The Accidental Groomsman

So a little less than three weeks ago, I got email from ocschwar...

To: bats22
Subject: hey Bats, could we talk over the phone today?

I could really use a favor from you. I'm at 617 XXX-XXXX

Thanks, man.

Well, it turned out that his brother, who is a bush pilot in Australia, couldn't get time off to come up to O & E's wedding. Therefore, he asked me to be an emergency fill-in groomsman. Wow... well, I definitely have experience doing this--by my count, I've been in wedding parties (best man, groomsman, usher) seven times. Enough that I've developed variations on my groomsman spiel:

"Hello, I'm K, and I'll be your groomsman this evening. Tonight's specials are men in rented clothing, ugly lime-green dresses, and bows on the butt. In case of church depressurization, oxygen masks will fall from the overhead compartment. In case of water landing, the hymnal in front of you can be used as a floatation device..."

Always a groomsman, never a groom, eh? So I had no problems saying yes to this one--I can stand up and be a set decoration with the best of them!

So the wedding was this Saturday--actually, a weekend of activity: rehearsal and picnic on Friday, and a brunch event on Sunday. It was quite a nice time--a very nice full-on wedding with the works, and O & E looked spectacularly happy:


Also, it was fun doing the groomsman gig--you realize that you're acting as the groom's body man for the day ("Here's where you need to be. Are you fed? I'll relay that message. Is your tie straight?"). We had a Reservoir-Dogs style group walk down the infinite corridor, heading towards the ceremony at the MIT Chapel.


The bride & groom made sure to get a few amusing shots for the album--both of them logging into Athena on the way over to the reception. Also, it was fun to see the reactions of the various MIT people wandering around the 'Tute.


There were few Teps at the wedding (Sequoia was best man, and Rawhide, Terri, & family were there). However, we still did manage to pull off Hava Nagila--no casualties. The reception was held at the MIT Faculty Club, which has a spectacular view over the Charles (right on Mem Drive). The private room where we decompressed is pretty nice--all old oak paneling, including full-on quartermatch veneer.


Mazel tov all around!