I had a busy, busy weekend! I got off work at 2:30 on Friday (yes, I had to work Christmas Eve, and will be working on New Year's Eve, too), and went home to do some laundry, then I went to meet a party at a Bangladeshi restaurant for a wedding rehearsal dinner. I actually liked the food!!! Then it was back to the hotel to rehearse the ceremony, and then they had a little pool party.

I'll take this moment to express my amazement at the bride this weekend. This wedding was the union of my friends Tanah and Alison, and Alison planned the entire thing by herself, organized everything with little help from others, and pulled off an incredible weekend, and held herself together the whole time. Go Ali! Or is it Alie? I'm not sure....

After the pool party I booked it home to shower and change for the annual Bagel Bash, which is one of the big Christmas Eve Jew parties that are thrown each year. And everytime I go, I'm amazed at the number of beautiful Jewish women that live in Atlanta.

I got up early the next morning (Christmas Day) and met my parents at Waffle House. I had my tux with me as I was going to the hotel right after, and five minutes after I left my house, I realized hadn't brought black socks, so I asked my parents to bring a pair to Waffle House. I got to the hotel, did a few duties (Alie made us lists of what we were supposed to do and when), then remembered that I didn't have any cufflinks. So I drove to my parents' house to borrow my Dad's cufflinks. Then I got back to the hotel to change into my tux and prepare for pictures, and realized that my bow tie was missing. Luckily another groomsman called his fiance and had her borrow her Uncle's and bring it, so I got it in time for pics. I later found my bow tie on the floor of my closet.

After pictures several of my friends started arriving, so we went up to someone's hotel room and had a few beers and some tequila! The groom came up for a shot, and then the bride heard about it, comes storming in with, "I hear there's beer and tequila up here and you gave Tanah some."

We looked at her with worry, terrified she was angry, but the next thing she said was, "I want some!" So Alie had some tequila.

Next the Ketuba signing. I got there, got a good spot, then was asked to track down the witness. When I got back with him, I was stuck in the doorway and couldn't see a thing. :(

The ceremony was fine, maybe a little long winded, but both Tanah and Alie looked great, though Alie cried basically from the moment she walked in the room until she left.

The reception was lots of fun. We had been told beforehand that we all had to drink $29 of alcohol per person, and it was all paid in advance. I more than made up my share, especially as I was very nervous about the toast I had been asked to give.

Finally my big moment came and the toast was about as follows:
"When I was asked to give a toast, I started out with funny and clever, but it jsut didn't seem appropriate. I could tell funny stories about Tanah from college all day long, but that has nothing to do with who Tanah and Alie are now, and there's nothing glib about the love they share for each other. Then I tried to be serious, and when I looked at what I had written it was all full of cliches. Then I started thinking, 'Are cliches so bad?' Everyone wants, "And they lived happily ever after" at the end of their biography. So Tanah and Alison will 'bring home the bacon,' 'put food on the table,' and 'be fruitful and multiply.' Tanah and Alison, may you live happily ever after, Mazol Tov!"

At this point I was very nervous, so I lifted up the mic for the end instead of the glass of champagne.

That's about it for the wedding. Hope you enjoyed reading about it as much I enjoyed attending.