The Wonderful Washington Wedding Weekend

I’m exhausted, I have laryngitis, I don’t want to see my credit card statement next month. I’ve come back home from the Wonderful Washington Wedding Weekend. I had a spectacular time with my college buddies — much more enjoyable than our last occasion, which was the memorial service for our friend Doug.

Now here’s something really bizarre. Every day since September 11, the New York Times has been publishing short profiles of people who died in the attacks — a photograph and a few paragraphs that illustrate that person’s life. They run about 15 profiles a day. I’ve been checking the page every day, waiting for Doug’s profile to appear. Wouldn’t you know it? They ran it today — the day after the wedding, a day when he was supposed to be with us.

I wish he could have been there. It was a terrific weekend. The bride’s parents, who are loaded, threw one hell of an affair at the Four Seasons Hotel on Saturday night, followed by a big brunch this morning (much appreciated by those of us with hangovers).

Places attended: J. Paul’s restaurant on M Street, for a post-rehearsal-dinner gathering on Friday night. Madam’s Organ, a bar in the Adams-Morgan District (get it?), for the subsequent bachelor party, sans stripper. The Latham Hotel, where we stayed. The aforementioned Four Seasons Hotel for the wedding on Saturday night. The Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL), for the post-reception partying (sans bride and groom). Back to the Four Seasons this morning for brunch.

Highlights: the groom booted in the cab after the bachelor party. (It’s a good thing the wedding wasn’t until the following evening.) The groom’s sister hit on my lesbian friend CanadaGirl. Four of us played a legendary game of spades on Saturday afternoon, in which my spades partner and I went down 200 points in one round because my partner broke his nil bid and I failed to make my own bid. (If there are four of us in a room, there’s guaranteed to be a game of spades going.) While playing, we watched the dreadful first half of the annual UVA-Virginia Tech game on ESPN (31-0 at the end of the half).

The ceremony and reception on Saturday night were black-tie-optional, so I wore a tux. I must say, I looked mighty fine. I can’t wait to see the pictures. The band was spectacular and the crowd was wonderfully energetic. CanadaGirl and I danced our way across the dance floor and had a blast. I can’t remember the last time I’d danced.

During the cocktail hour, a few of us learned that one of the guests was an old fishing buddy of the bride’s father who had had a sex change operation and was now a woman. While some of the gang tried in vain to figure out which guest it was, CanadaGirl and I spotted her right away — independently of each other. It was classic. Leave it to the gays to spot these things.

I learned that if I have a Cosmopolitan, a glass of champagne, a glass of red wine, a glass of white wine, another glass of champagne, a glass of Cognac, and a Crown Royal and ginger ale, I can get a really nice buzz going — as long as they’re consumed over a six-hour period.

So it was a great weekend. I’ve decided I love D.C. Even though I went to school only two hours away from ithe place, I never really got to know it well. But it may well be my second favorite American city after New York. I wouldn’t mind living there some day.

And the boys in Georgetown are cute!

I love this group of friends I have. They are the funniest, wittiest, smartest group of people I know. I laughed more this weekend than I’d laughed in months. That always happens when I’m with them. Damn — we sure know how to have a good time. The memorial service a few weeks ago was very depressing, of course, so it was nice to be able to get together for a happy occasion this time. It was reassuring; it reminded me that while we don’t know what life will bring us, there will continue to be occasions for great celebration.

With Thanksgiving approaching, it’s good to be reminded of things like that — and of friends like these.