Kansas City wedding

Last weekend, we got up early and headed due south for a Kansas City wedding.

After a 6-hour drive, we were very frustrated to get caught in a traffic jam only a few miles from the church. We walked in late, but it was a relief to later learn half the guests as well as the wedding party got caught up in the same traffic. Good thing it was a Catholic wedding--we might have missed the whole ceremony otherwise.

Dave and Chad met up in Bemidji. Both were single guys right out of college working long hours in a place both considered the middle of nowhere. Dave worked for the only local television station. Wisconsin-native Chad worked for the sports information department at the only local college. They became friends and from what I've been told, spent time playing or watching sports or drinking. Chad made the long drive from somewhere in Missouri to come to Shreveport to our wedding, so we were happy to return the favor. Besides, Kansas City was much easier to get to.

The wedding was in the early afternoon and reception at night, so we took the afternoon to explore downtown. There are several shops and nice restaurants.

Later that evening, we attended the reception in a gorgeous downtown building. Open balconies surrounded the reception room, so you could see the city lights all evening. The food was delicious and the music was great.

We got to meet the beautiful bride, Rachel, and her family. I have to say this is the first wedding I've been to where the entertainment considerably picked up with the wedding toasts. They were hilarious. So many people spoke--from Rachel's father remarking how much fun he and his wife had had practicing making babies to Rachel's sister quoting "the great philosopher Carrie Bradshaw" to Chad's frat brother telling stories. We cried with laughter and then we cried because it was just too sweet. (or at least I did)

We did get a chance to catch up with Chad, who has jumped from sports information jobs all around the midwest before finally landing at NAIA. He met Rachel while she worked for the Kansas City Chiefs, and they both seem very happy. She's since moved on to event planning. They are now in Greece on a honeymoon, but we hope they come to visit very soon. Congrats to Chad and Rachel.