A Piradical Wedding
(By Hunter)
Recently I was in Los Angeles for my excellent friend Steve Jacobi’s wedding to the lovely and very talented photographer Kate Turning. This trip also included a nice 5 day jaunt down to Mexico with Steve and Mark Rogers for the bachelor party/surf trip.
First the Mexico trip: 3 guys in Cabo San Lucas for a bachelor party…need I say more? Am I allowed to say more? Should I share the pictures here, or save them for extortion later? I have a PayPal account, so perhaps an online bidding war might best determine if these pictures “go away” or become public property. (All bids are to be in US dollars – I don’t want any pesos or these lightweight Aussie “dollars”.) Don’t you want to know the story about Eva the sheep, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and the Mexican wrestler’s mask?
Truth be told, there was far more surfing than partying. Unless you count a cold beer or two by the pool after a long day of surfing as “partying”…if that’s the case, then I think we were out-partied by some/all of the Moms who were staying nearby. We actually never even went into Cabo San Lucas. Instead we preferred the less-gringo town of San Jose del Cabo, where we scored some outrageously good Mexican food. Good mellow times…and that’s the official story, Kate, at least until you out-bid Steve’s measly hush money.
The surfing was great. Each day we drove a fair ways down dirt roads, out to (undisclosed spot), where head-high waves peeled with precision down a right point. Nobody else out in the lineup, much of the time. Each afternoon we returned past Zippers, The Rock, and other well known surf spots to find them smaller and crowded. Even better, Steve and Kate just bought a piece of property overlooking that great pointbreak – Mark and I are salivating over the prospect of the future guest rooms.
Back in Los Angeles, wedding preparations and rehearsals and social gatherings filled the days leading up to the wedding. It was great to see Steve’s family again after all these years – they all look terrific, and by all accounts were doing well. Other friends old and recent were also in attendance and all were in excellent spirits.
The wedding ceremony and reception was held on the Queen Mary – the elegant and historic Art Deco cruise ship from the 1940’s that now resides permanently in Long Beach. A beautiful setting for this unique and sensational wedding.
No matter my attempts at description, I don’t think I’ll be able to do justice to this wedding event. A seriously fun and entertaining production, it does not fit into any kind of traditional wedding mold. Some highlights follow, but the total experience was something that defies mere description, yet somehow perfectly embodied the unique spirits of Steve and Kate.
The wedding took on a masquerade theme in the style of the Venetian Carnivale – elaborate period costumes were worn by not only the wedding party, but by almost every guest in attendance. The groom and groomsmen (of which I was one) all wore a pirate theme, complete with swords and tricorn hats. Even though Mark’s costume had come from the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, even it paled in comparison to the black and silver custom-tailored ensemble worn by Steve, complete with Kaiser Wilhelm’s epaulets.
The bride’s maids were beautiful in the wide skirts, laced bodices, piled hair and powder of Venetian noble women, but when Kate appeared all light seemed to radiate from her direction.
The ceremony took place on the back deck of the ship, with the setting sun as the backdrop. A professional dancer wearing a mask, Himalayan singing bowls and bells, and a touching exchange of vows set this ceremony apart.
The reception was at least as theatrical, and took place in the ship’s beautiful wood carved art deco ballroom. The costumes of those in attendance were entertainment enough, but in addition there were professional clowns (more of the Cirque de Sole mold than the Bozo mold) on stilts and balls, go-go dancers in Marie Antoinette wigs, and stuntmen engaging in a sword fight.
The reception raged in full swing until the ballroom staff kicked us out, upon which it moved to the bar at the front of the ship until the bar kicked us out, upon which it moved to the large suite that the bride and groom had rented onboard. As we all had accommodation on board the boat as well, it was convenient to drag my tired pirate self off to bed when it seemed prudent. Others, I hear, stayed on well past the point of prudence…
My photos are almost non-existent, as I was both in the wedding and also without pockets. Professional photographers were on hand, as well as posed portraits for all in attendance. I look forward to seeing these images, and hope to be able to share them with you if I can get my hands on them.
Other random highlights:
Meeting an actual Ninja Turtle – the actor who plays “Raphael” was in attendance.
Seeing Steve’s dad riding the clown’s tricycle.
Meeting numerous fun and interesting people – Daniel the villainous tailor, Janelle the geisha assassin, Richie the purple potter pirate, and many many more.
Getting stopped in Australian Customs and questioned about the sword in my luggage.
Thanks for all the fun and excitement Steve and Kate! Hope you are able to get some much deserved rest, finally.
