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| Amanda and Steve - a wedding in Missouri Steve Keller was my best friend in high school. It's a wonderful but difficult time in anyone's life, but Steve and several others helped make it much more bearable and certainly much more fun. After the first year of college our lives took different directions, but we were able to catch up for our 20th high school reunion in 2002, in London in 2003, and in Belgium in 2005 (twice) and twice again in 2006. When he and Amanda decided to get married (finally) in Spring 2007, I had to be there along with many others from the Bellingham diaspora. Sure, we all looked grown up (if not middle-aged) in our Dockers and Brooks Brothers. But three nights of intense partying proved that it was nothing more than high school with bank accounts, cell phones and lots (and lots) of martinis. A beautiful ceremony, an elegant reception, tears of joy and good times. To the beautiful couple! |
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| 51 |
| 2007 April 26-30 |
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| Main Street USA, Columbia, Missouri. How could the cute little college town in the American heartland prepare for the hoard of Bellinghamsters that was about to sweep through town, starting at the Martini Bar. OK, maybe we're not 18 any more after all. |
| A tour of Steve and Amanda's world on the University of Missouri campus, and old photos displayed at the rehearsal dinner. |
| Bellingham on parade. Scary to see how recognisable everyone was, except for Yours Truly who wisely tried to keep to the back row. As at our 20th reunion, the women looked amazing, and the men looked like...middle aged businessmen. |
| Our suites at the "north woods" themed Stoney Brook Inn start to look like a hip-hop video, with late night parties and babes in the hot tub. Granted, the clink of poker chips and the moose head did set a slightly different tone... |
| The main event: Amanda looked stunning in her dress, walked down the aisle by her brother. The cake was cut, but not a thrown bouquet or garter in sight. However, Kevin's shoe broke. Could it be a sign that he's next? |
| A very American reception with no Champagne but delicious Appletinis. Amanda and Steve impressively opened the dance with a foxtrot to "You Make Me Feel So Young". Priceless - the dance lessons obviously paid off. An elegant venue for a party that was quickly reduced to the Bellingham set and friends of the Bride. The bi-coastals looked on in confusion as the midwesterners did the bird dance, line dances, and requested great classic boogie tunes. Missouri it seems, is a lot like Flanders. Amanda and Steve had the night off while the rest of us gathered 'round the poker chips for one last round into the wee hours. |