The weekend we’ve been waiting for has finally come and gone, and what a weekend it was… Friends and family came from all over the world to celebrate with Aimee and me in Newport as we got married on July 9th. I came down on Wednesday night and stayed at Aimee’s house while we got some last minute things done. My parents came in the next day, as did Brent, whom I picked up from the airport. It was great to have him there to hang out with and to help me out as we got ready.

Our first real event took place on Friday afternoon at St. Lucy’s Church, where Aimee and I exchanged vows in front of a small crowd (a dozen friends and family). This ceremony was the religious part of the wedding weekend, done so that our marriage is recognized in the Catholic church. My parents, my brother, his wife, and Brent (in from Seattle) filled out the groom’s side of the church.

After St. Lucy’s, we headed a bit early to Castle Hill for the rehearsal. We met up with other wedding participants in the bar (nothing like a little hard alcohol with the priest) until we were kicked out by a fire alarm due to the nearby kitchen grease fire. The rehearsal went off smoothly though we were missing a few participants. I messed up the one responsibility I had and was busy listening to Scott’s story about a weird legal case involving a stolen airport cart when I should have been meeting Aimee at the front of the proscenium. I made sure to remember that for the real event.

From Castle Hill, we caravaned to Sea Fare’s American Caf? for the rehearsal dinner. We were once again early, and once again hit the bar. While the waiters set up our tables, my mom placed stuffed moose (dolls, not mounts) at each place setting along with delicious Polar Bear Smooches. We had a good crowd at the rehearsal dinner and everyone enjoyed their chosen entr?es and yummy molten chocolate dessert. Near the end of the meal, Aimee and I got up to talk about our groomsmen and bridesmaids and pass out the sweatshirts I had chosen for my boys and the jewelry and makeup bags Aimee had chosen for her girls.

By this time, the rain had really started coming down and wouldn’t let up until the next morning. We left Sea Fare’s around 7:45 and headed back to the Brown’s house to enjoy the Welcome Gathering. Everyone was invited to the event, and over 130 people showed up to enjoy food and drinks under the tents. Having just eaten dinner, we didn’t have the chance to enjoy all the food (including smoked salmon and reindeer sausage brought in from Alaska), but we did enjoy the company of many friends and family. It was a sort of gussied-up Newport Party of old, with lots of familiar faces sitting out on the Brown’s lawn, albeit under the first downpour I can remember.

Saturday began with the first actual blue sky we’d seen since arriving in Newport. It seemed too much to ask that it continue, but the weather turned out better than we could have ever imagined: bright and sunny, with a cool breeze insuring it never got too hot.

I really had no plans except for this wedding thing later in the day, so Brent, Josh, Amanda, and I met up at the Motel 6 and headed to the Blue Plate Diner for some breakfast. We decided to tour downtown Newport next, and parked on Thames Street where we ran into Tim, Mari, Cosby, and Mercer, who were just arriving into town. We saw the sights and a few more wedding guests (Julia, Alex, Dave, Abby, and the Janoffs) and picked me up some sunglasses. We had just enough time for another stop for some beers and baseball at the Coddington Brewing Co.

We headed back to the 6 to meet the rest of the boys and get ready. I saw Neil and Melanie in the hallway and chatted with them for awhile, at which point Scott and George arrived to complete the crew. Mark was with Jack and would meet us at Castle Hill. We all changed into our tuxedos, crossing our fingers that George’s and Josh’s would fit since they hadn’t had a chance to try them on yet. Everything seemed to work out OK, and by the time we got a call from the limo driver we were nearly ready.

The limo driver took us the long, scenic way to Castle Hill and we practiced making faces at kids on Thames Street, hoping they really couldn’t see in. We passed the kite festival at Brenton Point and slowed down to appreciate the giant lobster and squid kites floating overhead. We arrived at Castle Hill right on time and were met by Mark and Jack in their finery. The Family Photographer took all of us aside for our photos and managed to capture every possible combination of groomsmen, family, and in-laws before banishing us into the tent so we wouldn’t see the ladies.

We enjoyed the lemonade and ice tea stand while Aimee and her ladies had their photo shoot. The weather really couldn’t have been any better. Beautiful clouds dotted the clear blue sky and the breeze off the water was refreshing. People began arriving, and for me it really began to feel like a wedding for the first time. It was amazing to see friends from across the country all converging on this little peninsula just for us.

Before we knew it, the ceremony had begun with Aimee’s grandmother being the first down the aisle. Scott and I then led Father Howard down the right side of the seats and onto the proscenium through the trellis. Each groomsmen then walked down the aisle followed by the bridesmaids one by one. Mark, Katie, and Faith were up next, led by a very determined and incredibly cute Jack, who held his ring bearer’s pillow and walked down the aisle without hesitation. Abby, Aimee’s matron of honor, followed next. At this point, the brass quintet began Trumpet Voluntary in preparation for Aimee’s trip down the aisle, and I began to totally lose it. I saw George looking at me out of the corner of my eye and felt myself holding back tears without much success. She looked amazing in her beautiful dress and veil and she seemed so happy being escorted down the aisle with her mother and father at her side. I remembered to greet her when she finished her walk, and thanked her parents. Her father proclaimed his support for the marriage and they sat down in the first row. The ceremony was both profound and very real at the same time. We enjoyed the readings and song from our friends and took our time in saying our vows. Scott did his job and had the rings at hand and I managed to put Aimee’s ring on the correct finger when the time came. The ceremony was over before we knew it and we walked down the aisle to a standing ovation.

