i keep a diary

October 16, 2009

The Wedding Party

When Meredith and I opted to elope, we found out we had inadvertently messed with Joann's plan to throw us a MEGA-RECEPTION! Not wanting to deprive her mom of party-planning paradise, Meredith told her mom to plan whatever party her heart desired and we'd be happy to attend just as long as neither of us had to be involved in any of the planning (Meredith is a genius!). Joann's eyes lit up, "So I can just plan the party and make all the decisions and then you'll come?" Mer was like "Yep, I'll even let you pick out my dress!" Everybody wins! Wooooo!

Two days before the party, Meredith's mom telephoned, "They're calling for snow and ten out-of-towners have cancelled last-minute! Can you get 10 friends that would be able to RSVP in the next two hours?" We immediately sent out the following email to a few friends we knew were in town:

Dear Friends,

Meredith's parents are throwing us a wedding party this Saturday night at the University Club. We just heard from Meredith's mom last night that 10 people that RSVPed to the party canceled last minute. So if you think it would be fun to get dressed up, come to the fancy University Club (on the Upper East Side) this Saturday night, eat a nice dinner, and see us get announced as Mr & Mrs Battjer in front of our families (and a lot of our parent's friends!) please let me know no later than 6pm tonight!

cancelled Sarah Lewitinn will be there DJing the party so there will be good music to dance to!

Xoxox,
Brian & Meredith

Friday, October 16th

chuck, sue s
On the Friday night before the party, Meredith's mom organized ANOTHER party! It was an awesome fancy dinner at the restaurant at the MOMA. It gave us a chance to spend extra time with some of the friends and family that had traveled into town from far away. Here's a bunch of dinner guests headed up to dinner!
elevator ˆ chuck ˆ sue s
me, meredith
Mer and me at dinner.
dressed up ˆ us ˆ me ˆ meredith
chuck, meredith
Mer and her dad outside the MOMA after dinner.
best ˆ chuck ˆ meredith
dad, me, mom
We walked my parents from the MOMA over to their hotel a few blocks away.
hotel ˆ dad ˆ me ˆ mom
me, meredith
See you all dressed up again tomorrow!
dressed up ˆ us ˆ me ˆ meredith

