Best Wishes for a Happy Marriage, Kevin and Jessica

October 26, 2009             Kevin and Jessica got married on Saturday only a few yards from where Jasmine and I were married almost two years ago. Though the delivery company was late in delivering the chairs and the bride was late at arriving, the wedding went off without a hitch. This is Kevin's third attempt at marriage, and I sincerely hope this one sticks. As for the bachelor party, I think Kevin finally found a good balance.             For his first bachelor party, when Kevin was only nineteen or twenty and we were all devout Baptists, all of the boys went to the dojo where he taught karate and slugged it out. It was a lot of innocent fun, but I did have to wear makeup to the wedding to hide the black eye his brother gave me. The second bachelor party wasn't quite as innocent.             We were living in Orlando at the time. Both Kevin and I had been through our trials of faith and were completely unbound by religious doctrine and moral codes. His fellow bartenders and waiters at the Bennigan's where he worked at the time were much more involved in the planning of the party. We spent most of the night at Rachel's, Orlando's most popular 'gentlemen's club,' though the most gentlemanly behavior any of us exhibited was my bringing Kevin a pillow as he sought solace on the floor of my bathroom while purging his insides of the multitude of shots purchased for him.             His most recent bachelor party was a good balance. After the rehearsal dinner, Kevin's brother Rick, his dad, the groomsman Pascale, and I went to his dad's house and played Wii for a few hours, which was a lot of fun without anyone getting hurt. After a couple of hours, Kevin, Pascale, and I went to the Cock and Bull Pub where we were treated to the largest selection of beer on the Suncoast. After a shot of 1800 at Coleman's Tavern and returning to the Cock and Bull to close the place down, we got some cigars and went to Ackerman Park to discuss marriage, politics, and whatever else came up. I'd say it was definitely the most enjoyable of the three so I can only hope the marriage follows suit.             Though the wedding was on the same beach where Jasmine and I were married, it was so interesting how different it was to ours. Theirs was much more traditional with rows of chairs on either side of a carpet runner before a rose garnished arbor. Ours was a wedding in the round. They had a violinist, and we had a guitarist. They had a sand ceremony, and we had a familial vow. But regardless of the differences, South Lido Beach remains in my mind as the best place to get married in Sarasota, and with their heartfelt vows that they wrote themselves, and the personalized touch of Kevin's brother performing the ceremony, it was truly a beautiful and intimate wedding.             Kevin and Jessica have just purchased a new home and seem to be going in the opposite direction of Jasmine and I. Whereas the are getting more space we are getting less. But we couldn't be happier with it.             Besides my parents and Jasmine's friend Ellie, we had our first visitors to the Lighthouse. I've known Heather and Pascale for awhile as they have been friends of Kevin since before his second marriage. Down to earth people with open spirits, I was very glad that Jasmine got to know them at the reception.  What was meant to be only brunch before they drove back to Orlando turned into a full afternoon of our showing them around downtown Sarasota and planting seeds for what is bound to be a great friendship.             Sunday afternoon along Sarasota's Main Street, especially with the cool fall weather and warm Florida sun, is pretty blissful. We had a delightful lunch at Suzette's, a new French bistro on Lime, where we dined on escargot, quiche, crepes, mimosas, and great coffee. We took a walk around Island Park and saw a lot of friends before getting frozen yogurt at Sweet Berries and getting lost at Toy Lab. If there was one store on Main Street I would truly never want to see close, it is Toy Lab. Other than Hello Kitty and Sesame Street, none of the toys are corporatized, meaning there is always something original, unique, often eco-friendly. Of course, Heather had to buy some gifts before we left.             After a long day on our feet, it was such a pleasure to come back to the lighthouse, put our feet up and relax. Both Heather and Pascale could feel that the place felt like home, and while Jasmine and I both still feel a bit like we're on vacation, we couldn't feel more comfortable in our new place. I can only hope that Kevin and Jessica grow as close as Jasmine and I have since we stood in the sand together.

Posted via email from Steve's posterous