One Wedding and a Funeral, Part I (The Wedding)

Jana getting ready with Lauren and Nicole

It’s been an eventful April and we’re only halfway through the month. Two big events took place this past weekend and sadly we were only able to attend one, Jandy’s (Jana and Andy) wedding on April 14th. Since setting the date a few months ago, wedding preparations have been Jana’s life focus. Planning a simple wedding sounded so doable in January, but I’m now convinced that short of eloping there is no such thing as a simple wedding and even the simplest comes with significant stress and worry. The event officially began Friday evening with a wonderful dinner at one of Jandy’s favorite restaurants, Maccheroni Republic, where they frequent at least once a week and are such familiar faces to the manager and wait staff that they are known by name and treated like family. With that bond comes privileges not extended to the occasional diner, such as bypassing lines (they don't take reservations), which can be a city block long week nights and longer on the weekend, and in this case special accommodations and service for the rehearsal dinner. Around 35 people attended the Friday night 10-course dinner, which included such interesting dishes as a grilled calamari salad, black and white (Bianchi and Neri) vermicelli in a creamy sauce and topped with shrimp, and a delicious olive oil cake that concluded the meal. It is not surprising that Maccheroni Republic is considered one of the top Italian Ristorante's in downtown Los Angeles. The McGee’s hosted the dinner and, of course, provided the wine. Helen, Andy’s mom, works in the wine industry, currently at Gloria Ferrer Vineyards in Sonoma, and she never visits the kids without bringing wine (usually by the case), as she did Friday night.

Macherroni Republic rehearsal dinner, Jana and Andy

Saturday was spent readying for the wedding, pictures mid-day and the ceremony late afternoon. The venue for the wedding was at Redbird, an upscale restaurant in downtown Los Angeles located within one of the city’s most historic buildings, formerly the Vibiana Cathedral. The event was held outdoors in The Garden, a long rectangular area nestled between the former rectory and library. As its name suggests it is home to several raised beds for growing vegetables and herbs used in the restaurant and lined with olive trees. The Garden was enchanting, especially at dusk with the long dining table and twinkling lights strung from the olive trees. Service was impeccable and, as expected, the food was not the typical wedding fare, but fine dining at its best. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Wedding dinner in The Garden, Redbird

Jana had arranged for a bagpiper during the ceremony to set the mood and honor Andy and his family’s Scottish heritage. I was prepared for something loud and obnoxious after listening to several on YouTube, but was pleasantly surprised as the musician played during the wedding processional, Scotland the Brave and Flower of Scotland. Jana walked to the latter and looked radiant. Her two-piece gown, a satin skirt with a short cropped top of lace, was simple, but elegant. Andy was in full Scottish attire as was his dad, Allen, his groomsmen, and a few other guests. Jana’s best friend from law school, Nicole, officiated the wedding, her words personal, instructive, encouraging and full of warmth and love that comes from a long, close friendship. The bride and groom shared their vows and were pronounced man and wife. Thirty minutes at most after four months of dealing with the endless decisions and details of planning a wedding and Jana and Andy were married. Officially Jandy!

The following is a poem Lauren wrote for the beautiful couple and shared with guests at the wedding Saturday night. What a talented daughter!

A Stellar Collision

For Jana & Andy

We are born One,

Our tether to another abruptly severed.

We are alone.

A single star in a sea of black, pushed ever onward, outward.

We travel alone.

And it is that moment, the moment we are born, when

We begin seeking.

Seeking that ineffable link to another where one and one are more --

Oneness.

We form a gravity.

Pull others in, gather them round and keep them close -- family, friends.

We hold them in orbit.

One and one and one and one and one, together, yet each still One.

We travel together.

No longer so lonely, we hope one day to find that perfect match, to coalesce --

We continue seeking.

Until One and One come together (fate, chance, choice), a stellar collision.

Oneness.

The weekend provided a wonderful opportunity for a family reunion with all of Jana’s siblings (older brothers Scott and Jeff, older sisters Lara and Raelin, and younger sister and bridesmaid Lauren) in attendance. When not directly involved with preparations for the wedding, Verne and I were able to spend time with Jeff and his family who arrived early Friday morning. We headed for the Grand Central Market, a destination that offers something for everyone. We sat outside and all enjoyed the diverse food offered at the market (next time a Filipino rice bowl is a must), the sunshine and warm weather (we’d all left temperatures in the 40s), and time together catching up. Jeff tries to include at least one West Coast business trip each year and extends it to include a weekend with us in Volcano, but it has become a rare opportunity that we get to see Trish and the boys, so this was a bonus to our weekend in SoCal. Our Friday morning visit included a ride on the newly restored Angel’s Flight. Not a big deal for the McKenzies, but Verne and I have wanted to experience Angel’s Flight since it reopened. It has a special significance to us as we are Michael Connelly fans and have read his book Angel’s Flight more than once over the years. Also, back in Verne’s Price Waterhouse days, he worked in LA and occasionally used Angel’s Flight. So, for $1 we climbed aboard and road the landmark railway to the top of the hill, walked around a bit enjoying the view, and returned back down the hill for another $1. We loved it! We will not be visiting Jandy in the future without riding Angel’s Flight.

Angels Flight, the McKenzie Family

Click on the following link (mosergoodeats.blogspot.com) at a later date to see more of the wedding photos.