The Reception

I'm sure you all are thinking this is the longest series of blogs about a single wedding ever.

It is .

Luke and Brianne's wedding was fun and Italian and patriotic.

The bride and groom walked in under the saber arch. I didn't get a good shot of it during the ceremony, so here goes.

At the head table, Luke paid tribute to his friend, Paul, with a photo, candle and tipped chair. Luke served with Paul, who was also a Captain in the Army. Paul was from San Antonio. He was an Eagle Scout and a West Point graduate. He died in Afghanistan in January, after committing to be a groomsman in Luke's wedding. Dave and I had breakfast with Paul and his mother when we visited Alaska in 2008, so we can personally say that this seemed to us to be a very nice young man and a true loss for his family and our country. Luke didn't want to replace him in the wedding party. So, this was how Paul stood by Luke on his special day. Luke gave a brief toast to his fellow service members and to his friend that was truly the most moving part of the entire day.





Other fun highlights....

Brianne is also called Sunshine by those of us who know her best. Why? because for years she's been a professional clown and if you know Bri, you know she takes this very seriously. She's been to clown college. She doesn't break character when she's in her clown attire. AND she's so popular she doesn't even advertise and stays as busy as she wants to be. At one local festival, I think she takes pride in the fact her line stays longer than Santa Claus. To sum up Sunshine, she gets joy out of making people happy.
The wedding singer called Brianne to the floor, had her put on her nose and clown shoes for a special dance. Brianne was wise to all of this, and she had a special nose for Luke to wear. He played along. Then, her family trumped all by coming out to the dance floor in clown noses. This was really fun and cute.My dance with my brother:

My dance with Brianne's dad, who was a constant on the dance floor. He likes to dance with the ladies, and he got everyone on the dance floor. He is an excellent host.


One special moment also came with the Last Couple Standing. My Grandfather wasn't feeling the greatest, and he was going to sit the night out. I persuaded him to get out to the dance floor by pleading, "C'mn Pop, this is a game you might win. And you always play the games you are going to win."

They will be married 61 years in November, so they won this competition easily.

Luke and Bri cut the wedding cake with a saber and the grooms cake with a bayonet. The couple made a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project as a wedding favor in honor of their guests. The night ended with a nice rendition of America the Beautiful. In the years to come, I'll remember the event as a beautiful, yet thoughtful and meaningful memory to mark Memorial Day weekend.... as a day not only to remember some of America's best and brightest, but a time my brother married a wonderful girl.

PS... Jack slept through the entire reception.