The next thirty minutes were spent taking photographs by the edge of the cliff. Our photographer was quick and efficient, and we even had two servers dedicated to bringing us bellinis and hors d’oeuvres in between shots. My dad and Aimee’s uncle scrambled along the rocks and emerged from the trees to capture their own shots of the moment, to tide us over until the official photos come in.

We were happy to be able to enjoy a little of the cocktail hour, as we began our mad scramble to say hi to every single guest at the wedding. The Castle Hill staff and various other people had done a terrific job of setting the place up, with gorgeous flower arrangements, a wide selection of tasty appetizers, and a full bar. The brass quintet re-convened inside for some Dixieland and jazz numbers to keep folks entertained before dinner.

Before we knew it, the event coordinator was ushering us back into the tent in preparation for our grand entrance. Guests were being ushered to their seats for the beginning of dinner, and we went into the building at the end of the tent that housed the band and the recently arrived photobooth. The photobooth was the one item in the wedding weekend planning that was worrying me; I really wasn’t sure it was going to make it, and I was going to be somewhat disappointed if it didn’t. Right as Aimee began walking down the aisle, I saw the tell-tale rental truck pull up, so I knew I had no reason to worry, and we took this moment before dinner started to be the first ones in the booth. The two Russian technicians helped us in and showed us what to do, perhaps unaware of our long photobooth history together. We took a set of photos, and then it was time for our grand entrance.

We entered as “Brian and Aimee Meacham” and immediately went into our first dance. The dance felt long but apparently we did OK. Next came a series of speeches and toasts given by all four parents and Scott and Abby. Scott pulled out the classic story about cutting my hair to stuff a pillow as well as a few other embarrassing gems. Soon the dinner began and we enjoyed our “sweetheart” table. We visited tables in between courses and took pictures with various groups of friends and family. Before we knew it, it was time for the cake cutting and our quick speeches. In mine, I made sure to thank everyone for coming to the event and put a plug in for the photobooth. People took this suggestion seriously, as the booth was packed the rest of the night producing wonderful photos for our guest book.

It was especially gratifying to see so many of our friends and family chatting, many of whom hadn’t seen each other in a long time. I know it’s clich?, but it really is true what they say about weddings: the best part is just seeing so many people who are so important to you all in one room at one time. It was great to see so many of my friends hitting it off with one another, as if confirming the reason they were all my friends to begin with.

The dancing began in earnest after dessert (delicious chocolate and raspberry cake which magically appeared at our table while we were up on the dance floor) and didn’t let up until the end of the night. The band was great and everyone from my mom to my high school friends got down on the dance floor. The band had to stop at 11:00, but then again, the night could have gone on for another three hours and we still wouldn’t have felt like it was time to go.

The evening went by so quickly, but we took a few opportunities to take in the scene and freeze the moment in our minds. The amazing Castle Hill staff were always one step ahead of us, and had cleared away everything away soon after the last guests left. We took a quick walk under the stars before heading up to the luxurious suite. We had two bedrooms to choose from, and even though we were beat, we couldn’t resist crashing in our finery on the couch and opening the wonderful gifts that guests had brought for us.

The next morning, the weekend fun continued with Sunday brunch on the Newport waterfront. It was a great chance to spend some quality time with our guests. Aimee and I decided we could split up for an hour or so and spread ourselves around among the guests. I hung out with college friends, Cambridge roommates, and the Alaskan crew. Our weather luck from the day before became even more apparent to us this morning, as the heat began to roll in while we were sitting out on the open-air deck of the restaurant. People came by to wish us well and thank us for the weekend; we had to thank them, because they really made me feel welcome in my new family, and made me feel lucky to have all of them as friends.

It was hard to say goodbye to everyone, but luckily we had one more treat in store for us. A 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud picked us up after brunch and took us on a leisurely drive down Ocean Avenue. We saw more kites, beautiful scenery, and thousands of happy beachgoers. The complimentary Champagne was a wonderful touch, and I toasted many passerby who returned with a nod and smile. Our trip took us out to the farthest beach and back into downtown Newport where Scott, Sarah, Mom, and Dad waited for their turn in the car.

After five years of friendship, two years of dating, and a year of engagement, it’s amazing to think that the day has finally come and gone. I can’t imagine how it could have been any better, and we’ve got the photos and the memories to prove it. The people, the setting, the weather, the girl…they were all perfect. Thanks to Aimee, her family, my family, our friends, and everyone else who came to help us celebrate. Wow.