I can’t believe Alex and Darnell actually got married! It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
On Thursday, I met Jarrod and Shayne at Disneyland, and Jarrod drove us to Palm Springs. It was a lot of fun getting to know them during the ride. Jarrod does pest control for Disneyworld (so I had a lot of questions about dealing with home problems), and Shayne works for Kraft. We got in that night and hung out a little with the group. I had my own room with a nice sign and everything! =D The house they rented was amazing! There was five bedrooms in the main house with one or two (I think) in an unconnected part. There was a large living room and an entertainment room, but the outside of the house was the amazing part. It was absolutely beautiful! There was a large pool with a cool bridge leading over to the grass. This is where Hal had the canopy set up under which the wedding took place. There was a hot tub that flowed into the pool, and a rocky waterfall over the pool. Ther was also a cool lake on the property!
Friday we got up to a wonderful breakfast thanks to Jarrod. We had fruit salad, french toast, and biscuits with gravy. So good! Then it was time to get to work! I helped Hal with the canopy for a bit. It was very impressive, but I wasn’t surprised at all. Hal is the perfect guy for that kind of task, and I love how much he knows about building things and getting tasks done.
I went with Alex on some errands. First, we went to Men’s Wearhouse to pick up our tuxedos. There was one small problem. My tux didn’t fit at all. It seemed at least two times too big for me, yet the lady checked the size adjustment things on the sides to see if they could make it fit. Of course now. They assured me they’d get one shipped from Texas that would be there by Saturday at 11. Well, the wedding was on Saturday, and the photo shot was scheduled to start at 11. That wasn’t really going to work, but we didn’t have a lot of options. When Alex asked, they said they could bring it to the house. They also refunded my money.
Then we were off to pick up flowers and bring them to the baker for the cake. We couldn’t find the exact flowers because they don’t survive the heat in Palm Springs. Luckily Darnell isn’t the type to complain, and we found substitutes that would work. Then it was time to get home!
When we got home we met Venus who was performing the ceremony. She was very cool, and we quickly went through the rehearsal. Hal tried to try on his tux, but it was way too small. I tried his, and it fit perfectly. It turned out the had just switched our tuxes. Hal called, and they offered to bring us the tux that they had kept. Then it was time for dinner! There were tasty appetizers, a yummy salad, a tasty steak, and an amazing “pie” that was basically a sundae. We did our toasts to the happy couple. I was planning to make a toast, but I purposely didn’t prepare anytihng written because I just wanted to speak from the heart and leave most of what I wanted to say for the reception. The toasts were all very touching, but Hal’s was just amazing. He loves Alex so much, and it was evident even from his eyes. I couldn’t stop crying. After the toasts, we headed to the Fantasy Springs Casino for cocktails. gem met us there, and we all had a couple drinks. Venus happened to be at the casino, so she came to the bar to hang out as well. It was a lot of fun. Then Friday night we went home to drink and swim!
Saturday was the big day! We finished setting everything up, including building a photo booth that ended up falling apart in the wind. Alex gave all the groomsmen a gift – a glass with our initials on it, a pair of sunglasses, and a tie to match our bridesmaid partner! I received a green tie to match Laura’s green dress. The sunglasses were interesting because I had previously told Alex about how I wanted a pair sunglasses.
The wedding was amazingly beautiful. I can say that it was definitely good that I had tissue in my pocket, and Darnell couldn’t look over at me. There were three dogs in the wedding too! How awesome is that? I felt really good holding the ring, and I’m glad everything went well! After the wedding, we hung out for a bit while the guests were at cocktail hour. Unfortunately, Devin paid the servers at this time, and they just took off. We were a bit worried! Then everyone moved from the front of the house to the back for the reception dinner. The wedding party was announced, and we went out in pairs. Then a few of Alex and Darnell’s friends volunteered to serve the food. They did a fantastic job! Dinner was pretty tasty! There was a crepe cart, a hot dog cart, and four beers on tap! When it came time for the speeches, I got incredibly nervous. While I had a lot of it memorized, I still used index cards on a keyring. It seemed to go well! Although I recorded, I can’t get myself to watch it to see, but Alex and Darnell seemed to really appreciate it. The speeches were all great, and I enjoyed all the love that was there! They cut the cake, and it was cute that they seemed to have trouble. They also couldn’t quite figure out how to drink champagne correctly. I loved it, haha. In the evening we rested, talked, laughed, and eventually went swimming.
Sunday was a day of relaxation and eating. We grilled burgers and hot dogs, and everything was tasty. I spent most of the day in the water, and I ended up getting burnt. Oh well! We also went down to the lake and swam, found a row boat, and rowed across the lake. It was a lot of fun. But the most fun was just talking with people. Everyone was so fantastic. I can’t believe how great Alex and Darnell’s friends and family all are, but then again, I guess it makes sense that wonderful people attract other wonderful people. It was a great celebration, and I’m sure I’ll remember it forever.