The Wedding (Part 1)

Melissa and Adam got engaged last year, and they tied the knot this past weekend, October 3, 2015.

It was a terrific few days and lots of fun---before, during and after the wedding.  They had loads of friends and family to help them celebrate. The wedding itself was an outdoor event so there was some concern about the weather; despite hurricane Joaquin lurking offshore for a few days, it all went off very well.

One of the things I like about these occasions that we get a lot of time to see the extended family and visit with friends and get to know each other better.  Melissa and her family are mostly from the Philadelphia area and Adam's relatives are predominately from 'out West'.  It was really fun.  I haven't hugged that many people so many times in a long time.

Many guests stayed at the Hyatt-House/Merrifield in the Mosaic District of Fairfax (VA); it was the perfect location. The rooms were efficient and high tech and the full breakfast downstairs each morning was well done. The hotel was in the same city block as a Target and a number of trendy restaurants (all within walking distance of a block or two).

On Wednesday evening, Pam and I joined Adam, Melissa, and her family at the True Food Restaurant, where we had a chance to meet Jeff and Marilyn again and spend some time together before things got busy.  Melissa's brother, Rich, works and lives in DC and he came out to join us too.  It was a great way to start off the wedding festivities.

Friday night before the wedding, Out-of-Town relatives all met at the Matchbox Restaurant in a private party area, which worked out well and the food was excellent.

This was the first real chance to meet and greet all of Melissa's and Adam's relatives and family and extended family.  It was really fun and we all had a great time.

 The prospective bride and groom --

Interestingly enough, Melissa's dad is a twin (on the right) and Adam's dad is a twin (second from the left).

One of many group shot of the twins with Melissa and Adam

Here's the only photo I got of Melissa's Aunts and Mom (with Uncle Mel and his daughter)

Aunts: Gail, Debra (Debbie), Mel, and Melissa's mom Marilyn on the right

Warner and Goldman women: Adam's Mom (Pam), Aunts (Amy, Elena, and Sue) and sister (Kelly).

It rained a little throughout Friday... more like a steady drizzle. Saturday morning, the skies were a bit overcast, with some misty rain from Joaquin which was off shore.

Thankfully, it moved from the Caribbean and started heading north and away from the East Coast.  It could have been a factor in the [outdoor] wedding, but was never a problem.

Saturday morning, our Grandson Brooks made an appearance.  Kelly and Jon were staying near friends Jeff and Tiffany who babysat him both Friday and Saturday nights. He wanted to see everybody, so Jon and Kelly brought him over to the Hyatt House on Saturday morning during breakfast.

After breakfast, we ran some errands and then met Marty & Elena, Brad & Sue, Reid & Amy, and Marg & Bill at the Red Apron for lunch.  

We didn't have to be over to the wedding site until 4 PM.

Pam and I stayed in Reston at the Lake Fairfax Park Campground and were joined there by Marg and Bill who drove down from Ontario with their RV and had the campsite next to us.

This has turned into a really long post, so I am going to end it here and pick it up with my next post at the venue.  More pictures and details to follow...

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!