Our First (child-free) Weekend Away!

First, many thanks go out to Matt and Michele for getting hitched and giving us this wonderful excuse to get away for a weekend! And then many thanks go out to my lovely sister who willingly gave up her sanity (and sleep) for a weekend to watch my 3 kiddos.

Friday afternoon we were off to downtown LA to a quick wedding rehearsal at the chapel followed by dinner at Dodger Stadium, and yes...they did serve Dodger dogs (along with a bunch of other really good eats that were a bit upscale to the normal grandstand fare). There wasn't a game that night so we had the place to ourselves. Todd managed to get out onto right field and wandered around a bit before management ran him off...something about liability issues should he break his ankle whilst strolling through the park? It was a bit of a thrill for him, though short lived.

The crowd moved the party to the Grand Wilshire Hotel bar where we lounged around in the VIP room until the wee hours of the night...they literally had to kick us out so they could go home.

The next day was showtime and since Todd was the best man, he had to be ready for action around 11am. So after a quick breakfast at Denny's, he got ready with Matt in our room while I hung out with the bride and the matron of honor in the bridal suite. It was fun to be there for all the photography and preparations. I think I just really enjoyed all the fun of a wedding without all the stress of being in it or making sure it went off ok. The wedding party headed out for the pre-nuptial photo shoot at Disney Hall. This place has some interesting architecture that made for some fun shots.

Matt and Michele were married in Silverlake at 4pm. It was a short and sweet ceremony. Everything went beautifully well and they looked so happy together. Immediately following the ceremony the party headed over to Marvimon House. This was a pretty swanky, hip joint that looked fabulous all decked out for the reception. We ate some AMAZING food, enjoyed the bride and groom's traditional firsts (dance, cake, etc.) and Todd gave the best man speech followed by a toast to their happiness. We ended the night dancing to some tunes on Matt & Michele's ipod which I got to DJ (or should I say "IJ"?) Honestly, I think I just love controlling what everyone listens to so naturally, I took control here as well. A good time was had by all and Todd and I slept rather well that night. The next morning we ended our weekend with the bride and groom and some friends over breakfast at Denny's (yes, again! What can I say - it IS the place for breakfast!).

Really, a beautiful, fun, tasty, relaxing (well, a little) and altogether enjoyable weekend. This week, it's been back to real life and work as we know it. So, who wants to get married next?