Recently I was in Los Angeles for my excellent friend Steve Jacobi’s wedding to the lovely and very talented photographer Kate Turning. This trip also included a nice 5 day jaunt down to Mexico with Steve and Mark Rogers for the bachelor party/surf trip.
First the Mexico trip: 3 guys in Cabo San Lucas for a bachelor party…need I say more? Am I allowed to say more? Should I share the pictures here, or save them for extortion later? I have a PayPal account, so perhaps an online bidding war might best determine if these pictures “go away” or become public property. (All bids are to be in US dollars – I don’t want any pesos or these lightweight Aussie “dollars”.) Don’t you want to know the story about Eva the sheep, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and the Mexican wrestler’s mask?
Truth be told, there was far more surfing than partying. Unless you count a cold beer or two by the pool after a long day of surfing as “partying”…if that’s the case, then I think we were out-partied by some/all of the Moms who were staying nearby. We actually never even went into Cabo San Lucas. Instead we preferred the less-gringo town of San Jose del Cabo, where we scored some outrageously good Mexican food. Good mellow times…and that’s the official story, Kate, at least until you out-bid Steve’s measly hush money.
The surfing was great. Each day we drove a fair ways down dirt roads, out to (undisclosed spot), where head-high waves peeled with precision down a right point. Nobody else out in the lineup, much of the time. Each afternoon we returned past Zippers, The Rock, and other well known surf spots to find them smaller and crowded. Even better, Steve and Kate just bought a piece of property overlooking that great pointbreak – Mark and I are salivating over the prospect of the future guest rooms.
Back in Los Angeles, wedding preparations and rehearsals and social gatherings filled the days leading up to the wedding. It was great to see Steve’s family again after all these years – they all look terrific, and by all accounts were doing well. Other friends old and recent were also in attendance and all were in excellent spirits.
The wedding ceremony and reception was held on the Queen Mary – the elegant and historic Art Deco cruise ship from the 1940’s that now resides permanently in Long Beach. A beautiful setting for this unique and sensational wedding.
No matter my attempts at description, I don’t think I’ll be able to do justice to this wedding event. A seriously fun and entertaining production, it does not fit into any kind of traditional wedding mold. Some highlights follow, but the total experience was something that defies mere description, yet somehow perfectly embodied the unique spirits of Steve and Kate.
The wedding took on a masquerade theme in the style of the Venetian Carnivale – elaborate period costumes were worn by not only the wedding party, but by almost every guest in attendance. The groom and groomsmen (of which I was one) all wore a pirate theme, complete with swords and tricorn hats. Even though Mark’s costume had come from the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, even it paled in comparison to the black and silver custom-tailored ensemble worn by Steve, complete with Kaiser Wilhelm’s epaulets.
The bride’s maids were beautiful in the wide skirts, laced bodices, piled hair and powder of Venetian noble women, but when Kate appeared all light seemed to radiate from her direction.
The ceremony took place on the back deck of the ship, with the setting sun as the backdrop. A professional dancer wearing a mask, Himalayan singing bowls and bells, and a touching exchange of vows set this ceremony apart.
The reception was at least as theatrical, and took place in the ship’s beautiful wood carved art deco ballroom. The costumes of those in attendance were entertainment enough, but in addition there were professional clowns (more of the Cirque de Sole mold than the Bozo mold) on stilts and balls, go-go dancers in Marie Antoinette wigs, and stuntmen engaging in a sword fight.
The reception raged in full swing until the ballroom staff kicked us out, upon which it moved to the bar at the front of the ship until the bar kicked us out, upon which it moved to the large suite that the bride and groom had rented onboard. As we all had accommodation on board the boat as well, it was convenient to drag my tired pirate self off to bed when it seemed prudent. Others, I hear, stayed on well past the point of prudence…
My photos are almost non-existent, as I was both in the wedding and also without pockets. Professional photographers were on hand, as well as posed portraits for all in attendance. I look forward to seeing these images, and hope to be able to share them with you if I can get my hands on them.
Other random highlights:
Meeting an actual Ninja Turtle – the actor who plays “Raphael” was in attendance.
Seeing Steve’s dad riding the clown’s tricycle.
Meeting numerous fun and interesting people – Daniel the villainous tailor, Janelle the geisha assassin, Richie the purple potter pirate, and many many more.
Getting stopped in Australian Customs and questioned about the sword in my luggage.
Thanks for all the fun and excitement Steve and Kate! Hope you are able to get some much deserved rest, finally.
posted by Hunter Williams at 12:46 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home