About The Wedding
How it all went downHoly moly, we had the BEST TIME at the wedding. Did you?
We were a little stressed out on Friday, August 6. We woke up to find that our pick-up truck (with the soundsystem locked inside) had been towed away overnight. And it was pouring rain.
But by Friday evening everything was just fine. The truck was out of impound, campers started to arrive at Sacred Groves, and the rain had mostly stopped in time for us to have a quiet potluck around the campfire Friday night.
Saturday morning reassured us that everything would be perfect:
the sky was overcast, but in a way that fairly screamed "sunny and 75
by noon."
The day was spent getting ready, with close to 20 people decorating and arranging the dance space at Sacred Groves, and another dozen working on food and decorations up at Holly Lane Gardens. Our friends are amazing!
Guests started arriving around 4pm (y'all were early!), and our two volunteer
bartenders started pouring drinks at 5pm.
At 6pm the ceremony began with our friend Tania's voice echoing off the hillside
as she sang a spine-tingling version of Etta James' "At Last." Suzanne, who officiated,
did a wonderful job of calling in the ceremony and introducing your freaky bride and groom.
Ariel's father read a beautiful poem he'd written, and after we struggled through our vows
(we'd just memorized them the night before!), Andreas called his mother Nancy up to bring us
the rings. We exchanged rings, made out, and then ran off into the distance as Ariel's mother
sang "Since You Asked," a song she sang at her own wedding 30 years ago.
Then, as guests started in on appetizers, we took our "Yichud" walk down the road, while our photographer Ami acted as paparazzi, sneaking behind us and snapping photos.
Dinner on the back lawn of the B&B was truly a treat — Erin from LA and Andrea from Bainbridge had been hard at work for days preparing the food. So yummy! There was a little backyard hula hooping and then it was time for toasts.
The first toast was offered up by Tim, Sr. Camp Counsellor and defacto best man. He was followed by several parents and family friends. Toasts ended with Ariel electing not to toss her bouquet, but instead passing it to the two other recent brides in the family: her aunts Andrea and Stacy who were legally married in San Francisco this spring. We took the opportunity to express our deepest hope that soon we will live in a country with equal marriage rights for everyone.
After a sunset cake cutting, the drums kicked in and it was time to march down the hill to Sacred Groves, which had been transformed into a twinkling forested fairy land, complete with a glowing dome and funky, pounding music courtesy of our three DJs. Guests of all ages were dancing first to DJ Megasoul from Brooklyn and then DJ Haaps from Washington D.C. DJ Brian from Moontribe in LA finished things up around 2:30am, but the party didn't stop when the music went off, with a dozen or more folks nestled up around the campfire. The newlyweds walked back up the hill to the B&B as the first shades of dawn were showing at the horizon. The entire wedding was perfect — thanks to each of you for being there!
And for those of you who didn't make it out? Well, our wedding was just the first in what we hope will be a series of annual camp-outs at Sacred Groves. So we'll see you in next year!
