Ritzy Wedding

A few weeks ago, Boyfriend and I flew to San Francisco for the wedding of some very good friends of ours. We took both Friday and Monday off because it takes all day to get from DC to San Francisco. I feel a bit weird complaining about that, because when you play Oregon Trail or read Little House on the Prairie, you realize that it used to take people the better part of a year to travel that far. I mean, I can't even comprehend traveling that far at a rate of twenty miles a day. Still, six hours in the air is an awfully long time. It was long enough that even though I brought food on to the plane to eat, I almost broke down and bought more before we landed. But Boyfriend kept me strong.

A bunch of the groomsmen were all landing in SFO at roughly the same time so we could consolidate trips to the tux rental store. We were the first, so we hung out with Bride and Groom and played games while we waited for the rest of the people to land. Then we got the tuxes and dinner and headed over to the Ritz to check in.

I was (possibly unreasonably) excited for an excuse to stay at the Ritz Carlton. And it did not disappoint. We got a free glass of wine just for checking in. The room had a fireplace and a fireplace channel on the TV. One provided warmth, and the other provided the sound effects of a log fire. We had a huge, comfy bed that was so wonderful Boyfriend and I were asleep by 8:30. The jet lag may have also had something to do with that.

In the morning we woke up super early. We showered and got dressed and went in search of breakfast. But nothing opened until 6:30, so we took a walk around the hotel and watched the sunrise. It was gorgeous and I wish I were actually coherent enough to appreciate sunrise more often. In winter, the sun is usually rising right around the time I'm heading to work, but I'm not exactly awake at that point. So it was a real treat to see the sunrise and hear the waves crashing against the cliffs and be able to actually enjoy the morning.

The Ritz had a nice gym and a full spa with free access to a sauna and a steam room. So after breakfast I went for a jog. I actually managed to run over half a mile, which is something I've never been able to do before. In high school and college gym classes, I was hard pressed to make it halfway around the track before I collapsed in a heap of exhaustion. So continuously jogging for half a mile was a pretty big deal for me.

We had the rehearsal brunch at noon where we met up with a bunch of college friends, met the rest of the bridal party and the families of the bride and groom. We also got yummy french toast and bacon. Then there was a party at a nearby pub for the younger wedding guests. It was a lot of fun, but I only lasted an hour before exhaustion took over. Apparently I missed some epic karaoke.

The day of the wedding dawned gray and wet. But it was supposed to clear up, so the couple went forward with their plans for an outdoor ceremony. The girls hung out and drank champagne and ate eggs and sausage and did hair and makeup and played SkipBo for a few hours. Then we all trooped outside for photos. I like the idea of doing pictures before the ceremony, because it helps maintain the flow of ceremony -> reception. Especially when I'm one of the people in the wedding.

We got all the pictures done, and then hung out inside and watched football for a while. The rain stopped and the clouds rolled away just in time for a gorgeous ceremony with views of the ocean. I even managed not to cry all the way through, though the same can't be said for the best man. Boyfriend was standing across from me occasionally making faces, so that helped stave off the tears.

Following the reception was a cocktail hour, during which we all found out which tables we'd be sitting at. All of the tables were named after games, which I thought was really cute. The wedding party was mixed up among the guests, so we all got to sit with people we actually knew. I thought that was a nice departure from putting everyone together at a single table. Bride and Groom shared their own table and came around to greet everyone between courses. The food, by the way, was amazing. And there was plenty of wine all night long.

After toasts, the dancing started and the whole thing really turned into a huge, fun party. My dress didn't quite make it through the whole night (I changed into something more comfortable with about an hour left), but I actually did. I even made it to the after party, where we played a game called Cards Against Humanity and passed around a bottle of Jack Daniels in a weird game of tag.

The whole weekend was a ton of fun. It was great to see so many people from college that I hadn't seen in months or years. And it was wonderful to see two dear friends who had been dating for seven years commit to each other for the rest of their lives.

We get to repeat the whole thing next August. Thankfully that wedding will be on the same side of the country as me, so I'll have a better party to travel ratio.