In our last episode . . .

. . . we arrived Phoenix on the 19th, just in time to make it to a family pre-wedding gathering.  Our daughter Meredith arrives tomorrow.  For the next few days we are visiting with friends and family leading up to the wedding on the 21st. 

The Valley Ho in Scottsdale AZ is where the wedding is to take place and where all the out of town guests are staying.  It is a restored luxury hotel from the 50s consisting of 6 separate buildings, and an historical landmark.  It was made popular by movie stars and the like.  The updating for the current version had to work around its historic background.  It has great restaurant, a large pool with poolside bar and snacks, a live band or DJ by the pool most days, a hot tub, and the list goes on.  Oh, and the rooms are very nice as well.

The wedding in the late afternoon of Saturday, May 21th, was among the best we've seen.  The ceremony was about 30 minutes long and set in a grassy courtyard in the afternoon.  They used 2 - 3 rows of chairs to do a wedding in the round.  Very nice.

The ceremony was followed by about 45 minutes of open bar on the roof top of an 8 story tower in the complex.  This affords a spectacular view of the surrounding area and an opportunity to chat with a pretty diverse group of people.

 

After moving down to the dining room, the bar is opened again while the final preparations are put in place.  Deb and Jared hand made paper airplane center pieces for each table instead of flowers.  Pretty unique, consisting of a range of aircraft. 

One plane was a CJ like the one Jared flies for Mesa Airlines.  In addition, Deb made an L-19 like the one flown by her father, Glenn, in Korea.  It has the tail number of his original plane, and her mother's name, Diamond, on the side as nose art.  Very cool.

Well, I am certain they did not intend for whole tables of guests to spring into song as the DJ started off with a bunch of Motown hits.  I suppose after an hour or so of open bar it might have been forecast.  Then a few couples start dancing, and the singing continues.  This was all before dinner, but everyone took it in stride.  Dinner was great, followed by a few toasts, and then the party kicked into gear.

Yes, that is the happy couple after a very busy day's events.  A comfortable ending for an outstanding evening, and what I would consider a good sign for a long and happy marriage.

More on the weekend later.