“Will and Christine Tie the Knot”
We had a few days to rest up and get organized before catching a morning flight to San Luis Obispo, CA on Thursday morning for Will and Christine’s wedding festivities.
Poor D was squished in between the two Robertsons. Don’t worry, she unsquished pretty quickly.
We checked into our Airbnb – a very comfortable newly renovated farmhouse style place, about a 20 minute walk from downtown.
I was tickled by the array of gear in the equipment cabinet to power all the smart touchscreens and audio gear. I also enjoyed the grand piano tucked beside the stairs.
We ordered an Uber to take us to Trader Joe’s to pick up some supplies for the weekend. Turned out to be the same driver that took us to the house – there are only a few drivers in SLO.
Melanie, Mawmaw and Alan came to the house later in the afternoon to say hello to Finn. It had been many years since they had seen or talked to him. I still get emotional looking at these pictures.
Either one of those pictures was easily worth the price of the flights and the house.
We all met up in downtown SLO for the Thursday night Farmer’s market extravaganza. There were loads of food tents set up in front of the strip of restaurants and bars. I loved my Indian vegetarian sampler. I’m not sure Mawmaw was thrilled with the concept of eating standing up. We took her into Nick the Greek for a seat afterwards.
Friday was rehearsal day. We walked down to town with Finn for coffee and breakfast burritos, bringing some back for sleepy Molly and Campbell.
We met at the venue, The Penny, around 3pm for a practice run through. Will was very dressed up in his kilt and spiky shoes. Granny still remembers him parading around the store in Glasgow when he bought the kilt.
Rehearsal dinner was at The Hightower, a rock and roll themed restaurant close to The Penny. David Bowie supervised the bar area:
We were fortunate to be seated with a lovely group of Christine’s friends and partners. Courtney and Garret on the left were hilarious. Here they are enjoying “Tea Time” – some kind of punch bowl served with tea cups. We steered clear of that – way too old.
Dinner was served family style, with many very filling courses. Will did not want us to be hungry. I gave a short speech to welcome everyone – D seemed to enjoy it.
Saturday arrived, and the big day was upon us. Everyone got spiffed up and headed back to the venue. Table decorations, flowers and the whole set up were lovely.
The service was presided over by Will’s friend, Bryce, who he met on his first day at Cal Poly. He knows the happy couple well and was able to add some fun stories. I think the vows might be the longest I’ve heard, very meaningful nonetheless. My role in the service was to participate in the ancient Scottish hand tying ceremony. Finn began by wrapping a piece of Robertson tartan around their hands and tying a knot, then another knot by Campbell, and then a third from me. Then I read these lines:
I forgot my print out and so had to read from my phone – after an initial moment of panic. I did well until I got to the last sentence. Made it through and then forgot to untie the hands. Finn to the rescue.
Everyone moved out to the courtyard for cocktails, while the wedding party and relatives exited to the side for a vast array of picture groups. Here’s a selection.
We finally made it round to the courtyard for the fancy cocktail hour – His, Hers, and the Ollie.
The staff did an amazing job of turning the venue around for dinner, and we sat down right on schedule. Now it was time for the wedding party to enter. What a performance:
Dinner was delicious barbequed chicken and brisket. Will had a typically heaped plate. That was followed by some excellent speeches – the highlight being Christine’s Dad Guy’s speech:
And then the cake cutting. Another performance:
Then everyone moved back out to the courtyard for dancing. Will and Mawmaw doing a great job on “Bootscootin’ Boogie.”
The reception finished relatively early, and the core group made a stop at The Sidecar (the guys that were doing the mixology), followed by the Lofts.
What a terrific day all around!
Sunday was a day to relax and enjoy the memories. We taunted Diana into doing the puzzle that came with the house. It was ultimately finished at 12:02am.
In the afternoon we drove over to John and Maddie’s house for dinner – a wonderful smoked and barbequed selection from John. It’s always impressive to spend time with their kids, Lilly and Ben. So well behaved and interactive. The night finished with some kind of four dimensional Connect Four variant – way too much for me.
This has been one of my favourite posts to create – so many fantastic memories.
Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all!