Tegan and Patrick's wedding

This past weekend, I went up to the Bay Area and Napa for Tegan and Patrick's wedding. I took an extra day off to hang out with Mei on Friday. Friday night I borrowed one of Mei's cars and drove up to SF for dinner with Annette and Deborah and their respective spouses. We ate at Fish & Farm which was terrific, very fresh food, and located just down the street from where Annette and Toshi live. Turns out they (A & D) have a lot in common! After a wonderful dinner, I drove up to Napa where I had a room booked at Hillview Country Inn. Good thing I had my GPS with me, because it was pitch black when I got there and the turn off to the Inn is not lighted! This turned out to be a wonderful place to stay. I had a spacious room, my own bathroom, delicious hearty breakfasts and Al and Suzie, the proprietors, were terrific company and wonderfully helpful with local tourist info. The other guests were fun to chat with over breakfast.

The wedding was at a grape ranch which grows grapes for Caymus winery. Tegan and Patrick completely planned and designed their own wedding in every detail. The entire ceremony and vows were completely personal and Patrick even serenaded Tegan at the beginning of the official proceedings! They planned a treasure hunt to help the guests mingle and meet, and then rewarded us with oysters, caviar and champagne! Instead of the traditional cake, there was a cupcake tower. Because Patrick is a musician, there was a lot of live music as several of his past bands reunited over the course of the afternoon. And for the getaway car, they borrowed a 1959 Caddy, cherry red with original black leather interior! The weather cooperated and provided a warm and sunny afternoon. This has to be one of the most relaxing weddings I've been to and I think a lot of that is attributed to the vibe that Tegan and Patrick created.