May 11 – 16

And so, the big day arrived and with it the anticipation that always accompanies an event of this scope and magnitude.  In the long run, all that really matters is that the loving couple get married that day, but with so much thought and planning invested one hopes no mishaps get in the way.  And for McKenzie and Dillon it was a beautiful carefree day. 

With the wedding staring later in the day Greg and I used our free time in the morning to hit Costco and a Whole Foods for supplies for the brunch we (Bev, Bill, Lindy, Greg Joanna, and I) would be hosting for the newlyweds the following day.  We’d keep it simple, Mimosas and bagels with plenty of toppings that we hoped would take the edge off for a few people with monumental hangovers and not much energy. 

And then it was time to get ready, showered, shaved, trimmed, powdered, and smelling good for our short drive to the Union and the night ahead.  As we began to set up for the ceremony, I felt relatively relaxed and ready for my part, my goal to keep the focus on McKenzie and Dillon and to get us to the goal line.  I’d performed one other wedding service in the past, a much less formal event for our niece Kristen, outdoors at a county park with just a few family members and close friends.  Today would be a different animal, but I’ve spoken to large crowds before and felt I could harness the nervous energy that comes with speaking to my advantage. 

Boy was I wrong.  Dillon stood next to me as the bridal party (bridesmaids and groomsmen) came in and took their places in front and then a beautiful McKenzie made her entrance to join us and off we went.  It was right about now that I got an adrenaline dump that if properly harnessed would have enabled me to possibly break the world record in any timed running event, but unfortunately, I was conducting a wedding.  Fearing a contingency like this, I had the script laid out on my iPad and using it as a teleprompter, made my way through what really was a lovely, touching, and often very emotional ceremony. 

As for the sections I’d composed on the bike earlier in the week, I placed them right after the beginning of the ceremony when the guests have been welcomed leading off with:

I’d like to start out with something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.  It is about love.  Love is elusive, love is difficult to find, love is hard to keep, and love is easy to lose.  In this day and age of social media silos, disinformation and incessant background noise, it’s something of a wonder that two people can find each other and for love to blossom. And yet, we have proof of that wonder standing before us.

Next would be a paragraph or so about the gathering at the house and the subsequent bike ride which inspired my contribution.  And then, before we got into the ceremony proper (Vase Ceremony, Exchange of Vows, and the Ring Exchange), I wanted them to know how honored I was that they asked me to, as they say, do this thing:

When love finds you hold it tight, feed it what it needs to stay strong and make the necessary compromises to keep it flexible.  I am honored that McKenzie and Dillon asked me to perform this act as I can think of no two people so best suited for each other.  I truly believe that together they are ready to face the challenges that life will bring them, eager to explore shared adventures and open to the joys that come with living and loving.

As we proceeded through the rest of the ceremony, joyfully personal vows with lots of tears, the lovely vase ceremony and finally the rings and the kiss I realized that it is much easier to perform one if the folks in front of you aren’t familiar.  Otherwise, you get almost as emotional as the participants and if not for that iPad, I’d have been a goner. 

From then on it was a normal reception, plenty of good food, drink, and people to talk to.  We stayed well into the evening and then the six of us (Bev, Bill, Lindy, Greg, Joanna, and I) made our way back to the Airbnb for another hour or so of conversation and potent alcoholic spirits, a bill that would come due for a couple of us the next morning. 

Brunch at the house went well the next morning and early afternoon considering the level of hangover and lack of energy that many there were experiencing, but needless to say a case of Prosecco, gallons of orange juice, some dozens of bagels and toppings were consumed, and we accomplished what we’d set out to do, that is provide a soft landing for the wedding party and those who were still in town.

Later in the day we ventured back to the Westport part of town for a last meal with some of the participants at Mickey’s Hideaway.  This would end up being a wearing evening as the wait was long to get seated and the service, likely due to short staffing, was hopelessly slow.  On top of that, as we were parking the Highlander the dashboard flashed a ominous brake warning light that the owner’s manual stated should be seen immediately by a dealer.  Also, when we went to lock the car, it took several attempts as the window portion of the tailgate wouldn’t close properly.

Finally seated, I ordered a Torn Label Nice Driveway Czech style Pilsner and Joanna went big with a Passion Fruit Mojito (white rum, brown sugar syrup, and muddled mint) at an amazing five dollars.  To eat we split the Mac Daddy (creamy big shell pasta, smoked bacon, peas, caramelized onion, Merkt’s cheddar and brioche breadcrumbs), which was just enough food for us after a day of eating bagels and other side dishes back at the house. 

Later, we scrambled to line up an appointment the next morning for the car.  Our original plan was to begin the drive to Oakland that day and split the trek into four manageable days, but now we just hoped that the problem was fixable without much delay.  Appointment made at Molle Toyota, we showed up there bright and early the next morning and spent an anxious hour waiting for the diagnosis.  Our advisor Gene approached us and recommended we keep sitting as the news wasn’t good. 

A short in the left front wheel speed sensor had fried the electronic brake controller unit.  Also, the tailgate lock mechanism was completely worn out and would need to be replaced.  He did say that we could most likely drive the car safely as only the antilock braking system was affected, but knowing we’d be parking outdoors in Oakland meant we had to get the tailgate fixed.  And just like that, it became fairly easy to spend $3,100 on the repair especially because Gene assured us they could get the job done that day.  And they did.

We used the dealer shuttle to return to the house and later around lunch time headed to the Overland Park location of Jack Stack BBQ, which I’d last visited in 2019 when I and the Cisco’s were shuttling our two cars from North Carolina to Los Angeles.  Joanna and I would order a Boulevard Brewing Wheat and KC Bier Dunkel, respectively, to drink and then split a KC two meat Lunch Combo of Baby Back Ribs and Turkey accompanied by their delicious Hickory Pit Beans and the Cheesy Corn Bake. 

It was the perfect end to the wedding week; one we won’t soon forget.  As we all age, opportunities for families to gather (as many that can attend that is) become rarer and rarer, often now reduced to one of two occasions, that is a funeral or a wedding.  And while a funeral can sometimes be a time to honor a life well lived as well as celebrate those still living, there is nothing like a wedding to bring it all together.  And this would be a wedding to remember. 

Links

Mickey’s Hideaway: https://mickeyskc.com/

Torn Label Brewing: https://tornlabel.com/

Merkts: https://www.merkts.com/

Molle Toyota: https://www.molletoyota.com/

Jack Stack BBQ: https://www.jackstackbbq.com/locations/overland-park