warning: this post is basically just a bunch of pictures, marinated in squee. which is really how it should be because JOSH AND ERICA GOT MARRIED!! YAYAYAYAYAYAAAAAAY!!!!
and guess what? it was one of the best weddings i have ever had the honor (and pleasure) to attend, not because i was the officiant (although, ok, i did a pretty great job), but because i LOVE JOSH AND ERICA and there were so many old and dear friends there and DANCE PARTY!!!
first of all, let’s start with the bachelorette party on thursday night.
i love how erica manages to be adorable even while wearing tacky private part jewelry.
the ladies in the group represented various facets of erica’s life– college, spain, austin– and it was such a treat to learn new things about erica (ask her about a certain pilgrimage in spain). but the best part is that these girls were ready to BRING IT as we descended upon the streets of downtown.
i swear, some of these girls were bachelorette professionals, and it was their mission to mortify erica as much as possible. for example, candy with dirty phrases!
the pièce de résistance, however, was this magical little wand!
this wand made many appearances throughout the evening, all of them mercifully far, far away from me.
as you would expect, a big group of foxy, raucous ladies on a downtown rampage attracts a lot of attention, esp. from guys that like to wear their shirts open except for one button.
i could give you more details about skeevy guys and sixth street antics, but i think it will suffice for me to tell you that we visited seven different establishments that night, obtaining free drinks at five of them and participating in dance parties like this:
i would call that a success.
and if you want to see more pictures of erica being a total trooper, click here.
and now let’s move on to the big day!!!
i met up with josh at his house so i could hitch a ride with daniel, one of the groomsmen. i admit, it was kind of strange to see josh being the goofy guy i’ve known since 1997 and then think: “he’s getting married today!” but it was a happy, butterfly-in-the-tummy sort of strange.
the wedding and reception were held at the charming star hill ranch, which is basically a collection of neat old buildings that make up a quaint sort of “main street” (and yes, this did elicit a lot of election jokes).
i immediately found erica posed in mid-bridal-photography, looking incredibly beautiful!!!
and, as if things couldn’t get any better, there were LITTLE CHILDREN INVOLVED! josh’s nieces, to be exact. here’s maddie, who served as the flower girl:
and here’s lila, who served as the major attention magnet for the evening (ok, well, aside from the bride and groom… mostly):
as the officiant, i had the unique power to hang out with BOTH the bridal AND bachelor parties, sort of like a diplomat (josh referred to me as switzerland). i particularly enjoyed hanging out in the bachelor quarters, i.e. an old timey saloon!
my chief duty, aside from performing the actual ceremony, was serving as a messenger between josh and erica. this position gave me the lovely pleasure of delivering letters between them and then watching their reactions!! squee!!!!
josh totally won this round of the crying competition, as erica had to dab her eyes several times during the course of the letter.
i know she was worried about messing up her make-up, but honestly, erica was so happy, there was nothing in the world that could tarnish her beauty on that day.
i’m guessing the photographer will photoshop out the bathtub, but i liked the idea of a bathroom portrait.
finally, it was time to begin! the boys and i lined up and waited for our cue, which is when one of my favorite moments of the night occurred– one of the groomsmen (mitch?) started playing “november rain” on his iphone!!! YES!!!!!! you guys, talk about PERFECT MOMENT. then we started joking about how we forgot to bring the “jock jams” and our tear-away pants. for a minute, i think the wedding coordinator was a little bit nervous that we would actually run out to the tune of “Y’ALL READY FOR THIS?” which, ok, would have been preeeetty awesome.
instead, we chose to be dignified.
even though this is the second time i’ve officiated a wedding, i felt so nervous! and yet, the minute i got up to the huppah and looked out at all of the excited faces, faces that color the lives of erica and josh, everything just felt right and good. which is pretty amazing, considering that it was TOTALLY FREEZING AND REALLY WINDY.
but, like i said, erica is a trooper, and she looked radiant (and serene!) as she walked down the aisle.
not only is it an honor to bring two people together in marriage, it’s also a v. intimate experience. you’re standing right there with them, hearing their sweet whispers, watching their smiles widen and eyes tear up, hearing the tender emotion in their voices. you’re basically walking them through a major milestone, a magical, life-changing day, and it’s hard to feel worthy of that, no matter how much you love the two people before you. with that said, i tried my darnedest to speak words of hope and happiness and truth. i wanted to celebrate josh and erica, the people they’ve been (yes, there was a mention of josh’s long hair and “they might be giants” references) and the people they’ve become. and you know, i think i did ok!
henri was nice enough to record my “speech” part of the ceremony, so you can watch some of it if you’d like!
after the ceremony, i was eager to mingle with all of the familiar faces in the crowd, like ray and juliet!
yep, that’s henri, pulling a “ray” in the background.
and winston and eden!!!! i was so happy to see them!!!!!!
