Almaris's Wedding
October 5, 2009
The first weekend in October, I returned to Philadelphia for Almaris’s wedding. Sadly, I cannot yet upload the photos (got a new camera, by the way, just missing the adapter for the memory card at the moment). I was so excited the night before that I went to bed at 2AM and was anxious and wide-awake at 5:30AM. I made my way to Schipol Airport with my luggage (strategically half-full, and ready to be loaded with fluffy and warm winter clothes from back home), and met there with sweet Geoff who came to see me off. The plane ride felt endless; I couldn’t wait to see Steve in the Arrivals Terminal. But first, I had to listen to two really drunk Dutch youths talking and laughing loudly for seven hours. I met an American from San Diego, but we were discouraged from talking because his seat was near the official “crew sleeping area” (the last row of seats on the plane, concealed with layers of hanging navy blue airplane blankets). Impatiently, I waited and waited. When the plane landed in Philadelphia, I wanted to applaud.
When I walked into the Arrivals Gate, Steve was busy with his cell phone. “Psst,” I whispered as I casually passed him with my luggage. A man nearby laughed because, apparently, Steve had been anxiously looking for me for the past hour, and had just resigned to waiting and playing a game on his cell phone minutes before I walked through the gate. We enjoyed a nice dinner, watched a movie together, and I got a tour of all the great improvements Steve has been making of the house. It was nice to see Nilly, who has grown so much. Disappointingly, she now begs at the dinner table. While Steve cooked, Geoff helped me make some online travel arrangements for the upcoming Germany-Prague trip with Joe’s girlfriend, Julie (who is living in Kaiserslautern for a few years). Geoff also spontaneously (really spontaneously) purchased himself a ticket to Budapest, Hungary for the following weekend!
The next morning, I ran errands and prepared for Almaris’s rehearsal dinner in Wilmington. I arrived just in time to pick up the Maid of Honor from the hotel and head to the church. It was so nice to see everyone – Almaris, Stoy, her brother, her mother, the bridesmaids, and to meet the groomsmen. The priest was an abrasive personality – loud, borderline rude, but occasionally funny. He conducted the rehearsal theatrically – lots of direction, details, and the importance of posture, loudness of our responses during the mass, and even asked the vows to sound more heartfelt (!!). “Let’s take it from the top!” Finally, our performance was approved and we were permitted to EAT.
The rehearsal dinner was NICE. I’m sure the cocktail hour had much to offer, but I only indulged (over and over again) in the amazing crab salad. There was live piano, good conversation, and everyone looked so lovely – especially Almaris in a beautiful yellow dress with great heels. We received our bridesmaids gifts, got acknowledged with a toast, and the father of the groom gave a real tear-jerking speech about Proud Moments. Enjoying filet mignon and glass after glass of red wine, Steve and I delighted in each other’s company in the celebratory din.
In the morning, Steve left for Weissy’s wedding in South Carolina; Natalie and I met the girls to have our hair done. Complete with fabulous hairdos, we returned to Alm’s mom’s house to dress. Almaris’s dress is beautiful. Her mother proudly said to me, “Sometimes you see a dress and think ‘that is beautiful.’ When you Almaris’s dress, you will think ‘that is beautiful and it is so Almaris’.” It really was – sexy, smart, but classic and tasteful, with attention to detail. She looked radiant.
After a long day of pictures, limos, champagne, we finally unwound at the reception. Due to my recent (inexplicable) loss of appetite (too much bread and cheese?), I had little interest in the dinner, although I heard it was delectable. The first dance was a real surprise – after a minute or so of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight”, Alm and Stoy suddenly stepped apart and turned to the DJ, who put on Souljah Boy. The bride and groom erupted into a choreographed hiphop routine, which was impeccably executed, and so entertaining, especially in a wedding dress and tuxedo. What a great surprise for the guests! Afterwards, we all danced and danced and danced. I don’t know what time I went to bed, but heard the next morning that shenanigans ensued into the morning. The best: the groomsmen stripped down and swam in the fountain in front of the hotel, only to be removed by security around 5AM.
I drove back to West Chester, spent a few hours with Chi Trinh, Anh Travis, and MK, and got dropped off at the airport. In a convenient coincidence, Steve’s flight from Weissy’s arrived a few hours before my departure, at the same terminal. We met at a bar for lunch, and he sat with me at my gate until I boarded.
