lake, Michigan, and we were finally settled in at the cabin, we had a glimpse of the wedding location, a taste of what the food would be like, and we were all primed and ready for an amazing wedding. 

Before the wedding, we decided a little relaxation time was appropriate, so we headed to the local golf course and played 9 holes of 2-man team best ball. The 8 AM tee time was ideal considering that the day would turn out to be close to 90 degrees in the afternoon. I did better than I expected, especially considering that I haven't golfed since age 11 or so and I was using rental clubs that were way too short for me. Matt and I won by three strokes, and finished up the morning with no sunburns, the true measure of a successful pre-wedding activity. 

After golf, we headed to the resort to prepare ourselves for the day. We had about 3 hours to get ready, which gave us lots of time to stuff amazing pizza into our faces, steam my shirt in the bathroom because we couldn't find an iron anywhere, and watch a little World Cup soccer. I refreshed my memory on how to fold a pocket square and tried to re-learn how to tie a bow tie with only marginal success. We called in the heavy cavalry, a friend of Alyson's who tied Matt's bow tie using her thigh as a mannequin.

Alyson and Matt opted to do a "first look" photo shoot, which I had never heard of. Apparently the bride and groom meet pre-wedding and their reveal is captured on film in a beautiful circumstance. We all piled into the car of Blaire, the wedding coordinator and headed out to a little dirt road with a bunch of trees that had grown into a bower above a path. We waited patiently in the air-conditioned car (remember, 90 degrees) while Alyson stepped out of the car and met her soon-to-be husband. 

After they finished doing whatever it is that soon-to-be married people do in the woods while everyone patiently waits, Blaire returned and we all headed to the ceremony location—Alyson's parents' lake house. We milled around a bit, took lots of pictures with a gorgeous backdrop and kept a wary eye on the weather. Rain on your wedding day is fine, especially in early summer, but rain during the ceremony would be a bummer. 

As the pictures finished up, guests began arriving, including Eli, Charlie, Lesley, and Jackson. We all enjoyed watching the boys play around in a bucket of ice while drinking champagne with a backdrop of gorgeous lake scenery behind us. After a while, they let us filter in and grab seats, though Steve and I walked through the woods to arrive with the officiant at the front of the crowd. We stood silently and waited for the ceremony to begin. 

Matt made his way down the aisle and took his place, eyes glued on where Alyson was going to come out. He looked nervous but excited and happy. Up until now, we had caught glimpses of Alyson getting out of the car for the first look as well as taking photos before the ceremony, but the full reveal with her smiling on the arm of her father as she walked down the aisle was just amazing. 

The ceremony was very short. A few words from the minister, vows from each, the exchanging of rings, a quick kiss, and they were off and married and we all headed to the reception area for drinks and dinner. Just as the couple said I do, the wind picked up, which I took to be a blessing from the gods of the lake, whomever they may be. 

The tables were all dressed in white linen to match the dress, and held down with simple river stones and white candles. The whole atmosphere said, "We love to be outside, and the purity and cleanliness of being there is something to be celebrated." We ate and drank as the sounds of the waves lapped the nearby shore. Again, the food was amazing, the company was good, and there were nothing but smiles everywhere I looked. 

Being best men, Steve and I were obligated to deliver a speech and shortly before dinner began, we were told our time was almost here. We had decided to do a shared speech. We had been teasing Matt all day that we had a deep, dark secret to reveal about his past and that it was going to be hilarious to watch him squirm while we were up there. When we took the stage, he was sweating bullets, having obviously been racking his brain for just what it was we might have found out. 

Rather than publicly humiliate one of our closest friends in front of all of the people he cares about most, on the most important day of his life, we decided to instead paint a picture of why we like the man and why we felt like this wedding was an excellent decision for both him and his bride. We love Matt and that he's been so happy with Alyson is more than enough reason for us to love her, too. The speech went off without a hitch, we got laughs, an aww or two, and people told us all night that our delivery was excellent. 

The last few speeches happened, the dinner finished, the first few dances went by, and the dance floor was opened to a group of ecstatic family and friends who just couldn't contain their excitement that such a great union had been made. The music playlist was great, the dancing was fun, and, to top it all off, there was cake waiting for us after dancing proved too tiring.  

We had to end our night a little early to deal with sleepy babies, but the rest of the people stayed behind, drank and played well into the night, and we even heard tell that a few people including the new groom went night swimming in the lake—a fitting end to a fantastic day. 

Here's to Matt and Alyson—we hope your happiness lasts forever.