Brett and I have had quite an exciting weekend. Things could not have turned out better for our wedding. The weather cooperated so nicely. Things just went smoothly. Here’s a very long post with the details of our wedding weekend.

After several flight delays Wednesday evening, we arrived in Providence at 1:30 a.m. Thursday. We drove 45 minutes to New Bedford for the night and were on the road by 7:30 a.m. to the Cape. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we got through all the paperwork and had our marriage license by 10:00 a.m. That left us a day to explore the lower Cape and have a leisurely drive to P’town.

Brett and I have looked back and appreciate the time we had on Thursday to ourselves. We casually shopped and dined on our way up the coast. After settling into our room, we took a whirlwind tour of Commercial Street and had a nice dinner at Mayflower Café, a Portuguese family restaurant next to our B&B. We spent the evening getting to know our inn keepers Tom and Abe. These two run a fantastic B&B and are super nice guys. We strongly recommend the Secret Garden Inn to anyone contemplating a trip to Provincetown.

It was a sunny, warm Friday when our guests arrived around the same time in mid afternoon. It was so nice to greet family and new and old friends. The group was so diverse but just all came together. They got to know each other during the weekend. We all headed for a late lunch at the Post Office Café just across the street. It’s kind of funny when you are involved in a big event that you forget when it’s time to eat.

Our wedding rehearsal in the garden went smoothly later that afternoon. We were then off to Bayside Betsy’s for our rehearsal dinner. This place was amazing. They knew we were there for a rehearsal dinner. The staff personally greeted us. Betsy stopped by numerous times to make sure things were going smoothly. The staff really made our group feel special and gave us so much attention. This restaurant needs to be on your list of places to eat in P’town. Good food, excellent service and a super nice location.

Friday night was a late night out with the boys. We visited clubs, walked Commercial Street and had an all-around fun time. By 1:00 a.m. we were all laughing with several in our group stumbling back to the inn in a very good mood.

Saturday morning seemed to disappear in a blur. Eight of us took a morning drive to the nearby Turo Vineyards of Cape Code for a tasting and to buy wine for the wedding dinner. It was a fun and very scenic excursion. We stopped at the Atlantic Spice Company. Oh my… A warehouse sized store that is a chef’s dream. Spices and kitchen goods sold retail at wholesale prices. I bought a large assortment of harder to find and pricier spices for a bargain. The place was huge with just about anything you need in spices.

We finished the morning with a drive down old Route 6 into P’town. Lunch was at Fanizzi’s by the Sea. The waitress over heard that we were getting married and was so excited for us. Other diners heard and joined in on the congratulations. The food was super, view perfect and the people were so nice. I then realized that it was almost 2:00 p.m. and I had forgotten the boutonnières. My friends Rich, Al and I were off to the florist to pick them up. Jeff at Wild Flower of Provincetown did a super job with a very natural spray of pink and white phlox.

It was nearing wedding time and I was doing fine. Brett surprised me and was a nervous wreck. The wedding was so beautiful. Abe and Tom had transformed the garden into a wedding chapel. The describe how nicely it was setup and how good the food was. Our friend Alton had baked our wedding cake. It was delicious; a white genoise cake with a white chocolate ganache and strawberry filling iced in wedding cake white butter cream. Brett and I were off for about an hour to take sunset photos on the beach and on Commercial Street. You can imagine the reaction a tuxedoed couple gets walking down the middle of Commercial Street on a Saturday evening. It was too cool.

Saturday night was another night out on the town for us and our friends. The Art House Theatre had a comic drag entertainer, Miss Richfield 1981. Oh my gosh… we laughed so much we were almost all peeing our pants. Her show, “Asians, Homos and Jews, Oh My!” was too too funny. That’s her photo attached to this post. Our friends had told her it was our wedding day after 20 years. She made such a scene and insisted on the photo that is to the side. Believe it or not, the group was so beat we just stopped at Spiritus Pizza for a slice and returned to the inn for a few hours of chatting and drinking on the porch. It was a perfect ending for a perfect day.

Sunday morning we tied up loose ends with the photographer and our inn keepers before saying goodbye to our guests as thy headed back home. Aaron, Rich Al and Keith, Brett and I decided to walk to the top of the Pilgrim Monument. It was a perfect day for it. The skies were pure blue with no clouds and the temp was around 70. It was a nice good bye to P’town.

I can’t even describe how happy we were this weekend. From the Town Clerk in Hyannis to the waitress at Fanizzi’s, everyone was so affirming to us. We were treated so nicely. The attitude of folks in Massachusetts is so  different than that of people in Ohio. Never once were we made to feel awkward including the courthouse, town hall, florist, restaurants, etc… As the weekend progressed, I realized even more how important it is that all people be afforded the opportunity to marry the person they love. You personally have to experience a wedding day to know the feeling that it gives and leaves with you.