My grand scheme – the best flight plan ever – was to take a Sominex for an 8-hour sleep, to combat jetlag and arrive at 8AM Netherlands time, ready for my 9AM class. When I awoke 6 hours later, I heard the captain’s announcement: “Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to Philadelphia.” Outside, it was nighttime and I recognized the airport as PHL. Apparently, there had been a malfunction in the computer, the plane went off-course and used too much fuel getting back on course. Therefore, we returned to PHL to re fuel for the trans-Atlantic flight and to fix the computer. An hour and one crew change later, we were back in the air. I slept the rest of the way, but missed my 9AM Organized Crime lecture on illicit drugs trafficking.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Stoy!!
When I walked into the Arrivals Gate, Steve was busy with his cell phone. “Psst,” I whispered as I casually passed him with my luggage. A man nearby laughed because, apparently, Steve had been anxiously looking for me for the past hour, and had just resigned to waiting and playing a game on his cell phone minutes before I walked through the gate. We enjoyed a nice dinner, watched a movie together, and I got a tour of all the great improvements Steve has been making of the house. It was nice to see Nilly, who has grown so much. Disappointingly, she now begs at the dinner table. While Steve cooked, Geoff helped me make some online travel arrangements for the upcoming Germany-Prague trip with Joe’s girlfriend, Julie (who is living in Kaiserslautern for a few years). Geoff also spontaneously (really spontaneously) purchased himself a ticket to Budapest, Hungary for the following weekend!
The next morning, I ran errands and prepared for Almaris’s rehearsal dinner in Wilmington. I arrived just in time to pick up the Maid of Honor from the hotel and head to the church. It was so nice to see everyone – Almaris, Stoy, her brother, her mother, the bridesmaids, and to meet the groomsmen. The priest was an abrasive personality – loud, borderline rude, but occasionally funny. He conducted the rehearsal theatrically – lots of direction, details, and the importance of posture, loudness of our responses during the mass, and even asked the vows to sound more heartfelt (!!). “Let’s take it from the top!” Finally, our performance was approved and we were permitted to EAT.
The rehearsal dinner was NICE. I’m sure the cocktail hour had much to offer, but I only indulged (over and over again) in the amazing crab salad. There was live piano, good conversation, and everyone looked so lovely – especially Almaris in a beautiful yellow dress with great heels. We received our bridesmaids gifts, got acknowledged with a toast, and the father of the groom gave a real tear-jerking speech about Proud Moments. Enjoying filet mignon and glass after glass of red wine, Steve and I delighted in each other’s company in the celebratory din.
In the morning, Steve left for Weissy’s wedding in South Carolina; Natalie and I met the girls to have our hair done. Complete with fabulous hairdos, we returned to Alm’s mom’s house to dress. Almaris’s dress is beautiful. Her mother proudly said to me, “Sometimes you see a dress and think ‘that is beautiful.’ When you Almaris’s dress, you will think ‘that is beautiful and it is so Almaris’.” It really was – sexy, smart, but classic and tasteful, with attention to detail. She looked radiant.
After a long day of pictures, limos, champagne, we finally unwound at the reception. Due to my recent (inexplicable) loss of appetite (too much bread and cheese?), I had little interest in the dinner, although I heard it was delectable. The first dance was a real surprise – after a minute or so of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight”, Alm and Stoy suddenly stepped apart and turned to the DJ, who put on Souljah Boy. The bride and groom erupted into a choreographed hiphop routine, which was impeccably executed, and so entertaining, especially in a wedding dress and tuxedo. What a great surprise for the guests! Afterwards, we all danced and danced and danced. I don’t know what time I went to bed, but heard the next morning that shenanigans ensued into the morning. The best: the groomsmen stripped down and swam in the fountain in front of the hotel, only to be removed by security around 5AM.
I drove back to West Chester, spent a few hours with Chi Trinh, Anh Travis, and MK, and got dropped off at the airport. In a convenient coincidence, Steve’s flight from Weissy’s arrived a few hours before my departure, at the same terminal. We met at a bar for lunch, and he sat with me at my gate until I boarded.
My grand scheme – the best flight plan ever – was to take a Sominex for an 8-hour sleep, to combat jetlag and arrive at 8AM Netherlands time, ready for my 9AM class. When I awoke 6 hours later, I heard the captain’s announcement: “Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to Philadelphia.” Outside, it was nighttime and I recognized the airport as PHL. Apparently, there had been a malfunction in the computer, the plane went off-course and used too much fuel getting back on course. Therefore, we returned to PHL to re fuel for the trans-Atlantic flight and to fix the computer. An hour and one crew change later, we were back in the air. I slept the rest of the way, but missed my 9AM Organized Crime lecture on illicit drugs trafficking.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Stoy!!
Comments