Coming home to a huge weekend-long party is a great way to postpone reality, lemme tell ya.
Starting on Thursday night and going strong till Sunday afternoon, the entire Zamborsky clan and assorted extras celebrated the wedding of Dave & Meghan. And proved beyond a doubt that I have the coolest family on the planet. (Well, except for a few lame cousins who couldn't be bothered. Guess there are some in every crowd.) We all love Meghan to death, and we're glad that Dave married up. ;) Her family is great, too... and who knew her Nana could throw down with the best of us? It was a fabulous weekend. I just hope my liver recovers.
We started on Thursday night with a baseball game. How American is that? It was the Washington Nationals vs the Philadelphia Phillies, which presented a bit of a dilemma for me & Mark. Technically we should be rooting for the Nats because DC is our home. But as most of you know, I'm from the Philly area and most of my family (Meghan's as well) are diehard Phils fans. Fortunately this dilemma was solved by the fact that neither Mark nor I give a crap about baseball and we were just happy to be out drinking beer with the fam. As an extra bonus, Dave & Meghan got to unfurl the countdown banner that shows how many Nats games are left before they move to the shiny new stadium. Even though only their hands actually got to be on TV, it was still very exciting. And the Phils managed to pull off a win after all.
Friday night was the rehearsal and dinner. There was a bit of a tense moment when Rev Carol didn't show up, but thanks to Josh for hooking us up with her phone number we tracked her down and determined that she was merely lost. The show must go on! We ran through the ceremony, sweating over such important details as which family members would be walking in in which order, and practicing being "stately." This is a huge challenge for my family. But I think we can handle it for a few minutes. My sister and I each get to do a really cool reading -- Laura is doing "Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog" by Taylor Mali, and I'm doing Robert Fulghum's "Union" (yes, the Kindergarden guy). And we also get to walk our dad in. So we actually have to pay attention for a bit.
Rehearsal complete, we headed to the Tabard Inn for the first of many highly-caloric meals and more drinking! Plus speeches. This is a really bittersweet weekend for the Zs... we are so thrilled for Dave & Meghan but we really miss my mom. It's hard not having her around. And it's hard to watch my dad struggle through this on his own. Fortunately I think we're managing to strike a pretty good balance of celebrating and remembering, and her presence is definitely felt among us. Especially with all the drinking and dancing!
The wedding on Saturday went off without a major hitch. Yes, it was hot and we were all sweating like warthogs. But a family that sweats together stays together. And there were some minor wardrobe malfunctions, but nothing to call the FCC about. The ceremony was sweet, Dave and Meghan were really cute up there in their fancy outfits, and by the end of it there was not a dry eye in the house. And then it was time for cocktail hour! Followed by a fabulous dinner, and lots of dancing, and maybe a few shots as well. Eric did a great job with his Best Man toast -- short and sweet and funny -- and the bridesmaids had some funny vignettes as well. And did I mention there was dancing? Damn, this family likes to shake their groove thang! Now you all know where I get it from. Special kudos to Herschel & Karen Dorney and Uncle Frank & Aunt Carol, who represented, and then some!
The hardcore among us trooped out to a bar in Georgetown after they kicked us out of Dumbarton House. Took us a while, but we found a place where they'd let the bride in without ID. C'mon, people, she's wearing a big white dress, cut the woman some slack!
Best Wedding Ever? Well, I already admitted to my brother that the number one spot goes to our friends Dave & Debbie's Elvis wedding at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel. (Sorry, I gotta call it like I see it.) But this one definitely ranks! Great times, great people, and two great families. The Exleys -- and particularly Meghan -- can definitely hold their own with the Zs, and I hope we have some more joint family shenanigans in the near future.
Sunday brunch was a bit ragged, but nearly everyone managed to drag themselves out for some hangover snacks. And then it was time to hit a sports bar in Adams Morgan for the Eagles game. Whew. I could only make it to halftime, especially since the Birds were completely trouncing Detroit. (Hey, I actually sounded like I was paying attention for a minute there!) But it was nice to have one last bit of family bonding before everyone hit the road. Good times, good times! Let's all do it again sometime... like maybe in two weeks, in San Francisco? Oy vey.
PS. Since I already posted a slew of pics from the wedding to celebratejoan.com, there's no point in prepping and posting them here. Feel free to check out Dave & Meghan's gallery, which also includes some great photos from other family members!
