A Priest, a Rabbi met at an art museum in Virginia Beach, VA, and the world became a bit more united as two families were joined together.
It seems like such a short time when I was privy to daily conversations that held the relationship together and now my friends, Edmond and Amy, are married. And I have to say, that for a pair of twenty-somethings, they did it right.
There has been a lot of anticipation for the nuptials and I am glad that Frank and I were able to witness the event, though it seemed a hello to the new couple and a goodbye to a time that is now past. Now their lives on centered on the east coast and one can only assume that the milestones will begin to mark themselves – thank you notes, babies, thank you notes for the baby gifts and so on.
Anyway, Frank and I took a red-eye flight from SF to Virginia Beach, VA and arrived a bit early for our Ocean view room overlooking the Atlantic. Since our room wasn’t ready we wandered down what I thought would be a white trash haven to a throwback diner, Pocahontas. Aside from the typically unhappy children, the Prom King and his entourage the meal, Belgium waffles and such was standard. However, the air of the past was present from the un-PC teepee themed decorations and the murals celebrating the arrival of the English. I'm sure Native Americans are bursting with pride by the fact that their images survey the feeding frenzy and gluttony of panckes, Belgium waffles, eggs, coffee, tea, etc. From the diner, we took a walk on the boardwalk and was pleasangly surprised by the immaculate beach, sidewalks, and well-maintained access routes.
Randy and Paul, Linda and Tom and of course Frank and I were the representatives from Franklin Templeton. The wedding was held at the local art museum and was gorgeous. There was a "Huppa" (Thanks anonymous commenter) and both a Priest and a Rabbi officiated. Eddie looked dashing in his tuxedo and Amy was elegant in her dress (There are links to a few wedding pictures below).
The gallery was beautifully decorated and the combination of ceremonies was quite satisfying. I enjoyed the Jewish elements and the personal touches were quite moving. In between the ceremony and the reception guests were moved into a side wing while the main hall was transformed into the dining/dancing hall. Linda had the girls on display and Frank and I managed to pull off the illusion of clothes that fit … time to get to the gym and off of the bonbons. By midnight, the couple car arrived and then they departed in a shower of rose petals.
How to end the evening? Hmm. Randy and Paul had scouted a “Family” establishment and it was tragic – though everyone seemed to have their teeth. And upon returning to the hotel, it seemed fitting that Randy gets accosted by a drunken mother/daughter duo propositioning him in the elevator. Surprisingly, he turned them down. Shocking. Really. Shocking.
Pictures of the event — Click here for a review of the happy event!
