Chapter 6:
The Wedding Reception
The
wedding bus had also made at least one stop en route to the reception,
so Dave, Robert, and the rest of the wedding party hadn't arrived yet
when we got there. We visited a little with Judy, Bill, and various
other family members, and by 5:30 the wedding bus pulled up outside.
At right you see Robert and another of the groomsmen bringing in a cooler
of beverages they'd had with them on the bus. In the background, Pauley
Collova, cousin and usher, looks on and directs traffic.
When
Mark arrived, he suggested that Candy and I find two of his friends,
since together the four of us had volunteered to help distribute champagne
for the toasts. However, this turned out to be a much more involved
process than any of us had anticipated, as it included finding space
behind the crowded open bar with the bartender, assembling 400 plastic
champagne glasses, opening numerous bottles of champagne, pouring the
glasses, finding trays, and then going around to tables distributing
glasses. We enlisted the help of cousin Matt, and set to work. At left,
you see Candy and me playfully posing for a picture--after all of the
pouring, we barely managed to get a glass for ourselves, and dinner
was already in full swing by the time we managed to edge into the buffet
line.
The reception proceeded
at a rapid pace--by 7:00, the cake that Mark had been picking up yesterday
had been served, and the toasts made, and by 7:30 the buffet was all
packed up and the dance floor cleared. It was chilly in the hall, so
at various points we kept our coats on, but we had a good time chatting
with people for the next 5 or so hours. After a conga line, dollar dances,
and much merriment, everyone pitched in and cleared off the tables and
loaded the wedding presents into Uncle Frank's van when the party began
winding down at midnight.
Below, you see some of the
pictures we took during the reception--Robert, Dave, and Uncle Gus;
Robert arm-wrestling Angelina; Uncle Frank, who never seemed to sit
still, but always wandered around taking photos; and Dave, Candy, and
me with the groom.
on
to Chapter 7. . .
