There's always been something special about weddings in and around New York City. Perhaps it's because Rosemary and I were married there almost 41 years ago. Perhaps it's because so many of our relatives have been married there, which adds an extra touch of emotion to these important events. Or maybe it's because New York has so many wedding reception halls and they've made these celebrations into somewhat of an art.
In the middle of all of our recent travels, we've had the honor to attend two fantastic family weddings there recently. Each event was unique, special and memorable.
First, we were at the wedding of Rosemary's niece Kristine and her new husband Bryan. On our way to the wedding, we stopped in the city to celebrate Jason's birthday with his Mom, Joanne, and to see the musical "Ghost".
The wedding had a great mix of Irish and Italian traditions. A Mass (partly in Latin, which brought back memories of being an altar boy and seminarian before English
was ever allowed in church) in St. Dominic's Chapel in scenic Oyster Bay, Long island. The service was followed by a reception that we'll never forget at the Watermill Inn in Smithtown. Kris' Mom and
Dad walked her down the aisle, and we were so glad to be there with the entire Day clan, which doesn't seem to get together enough.
Every reception has its own flavor and style, but this reception can just be described as "fun". Probably the best band I've ever heard at a wedding reception. Lots of food choices from the cocktail hour through the dinner with five entree choices and then the Venetian Hour, with
every kind of dessert imaginable, accompanying the wedding cake. More than a few libations were enjoyed by the crowd.
The bride was in the middle of the action from the introduction through her change to another spectacular dress
during the reception. What a terrific night!
Here are some photos of the wedding.
Less than two weeks later, we were back to New York, this time in Brooklyn for the
all-Irish wedding of my nephew Brendan and his lovely Marybeth. This time, we were joined by our entire family for this special weekend. Brendan and Marybeth first hosted family and friends at the rehearsal dinner, where we enjoyed seeing the members of the Cahill and Shaw families, and meeting the Mahoney clan for the
first time. Both the wedding and the reception were held at the scenic Brooklyn
Botanic Gardens (adjoining Prospect Park, where I played baseball as teenager, and attended high school just blocks away). The forecast rain never
appeared, and the gorgeous flowers provided a wonderful
background for the special wedding of these two wonderful people on a warm Friday evening. The service was made even more special because Ricky officiated at the service, with his nine month old son Henry, on his first big trip, watching in Mom Megan's arms. Erin and Shane looked on proudly as Nate, wearing his tuxedo, was the junior
groomsman, and later the dance
champion during the reception. Rosemary and I were pleased that Lily spent the weekend traveling with us through the city, and Ryan and Jason were with us for this wedding, as they also were at Kris and Bryan's. While the previous wedding struck me as being "fun", the
wedding of Marybeth and Brendan struck me as being "gorgeous" - the setting, the
gowns, the moon-filled night, and of course, the bride. As they turned to their guests after the service, the word "triumphant" came to my mind. The look
on their faces said that pulling off the wedding, with so many fine details to plan, was a triumph. Brendan's triumph over his life challenges made me so proud of him. And meeting each other at just the right time in their lives, was the best triumph of all for this great couple. I was so pleased that Brendan included tributes to his
grandfather, my Dad, and to his Uncle Charlie, Lily's late and great husband, and my brother. One note of sadness throughout the night was the recent passing of Marybeth's Dad. I know that Brendan's parents, Ann and Gene, were proud of their son on his big night.
As great as the rehearsal dinner and wedding were, we had
a special bonus of having our whole family play tourist in Brooklyn and NYC for a few days. We got to eat cheesecake at famous Junior's Deli, go to the New York
City Transit Museum, cruise around Manhattan on the Circle Line, enjoy Brooklyn pizza with Maureen, Don and family, and most importantly, spend
scarce time together with our "Jazz Hands Family". In one final touch of hospitality, Brendan and Marybeth provided some great entertainment by arranging a fire in our hotel basement just before check out, requiring Erin,
Shane, Nate, Megan, Ricky and Henry (held by Dad) to walk down 20 flights for the evacuation. The exciting end of a terrific weekend!
Here are some shots of that great wedding weekend.
But for both weddings, the key words were "LOVE" and "FAMILY". It was so great to be part of the weekends that were so special and important for these two couples, and to spend time with our extended families and our own family. All our best to Kris and Bryan, and to Marybeth and Brendan!