Wedding #2 - I Make A Toast!

Well, my second weekend out of town in a row turned out to be a good one. My oldest friend (not in age, but the amount of time that I've known him) got married at the Seaview Resort in Galloway, NJ. Fun times.

Friday night after the rehearsal and dinner we hit the Borgata in Atlantic City for some blackjack, but of course I didn't win. At one point I was up maybe $40, but I put it all back in. I played for about 4 hours or so. But two of my friends - one in particular - had a very good night. And he got wasted on the free drinks they feed you while you're gambling. He couldn't stop counting his winnings in front of us. He then slept on the floor and felt terrible all day on Saturday.

On Saturday, we got together around noon to start taking pictures and doing things. Between noon and 1:30PM when we left for the church I had 3 beers and a shot of tequila. We then stopped for pizza on the way to the church, and the guys working the joint didn't even mention the fact that we were all in tuxes. Though honestly, that's how we dress every day. The wedding itself went well and we stuck around to take pictures, then hopped in the limo for a trip to the Atlantic City beach for some more. We must have looked odd - a big group of people in tuxes, formal dresses, and flip flops. But that's just how we roll.

The reception was a freakin' blast. Our friends The Big Shoe played the party, and everyone had a great time. The crowd was ready to go from the moment they started playing and the energy in the room was fantastic. And I gave a toast (I think I lived up to my wedding toast reputation). I did a cool Mad Libs thing, and I will try to get the video to post soon. People who liked my speech included the people at my table, the bar staff, the father of the bride, and a guy in the bathroom who said to me, "You know I've given best man speeches before, but I never talked like that." At least, I think that's what he said. Which brings me to my next point: after a Jack on the rocks and a Sam Adams, I was drinking wine all night. Need I say more? I also sang "Sweet Caroline," complete with wireless mic. Have I mentioned that I badly want a wireless mic? Recently?

Sunday after checkout we hit the boardwalk for some lunch and light gambling, then headed home. And by the way, thanks to New Jersey I now know what a "Silver Alert" is - but did I really need to know?


Work it, work it...


Reading the Mad Lib that I put together with the help of the wedding guests


Three of the groomsmen - me, Seth Rivers, and Steve Peluse

Wedding #1 - 882 Miles

Here are some highlights from this past weekend's trip to my old stompin' grounds, Western New York:

-Having my first trash plate in probably 4 years, which I admittedly forgot how to order. I got it from Charlie's in Webster, and believe me when I tell you it was dynamite. My friend Tim thinks I set some sort of speed record. Maybe it was a personal best.

-Saw my grandparents. It's rare these days that I'm in the area, so I made a special trip to see them.

-Crashing the rehearsal dinner at Shadow Lake. OK, so I didn't really crash it, but suffice to say that I was not in the wedding party, and "crashing" sounds more badass.

-Two of my closest friends from college - Dayle & Scott - got married! I got to see all my closest friends from my Geneseo days and a handful of people that I haven't seen in years.

-The food at the reception was out of this world. It was on-site barbeque catered by Smokin' Hot Chicks. I really can't say enough about it. The bride and groom really did their homework on that one and it was amazing.

-And of course, I went to Wegmans. It is by far my favorite supermarket and I miss it dearly. Anyone who is familiar with it knows what I mean. Over the course of three days I made two trips, and got a three-berry muffin and "Danny's Favorite" wrap. It's like I never left.

Here is some video that I took at the wedding reception:



This upcoming weekend I'm in Atlantic City for the wedding of my oldest friend. And I'm in this one. Giving a toast. Look out.