He Didn't Catch the Garter

The wedding!  Still no pics to share, unfortunately, but I'll try to snare some when I see them.  So the wedding was between a friend I've had since high school, and his fiancee, who is quite lovely and they've been together for years.  That being said, I had no feel for what the wedding would be like.  It was at night, which could mean a more dramatic setting, but they're both pretty low-drama people.  They're both geeky, but more traditional, so I wouldn't expect a themed wedding... and so on.

As it turned out, it was short and sweet, in the most complimentary sense of both terms.  Everyone looked lovely.  The ceremony itself was incredibly short - we're talking less than five minutes - but the vows were original and said together; it wasn't perfunctory.  And I actually got to listen and enjoy because, as the ceremony was so short, Thumper didn't even have time to get bored or antsy!  We weren't expecting such a smooth experience.

The plan was to feed Thumper in the car when we first arrived so we'd be able to give him water and food at the table but not deal with massive hunger issues.  Well, that didn't exactly happen.  He's not used to being in a car (we used ZipCar) and when I let him out of the car seat, he just wanted to explore.  After wrestling with him for a few minutes I gave up.

Fast forward to the cocktail hour.  After we'd been standing around outside for about a half an hour chatting, Thumper started to melt down and it was clear that he probably needed to eat and take a quiet minute.  I headed inside the hotel on my own, confident that I could find a dark corner or something.

...But I couldn't.  The hotel was really crowded with people and every chair and lobby corner was filled.  I hadn't brought a wrap or something to cover myself with because I'm a moron.  Out of curiosity, I checked out the lobby bathroom; it was a nice hotel and sometimes nice bathrooms have little separate lounges.  Not this one, though.  It didn't even have a baby changing table.  It did have a tiny counter off to the side, and briefly I entertained the thought of feeding him there.  I tried to set him on the counter and he looked at me like I was insane.  I figured we'd have to duck out to the car.

Anything but the bathroom...

As we were leaving the bathroom, I passed a woman I'd seen at the wedding, with a newborn.  She was heading into the bathroom with the baby and had an all-too-familiar panicked look.  "Are you looking for someplace to change her or feed her?" I asked.

"I was looking for somewhere to nurse," she said.  "Yeah, me too," I said, grim.  That was all that was said, but a few guys who worked for the hotel overheard us and launched immediately into action.

"We're pretty full here but... hang on," one said.  A few minutes later we were led through the crowded lobby and into the relatively empty spa reception area.  The woman at the desk led us to the spa waiting room, where you sit and meditate (or, if you're me, eat nuts and drink cucumber water) before being called back for your massage.  It was empty, with couches and a fire going and dim lighting.  Rarely have I ever seen Thumper snuggle down so contentedly, and never outside of our home.  It was the perfect place to recharge.

Our timing was perfect: we left the spa, met up with the Yeti (who was now waiting outside the bathroom because he thought we were in there - sweetest guy ever) and it was time to head in for dinner.  Thumper hung out in a high chair and we gave him little bits of our food.  We'd also brought a sippy cup, and a tupperware with a few snacks, but he mostly played with everything.  We chatted with friends we hadn't seen in years and I think Thumper did more than his part in giving babies a good name.  He's still not particularly forthcoming with strangers - I'm not sure he smiled at anyone the entire time - but he wasn't miserable, either.  Mostly just interested.

The ceremony was at six, and as it approached nine it was clearly time to wrap it up and go home... so we did.  It was fun seeing our old friends and it was a fun, relatively laid-back reception, but we had a baby to put to bed, and I don't feel like we particularly missed out on anything.

I remember going to a wedding with a night reception when I was a teenager - the wedding of a distant cousin.  The wedding party hung out on a party bus between the ceremony and reception and drank, and I saw a groomsman passed out in the bushes already when we were walking in.  That set the tone for the evening.

This was not that kind of wedding.  It was sweet, simple, and fun - a perfect wedding to include a baby, and lot of fun without one, too.

Next time he'll be hitting the dance floor