henri and i were seated at table 8, which turned out to be the coolest table in the whole reception hall. how do i know? well, first of all, within the first five minutes we had a nickname, EL OCHO, that we would loudly shout while toasting our own awesomeness.
secondly? our table was daring enough to use apples from the centerpiece to indulge in one of my favorite high school pastimes: the dangerous, high stakes game of APPLE ROULETTE!
in case you’re not familiar with this risky business, apple roulette is played by passing an apple around and ramming it into yr forehead. eventually, the apple become v. soft and mushy until BAM! it explodes on the unlucky loser.
basically, the result of apple roulette is this:
no, that’s not snot, it’s apple juice. way to go, ray!
you guys, this game does not get old. even as yr forehead begins to pulse with pain and apple juice spreads through yr hair, YOU CAN’T STOP PLAYING. it’s totally just like what happens to christopher walken in the “the deer hunter.”
and now, a series of apple roulette portraits:
henri!
mondro!
leah!
juliet!
daniel! looking a little juicy!
sarah, who wasn’t afraid to face hard!!!!
and, further proving the supremacy of our table, we even got the groom involved!!!
but, before you try this at home, keep in mind that apple roulette isn’t child’s play. serious injuries may result!
el ocho totally left its mark on the wedding, and not just in the form of red spots on foreheads. EL OCHO 4-EVER!!!
and yes, the tables all had pictures of josh and erica at the age corresponding with the table number. isn’t that precious?!
and now, a short break to check in with lila:
whoah there, lila! maybe you outta take it easy on the booze, yeah? slow down, sister!
after dinner, we moved into the dance hall, where i discovered the cake!!! yay cake!!
and GUESS WHAT THERE WERE CUPCAKES OMG!!!
specifically, they were cardinals baseball cupcakes, as indicated by the top cake:
FYI josh loves the cardinals, probably as much as i love cupcakes.
then it was time for the first dance! erica and josh swayed around the room to “question” by the old 97s, a song that normally makes me squee and, featured at a wedding, makes me put my hand over my heart and close my eyes (known as the “with or without you” effect).
immediately after the first dance, josh’s friend benjy’s band took the stage, and you guys, they were a totally AMAZING 80s COVER BAND!!! i mean, we are talking INSTANT DANCE PARTY.
i don’t think i’ve *ever* seen a dance party like this at a wedding. there was no “you make me wanna shout!”, kool & the gang, brown-eyed-girl type of mediocrity. oh no. this was SERIOUS.
obviously, el ocho was pretty much the main force behind the dancing.
but we definitely had some help from people like teresa and justin:
and of course, my favorite erasure partner from college, matt:
in the middle of the party, josh and erica were lifted up in chairs, per jewish tradition. this was probably the only time erica actually looked nervous on her wedding day.
and for good reason. yes, that IS a chair leg.
ok, time for another quick check in with lila…
and she’s out for the night! which was too bad, cos she missed the timeless wiess tradition, the ubangee.
ah yes, the ubangee. so classy! so mature! so ceremonial!
speaking of rice, this wedding was TEEMING with owls. of course, we had to take the group picture destined to be sent to the owlmanac after two or three years have passed:
i know, right?!! i felt like i was back in the acabowl, minus the smell of old beer.
it really was great to catch up with so many people from college. as i’ve mentioned before, josh and i were in the same orientation group, and our advisor, emily, was at the wedding! o-week reunion!!
i also got to visit with the former wiess masters, the hutchinsons, which was truly a pleasure.
and then it was back to the dance party!!!
winston and brian just can’t stop the rock!
daniel and leah performed a dance known as “the microwave” that leah invented in college. i really liked this dance, mostly cos it reminded me of food.
due to her back injury, erica g. couldn’t dance, but she managed to throw down some v. v. sassy arm motions. and also, hugs!
i don’t know what led teresa into a crouching position on the floor, but it may have had something to do with new order. or human league.
you know how at a lot of weddings, the bride and groom don’t really get to enjoy themselves cos they have to talk to everyone and do things like cut the cake or whatever? well, josh and erica enjoyed the PANTS out of their wedding, which made me so v. v. happy.
there were times when i almost kinda forgot we were at their wedding, cos it felt like a regular night of being goofy together. except more dressy!
it’s good to know that we can still be our ridiculous selves, even at a v. momentous occasion.
we danced and hugged and celebrated ourselves silly until it was time for erica and josh to go. and even then i wasn’t too sad, cos SPARKLERS!!!
i love that feeling that comes at the end of a wedding, when everyone gathers together and you can *feel* the collected joy and excitement as the crowd sends the bride and groom off into an open, inviting, light-filled horizon.
congratulations, erica and josh!!!! i love you guys!! (<-- and in case you're wondering, yes, i did actually say that in the ceremony).
