Oregon Wedding!!!

Well, technically it was a Washington wedding, but since it was just over the Columbia River from Portland, it still felt like being in Oregon. The couple in question were my step-brother Brian (My dad's wife Molly's son) and his girl Krista (nee Striker). It was a terrific wedding, and I was honored be asked to play the music for it.

I flew in on Saturday morning, and it was a true whirlwind trip! After getting picked up by my Dad & Molly, we helped out with the last minute preparations, and met with my uncle Colin, aunt Katie, Grandpa Hank, and cousin Andy. I also had to get ready to play and went to the father of the bride's house to borrow a guitar (doctors and dentists always have the best guitars!) He had 4 guitars to choose from and I picked a beautiful Laramie that is about 10 times nicer than my guitar - even though I still love mine! It was a joy to play though.

The wedding was at a really nice Victorian bed and breakfast, and Brian and Krista (I think mostly Krista) did a great job getting everything together. It was a beautiful wedding and, amazingly for Oregon, the weather was perfect. I guess I added my part with the music. Brian had requested a lot of Beatles, so I played "Imagine" while the ceremony was getting started (for about 20 minutes - a real Jerry version). When the wedding party came down the aisle I played "Here Comes the Sun", which Brian had requested instead of "Here comes the Bride". I thought it was a pretty good choice too.

Brian and Krista had asked our friend Fred to perform the ceremony. Fred got a "license" to perform weddings a while back, I believe from the back of a Rolling Stone magazine, and has actually performed about 30 by his count, so he knows his stuff and did a great job.

One of the highlights for me was when we both performed "In My Life" during the actual service. I moved up next to Krista and accompanied Fred. I think it sounded good and was really enjoyable, even though Fred's strap broke half-way through the song! Being a true pro, he kept on going, and people said that they just thought that he was really getting down. That is kind of how it looks in these pictures. Anyway, I think that it was a good song for that day.

One final cool thing about the wedding was getting to see a bunch of family that I don't get to see that often, and in particular it was nice to see my cousin Andy. He took a bunch of these pictures - which is why they look so much better than usual, and is a really fun guy who I wish I could see more often. Even though I was exhausted by the time I got back, it was great to be back in the Northwest with family and friends.