Michael and I had been looking forward to Mike & Moira’s wedding for a long time. They are dear friends and Culhane’s godparents, so it was very special to be there for their big day and share in the celebration of their love and joy.

We packed up and headed to the airport Wednesday night (Feb 19) so that we would get in on Thursday in plenty of time to get settled and be ready to participate in all wedding festivities. Culhane had been particularly difficult and fussy in the days leading up to the trip and I was pretty sure that he was teething — the timing was right and all of the symptoms were there (although he never got a fever or anything) — but you never know for sure if that’s what’s happening because most of the pain occurs while the teeth are moving up – before they necessarily break through the gums and you can see them. Anyway, due to all of this I was nervous about the flights, and sure enough our overnight flight was BRUTAL. Colt was never able to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time and I think that of the 10 hours, he was probably upset or crying for 7 of them. Thankfully the flight was pretty empty so I was never feeling too guilty for the sake of the other passengers (plus I’m pretty over that at this point). We’ve had so many easy flights in the past though that I guess we were due for a bad one — unlucky #17. We flew through DC and Culhane was the only one smiling when we got there. We had a quick stop and then took to our second flight where, thankfully, he slept for the first 3 hours and then was pretty easy the last couple. Also we were able to bring our carseat onto both flights which was huge.

Even though our second flight had been better, when we landed in San Francisco Michael and I both felt (and looked) like we had just been run over. But, as we drove into San Francisco it felt so amazing to be back in our favorite city so we rallied and decided to go directly to our favorite brunch spot near our old apartment — Serpentine.

Colt gave us a break and slept through our brunch and after the amazing food and coffee, we felt refreshed and reenergized. After brunch we drove around our old neighborhood and marveled at all of the new construction in the area. Then we drove down the Embarcadero, past the Ferry Building, and finally up to the Presidio where we checked in at the fabulous Inn at the Presidio. We got settled and then cozied up at the Inn’s patio / fire-pit for some delish wine & cheese with the bride, groom and some friends.

The next morning Colt was excited to make lots of new friends and also see his Nana & Papa Harper who flew in for the weekend to help!

Jon Lennon – an unexpected natural.The guys spent most of Friday on the golf course enjoying the beautiful weather.
The Rehearsal Dinner Friday night was held at Park Tavern and Mike & Mo even had caipirinhas on the menu! After an evening of great food and lovely toasts to the happy couple, we went out for more fun and drinks at Savoy Tivoli.On Saturday — the morning of the big day — we awoke to Culhane’s first tooth popping through! We had been pretty confident that he was teething and started to see white on Friday, but Saturday is the day that it finally came through!

That morning, Michael and his dad took off early to set up the “Best Man Bar at Baker Beach” for the “Baker Beach Bro Bomb with the Bridegroom.” Although the water was, of course, freezing for the plunge, the day was about as beautiful as it could have been and the guys had a great time being idiots.  Saturday evening we all gathered at the Chapel of our Lady for an absolutely beautiful wedding ceremony. I wish I could say that I totally enjoyed it, but I was actually pretty nervous the whole time as Mike & Moira had kindly decided to have Culhane act as the Ring Bearer. Originally this was to be in-writing only and he wasn’t even going to go to the service, but Moira decided that it would be fun to have him come up during the blessing of the rings. I thought that it was an adorable idea but of course I was terrified that he would scream and I would have the baby who ruined the wedding. Thankfully Mike and Moira are pretty laid back and Culhane was pretty good so we all survived. And Colt loved showing off the tuxedo that his godparents had given him!
The beautiful, happy couple!
After the wedding, an awesome bag-piper led the guests from the ceremony to the reception at the Golden Gate Club.
The dinner was delicious and the reception was tons of fun, but Michael (and I) couldn’t fully enjoy it until after dessert when he gave his Best Man toast. He captivated the crowd for a solid 12 1/2 minutes, recounting funny memories and sharing his adoration for Mike & Mo.  Once that was over, we loosened up a little and reeeally started to enjoy the party.  I don’t have any pictures of the after-party at the bowling alley but suffice it to say that the night and the entire weekend was perfect. Thank you for including us!!

Up Next: Part 2 of our trip – SF, Campbell and Napa!