There was a simple elegance to John and Mary’s wedding celebration, which took place at Rachel’s Lakeside in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The restaurant, as the name suggests, offers a picturesque view of Lake Noquochoke. It was especially nice with the still vibrant colors of the fall foliage surrounding the lake. And, as an aside, Rachel’s serves some of the tastiest appetizers ever.
John’s brother Joe offered up a very funny toast, speaking at length of John’s ‘frugality’ (my favorite part was when Joe commented that John’s first apartment was so small that it would make a Chilean miner claustrophobic…)
John and Mary wanted the ultimate ‘minimalist’ reception, wishing to forgo most of the traditions associated with a wedding reception. That plan backfired on them just a bit in their efforts to discourage guests from requesting the couple to kiss by clinking their glasses. A popular trend is “The Song” — guests that want the bride and groom to kiss must get everyone at their table to stand and regale the couple with a song that contains the word ‘love’ in it. The plan was that most would just sit it out. Guests didn’t buy into that plan. Every table performed — each one of them taking their turn. It was like having a wedding on karaoke night. And then, just to put an exclamation point on things, one family member coordinated a rendition of “I Love You” (the song made famous by a certain purple dinosaur) which was performed by every single person in the room. It was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long, long time.
