I'm back. Sorry to keep you all in suspense for the past few days, but like i said on my main page, work has been really hectic and i've been so swamped. (I guess that's why it's called work *duh*). Anyways, back to the story.

We walk back down the aisle, and then proceed to take pictures. A LOT of pictures. Man i think any possible combination of groom / bride / groomsmen / bridesmaids / sponsors / parents ...we took. We also took some cool pics outside with our Navigator. We tried to get Big Moe in some of em, but he was camera-shy. Kinda funny how a big dude like that is camera shy.

So we pile back into our ride and head off to NYC to the reception. TRAFFIC AGAIN on the way to the holland tunnel. We finally get into the tunnel, and theres a big traffic jam INSIDE. Strangely enough, the car seeming to cause the traffic jam looks just like the bridesmaid's limo. (can you tell where this is heading?) We get closer and see that IT IS the bridesmaid's limo. A Mercedes S-Class stretch limo. Stopped dead in the middle of the tunnel.

The best man Randy, being the macho-pacho guy that he is, gets out of our car, walks inside the tunnel to the limo. Next thing I know, I see bridesmaids jumping out of the limo, running inside the tunnel, dresses flying, flowers in hand - to my girlfriend's car (who just happened to be near us). Classic moment. I wish i had my camera. Just at the moment that the girls piled into the car, we see a tunnel "employee" yelling at us to get inside the cars "NOW" (as he put it).

So again, we're off to the reception. We find out from the one lone bridesmaid that rode in our car that their limo overheated and died on them. Some Mercedes-Benz that is. It was probably a Nercedes-Denz. She also told us that the AC wasn't working (so how could it overheat?) and they had warm champagne because the fridge or something wasn't working either. *shakes head*...if everyone just rode w/Big Moe, everything would be fine.

We get to the reception with about 15 minutes left at cocktail hour. DAMN! No free drinks for me i guess? Everyone is outside, eating some hors 'de oveurs, with their drinks in hand. We wait a while...for some reason the bride and groom haven't arrived yet. They finally show up, and we rush to line up to do the "introduction" thingy. Everyone is seated. By this time, all the bridesmaids have had a drink or two, and the 2 best men were straight buzzing already. (i guess they pounded back some scotch when i wasn't lookin?). They do the introduction, blah blah...it was pretty nice when they introduced *drum roll* "...for the first time as husband and wife..Mr. and Mrs. R. David Rebanal!".

We get seated, and it's time for the best man to give his toast. Uh-oh. I think i feel the tears comin' on... Anyways, Randy B. and Randy (Dave's brother) gets up, and they ask all the groomsmen to get up there w/them. Uh-oh. I'm gonna be crying in front of everyone? DAMN!

Dave's brother starts his speech...and it starts out pretty funny. (i'm thinkin..okay. cool. jokes. i can deal with jokes!). Then he just starts droppin bombs. He talks about how they opened their hearts and homes to him (no more jokes =( ) He starts getting choked up and has to stop speaking. I'm standing directly across from his father's table and i see his father crying. Man. Toughness again. I do my (customary by now) looking at the floor routine so that i dont start bawling in front of all these ppl. Phew. I did let a few tears get by however...*shhh*.

Next the other best man gets up to do his speech, and this one is good. Really good. I think he's been rehearsing this since he found out he was gonna be best man. aahahah Good stories about Dave and Olivia. It kinda got tough there at the end so i hadda do my floor look again. Randy B.'s brother Riel was standing next to me and didn't make it easier...he whispers to me "man i think im gonna cry" (i think he was buzzin also). *sigh* Nice toast, speeches are over...on to the fun stuff!

The food was pretty bomb. We had some risotto, fish (i think?), and duck. Wished the servings could be a little bigger, but then again servings in nice fancy-schmancy places are usually small. (mental note to self...go to white castle after this and pick up a sack of 10) FYI...The reception was held at this place called Bouterin in New York City. It's a French restaurant, but what Dave and Olivia wanted was that it was small and intimate. Very country-ish theme. Lots of fresh flowers and antiques in the decor. It was pretty nice. Oh yeah. Free wine and champagne all night. I think our girlfriends (at their own table) took advantage of this. Actually i'm SURE they did. I have pictures of flushed faces and chinky-fied eyes to prove it.

Damn. Tear flowin again. Time for the bride to do her last dance with her father. WHOOOOO...i think all the eyes in the house were teary on that one. And just when you think it can't get any worse, the groom dances with his mom one last time. DAMN. I'm really staring at that floor hella hard right about now. I guess the groom dance was particularly hard for me because i'm so close to the groom's family and especially his mom. I also couldn't help thinking of myself and my mother at that moment. Crazy emotional.

The night goes on, and it's pretty cool. Everyone is having a good time. The bride's mother and groom's father sing a duet together. The newlyweds do the "money dance" thing where people pin money on the bride and groom (kinda like a gift) to dance w/them. I swear i saw a $100 bill on Olivia's dress. Us groomsmen all danced w/Dave and Olivia together. So that was pretty cool. All four of us at the same time. There was also the customary "electric slide" and line dancing that all of our filipino mothers know and love. =D

The bride and groom leave around 11:30pm...the best men chipped in for a room at the millenium hilton for them - honeymoon suite.

Hmmmn. 11:30. This leaves about 30 minutes before the reception ends. Party time. (Dave and O - too bad you guys had to miss this!) We decide to take my cd's and pop one in (for the young folks, yanno?). Once Sisqo's "Thong Song Remix" comes on, its over. Everyone jumps on the dance floor, and they're all singing and shaking their asses. Funny. Oh and remember how i told you our girlfriends were enjoying the wine? Couldn't have been more evident than at this moment. All of them were dancing together, cheering, smiling, shaking their bon-bon's (or whatever Ricky Martin says). ahahahah.

Around 11:45pm, we decide to change it up and put in some reggae. Oh man. Crazy. People were going off. I was just thinkin: "DAMN. They are really feeling this music right now." I just kept seeing flushed faces moving around me. ahahahah. Just when I think it's over, they want one more song. I can't for the life of me remember what the song list was on my CD, so i told them to just play song 1. Turns out that it's Eve's "What Cha Niggaz Want"...again, another crowd fave that for some reason everyone knew the chorus to. "...Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Equador, etc..."

Okay. 12 midnight. Party's over. "Ya don't gotta to go home, but you gotz to get the hell outta here!" *sigh* My long day has ended. Good day though. I saw my friend get married today, had some adventure that you would never think happen (limos/tunnels/rings/etc), i cried, i drank, i danced...all in all a pretty memorable day. Actually a pretty memorable week. I know that the events of this week will remain with me for the rest of my life. These are memories that will make you crack a smile anywhere, anytime...even 30 years from now.

Congratulations Dave and Olivia. I wish you two the best of luck in your lives together. May God bless you and your new family.

THE END