Dave and I go back a ways: to the snow days where we would take off hitting cars with snow balls, to the sounds of the REFLEX from Duran Duran, Wrestlemania I, Intellivision, Sega Genesis, Frogger, and Pac Man. While Michael was showing everyone the Moonwalk on that new TV show, MTV, we were sneaking beers in the basement of Davey’s house while delivering every punchline to Airplane!!, our favorite movie on Betamax, and taking turns slugging Dave’s kid brother, Donny, who loved the attention.
Fast forward to 2009, Donny is now Don, 6′ 1″ and Dave’s baby sister, Anne, who had just been born, has recently graduated college. We all met again for the first time in 20 years in Las Vegas for Dave and Claudia’s wedding, and it was a blast! Take a step back to January, 25th, 2009, date of my wedding, in Alexandria, VA, to Yaremys. Dave and Claudia were in attendance and were the first couple that Yaremys, my newly arrived girlfriend from Cuba, had met. She had been in the States a few days when I proposed, ( listen here – our engagement)
on NPR radio and we shared our first moments together with Dave and Claudia, and their loveable dogs: Gus the Pug and the now deceased, Tucker the Boxer- replaced by the maniacal Pug, Guapo, aka, Diablo.
Dave and Claudia heard me playing at my wedding, and Claudia had asked if I would perform for them in Vegas. They wanted traditional music, but which pieces would be right for them? After a lengthy discussion over some adult beverages, we decided on Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto, Pachebel’s Canon, and J.S. Bach Prelude for the Entrance and Recessionals. The rest would be up to me.
The Groomsmen, and Ladies in Waiting entered the quaint chapel while the crowd barely contained themselves for the imminent festivities. There were close to 100 guests, mostly from the East Coast, including the Priest, who had flown in to celebrate the wedding. The Priest remarked, “no one from my parish is letting me live down that I am in doing a wedding in Vegas, Thank You David and Claudia!”
The Ceremony was short and meaningful, as it concluded, the guests were ushered out to strains of Vivaldi on my guitar. The Reception took place in an enormous hall in the Bellagio Hotel, where the guests were entertained by a Big Band led by Chandler Judkins ( www.liveeventsmusic.com) and backed up by Bassist Justin Vogel. The happy couple and guests danced away the night to Swing music and Rockabilly guitar and managed to save up some energy for a few photos with Elvis, dancing at a night club, hours at the card tables, and an unforgettable disco bus ride that could only happen in Vegas!ChristopherKilday
