Ben and Lise’s Seattle Wedding (6/25/06)
Wedding Part 2 (Sunday)
Noah,
Robert, and I headed over to the International District Sunday morning for
dim sum. We arrived at 11:00, ready to beat that crazy Sunday morning 11:30
dim sum rush, but we discovered that Seattle-based dim sum is not quite as
busy even as its Boston counterpart. So we had a pleasant, relaxed meal, and
when we left around noon, the room was finally starting to fill up. We couldn’t
leave the International District without a stop at Uwajimaya, a Japanese supermarket/mini-mall
with a bookstore and food court, and lots of Hawaiian and Filipino products
that are very hard to get on the east coast, even in Asian markets. We went
a little crazy filling up our arms with mochi and other treats, but that didn’t
stop us from carrying our bag into a bubble tea/shaved ice joint just a block
away for a nice snack (Taiwanese-style, not Hawaiian-style, shaved ice, but
very nicely done and a good deal at $4.35 for a huge bowl).
From there it was past the Gay Pride parade back to a liquor store near the hotel, to get a liquor lisence that Ben and Lise needed to display at the wedding, which was due to start in only a few hours. Lisence in hand, and all changed and dressed, we then set about hailing cabs and traveling back through the Gay Pride parade to the wedding, at Top of the Market right in Pike Place Market (above the fish-throwing stand, actually).
Robert and I helped put up curtains in the reception hall before the wedding, after which Stu participated in the signing of the Ketuba and then the ceremony began.
Below, Robert helps carry
in the canopy; Bernie escorts his bridesmaid; Noah escorts his bridesmaid;
Lise's parents escort her.
Above, Lise circles Ben, Ben delivers his vows, Ben continues to deliver his vows, Lise's mother looks on, and Ben and Lise break the glass.
Ben and Lise wrote their own vows (Ben’s were quite lengthy, written on a receipt-like roll of paper that he unfurled to much amusement during the ceremony), their mothers lit a candle together, and the couple broke the glass with a satisfying smash. They looked wonderfully happy as they wrapped in a prayer shawl that Lise’s mother wove, underneath the canopy whose top was quilted by Ben’s mother and whose frame was built by Lise’s father.
Above, you see the Jewish dancing. Between the fact that the bride and groom were lifted up on armless folding chairs, and the presence of the ceiling fan, it's pretty amazing that they made it through the perils of the dancing.
The reception was fun and full of dancing and clever toasts, including Dan’s (presented as a PowerPoint presentation, bullets and all), and the assorted cupcakes in place of a wedding cake were the highlight of the food.
Above, four shots from the reception: Bernie soon after the ceremony in his too-tight Fred Meyer white shirt; Bernie after changing into his comfy "red" shirt; Ben's mother making a careful cupcake selection; Ben's father and mother sweetly watching the dancing.
Below, four of Lise's bridesmaids pose together happily; Alan, Leith, Ghaz, Alyssa, and Katie pose together; Robert and I pose in front of the curtains we helped hang.
After the reception ended at 11:00, Ben and Lise and many of their guests continued the party at the Can-Can Lounge across the street, where Stu treated everyone to champagne to toast the happy couple.