Saturday, October 17th

meredith
We left our apartment a little after six thirty...
elevator ˆ meredith
hank, marina, meredith, scott m
...and made it to the (super fancy) University Club a little after seven. Cocktail hour! Originally, this party was going to be just our family and family friends, but due to 10 last minute cancellations, we had 10 FRIENDS there! Yay!
hank ˆ marina ˆ meredith ˆ scott m
amanda, ellen, mandy, matt
Matt, Mandy, Ellen and Amanda!
best ˆ dressed up ˆ amanda ˆ ellen ˆ mandy ˆ matt
chuck, dad
Our two dads!
chuck ˆ dad
ellen, matt, sarah
Ellen, Matt and Sarah.
ellen ˆ matt ˆ sarah
me, meredith
Me and Mer (we both ended up getting sooooo drunk).
best ˆ dressed up ˆ us ˆ me ˆ meredith
me, meredith
Hahaha. Yep, on our way.
best ˆ drunk ˆ us ˆ me ˆ meredith
me, meredith
So natural and relaxed!
us ˆ me ˆ meredith
cooper, joann, sue s
Meredith's nephew Cooper was playing with the drummer on tempo!
drums ˆ cooper ˆ joann ˆ sue s
cooper
A-dorable.
drums ˆ cooper
amanda, ellen, fatty, leigh, mandy, marina, sarah, scott m
Yay! Let's hear it for all the last minute cancellations that led to a this table of awesomeness!
thumbs up ˆ amanda ˆ ellen ˆ fatty ˆ leigh ˆ mandy ˆ marina ˆ sarah ˆ scott m
amanda, fatty, hank, mandy, marina, matt
Thanks for coming out on such short notice every one!
amanda ˆ fatty ˆ hank ˆ mandy ˆ marina ˆ matt
joann
Thanks to Joann for putting together such an amazing party in our honor! We really appreciated the party and we had a wonderful time!
crowd ˆ joann
chuck, dad
Chuck congratulated us and thanked everyone for coming.
speech ˆ chuck ˆ dad
grandma, me
Me and grandma!
best ˆ grandma ˆ me
ellen, leigh, scott m
Winky Scott, Leigh and Ellen.
ellen ˆ leigh ˆ scott m
andrew s, chuck, dad, grandma, meredith, mom, mrs stoddard, sue s
Our table at the party!
family ˆ andrew s ˆ chuck ˆ dad ˆ grandma ˆ meredith ˆ mom ˆ mrs stoddard ˆ sue s
me, meredith
We got to have a "first dance" and everthing.
dance ˆ us ˆ me ˆ meredith
me, meredith
Meredith chose Tous les garcons et les filles by Francoise Hardy (All the boys and girls)
dance ˆ us ˆ me ˆ meredith
hank, meredith
Hank and Mer.
hank ˆ meredith
ellen, mandy, matt
Ellen, Mandy, Matt and Missy.
wave ˆ ellen ˆ mandy ˆ matt
sarah
Sarah was hired as the DJ for the night so she was going to be our one friend that we were planning on hanging out with all night! But because of the last minute cancellations...
sarah
leigh, sarah, scott m
...we ended up with an ALL-STAR party crew! I love this photo.
best ˆ dj ˆ laptop ˆ leigh ˆ sarah ˆ scott m
After dinner dancing!
dance ˆ party
chad, dad, me
Me, dad and cousin Chad!
dressed up ˆ chad ˆ dad ˆ me
joann, leigh
Leigh, Joann and some of Joann's friends.
joann ˆ leigh
dave l, ellen, leigh, matt, meredith
(Scott, Mr. Little!) Leigh, Ellen & Mer.
dave l ˆ ellen ˆ leigh ˆ matt ˆ meredith
aunt sue, meredith
Sue and Mer.
aunt sue ˆ meredith
ellen, fatty, gary chanowich, marina
Ellen, Gary, Marina are laughing at me hoisted up in a chair during Hava Nagila (you can see my shoe in the bottom of the frame).
hava nagila ˆ ellen ˆ fatty ˆ gary chanowich ˆ marina
dave l, ellen, gary chanowich, kathy chanowich
A couple of minutes later, Meredith was up in the chair for Hava Nagila...
hava nagila ˆ laugh ˆ dave l ˆ ellen ˆ gary chanowich ˆ kathy chanowich
chad, jay
...and based on Chad's face, it looks like things are about to go awry!
hava nagila ˆ chad ˆ jay
chuck, leigh, meredith, steve b
Yep, they dropped my wife! Action shot of Mer on her way down! (Steve's face is priceless.)
best ˆ fall ˆ hava nagila ˆ chuck ˆ leigh ˆ meredith ˆ steve b
amanda, marina, meredith
Quick recovery...
fall ˆ amanda ˆ marina ˆ meredith
jay, meredith
...back up on the chair like nothing happened!
hava nagila ˆ jay ˆ meredith
fatty
Haha.
excited ˆ fatty
meredith, rachel b
Back on the dance floor with no harm done! Keeps a licking and keeps on ticking!
meredith ˆ rachel b
chad, grandma
Chad and G-ma on the dance floor!
dressed up ˆ chad ˆ grandma
brittany, drew, jay, katie m
My cousins Drew and Jay and their wives Brittany and Katie!
brittany ˆ drew ˆ jay ˆ katie m
brittany, chad, drew, hank, jay, katie m, kristi, me, meredith, mom, steve b
Awesome family photo! Jay, Brittany, Katie, Drew, Mom, Chad, me, Steve, Kristie, Mer and Hank!
dressed up ˆ family ˆ brittany ˆ chad ˆ drew ˆ hank ˆ jay ˆ katie m ˆ kristi ˆ me ˆ meredith ˆ mom ˆ steve b
amanda, marina, me
Amanda, Marina, and Fatty (get a load of this guy-ing me!)
dressed up ˆ get a load of this guy ˆ amanda ˆ marina ˆ me
leigh, sarah
YMCA?
YMCA ˆ dance ˆ dj ˆ laptop ˆ leigh ˆ sarah
brittany, chad, dad, drew, hank, katie m, kristi, me, meredith, mom, steve b
My hammy-family all cramming together for another awesome group shot.
family ˆ brittany ˆ chad ˆ dad ˆ drew ˆ hank ˆ katie m ˆ kristi ˆ me ˆ meredith ˆ mom ˆ steve b
fatty, marina
Marina and The Fatty Dave!
fatty ˆ marina
hank, meredith
Meredith and Hank!
hank ˆ meredith
amanda, fatty, marina, me
Amanda, Marina, Dave and me.
amanda ˆ fatty ˆ marina ˆ me
brittany, drew, jay, katie m
The Mehtas!
brittany ˆ drew ˆ jay ˆ katie m
drew, katie m
Drew & Katie. (Everyone wanted to pose in front of the massive, carved-marble fireplace!)
drew ˆ katie m
gary chanowich, kathy chanowich
The Chanowichs! Kathy & Gary were our neighbors growing up!
gary chanowich ˆ kathy chanowich
aunt elaine, chad, jess c, uncle wayne
The Carricks! All of these photos were taken in the lobby during a mass exodus right at 11pm.
family ˆ aunt elaine ˆ chad ˆ jess c ˆ uncle wayne
If not for our last-minute guests, the party would've definitely been over! We had the dance floor for another whole hour.
best ˆ dance ˆ party
ellen, leigh, meredith, sarah
Ellen and Mer! (If you look in the background, you can see Sarah and Leigh busy queuing up a POWER HOUR!)
ellen ˆ leigh ˆ meredith ˆ sarah
mandy, me
Mandy and me!
mandy ˆ me
elyse, fatty, kristi, marina
Mer, Kristi, Elyse, Dave and Marina on the dance floor.
dance ˆ elyse ˆ fatty ˆ kristi ˆ marina
hank
Not sure what song they picked as the big lead off, but whatever it was it sure got Hank's attention!
dance ˆ hank
fatty, marina
Awww.
kiss ˆ fatty ˆ marina
meredith
Mer's moves! (PS - Still drinking double-scotches!)
best ˆ dance ˆ scotch ˆ meredith
matt, me
Me and Matt!
best ˆ dressed up ˆ matt ˆ me
me, uncle bruce
Uncle Bruce!
me ˆ uncle bruce
leigh, me
Leigh!
best ˆ leigh ˆ me
dad, elyse, me, mom, uncle bruce
Uncle Bruce, dad, mom & Elyse!
family ˆ dad ˆ elyse ˆ me ˆ mom ˆ uncle bruce
me, scott
All growsed up.
best ˆ me ˆ scott
The only thing that my dad likes better than pretty ladies are pretty ladies who sneak outside with him and smoke sneaky cigarettes! Between this bad one...
...and this bad one, he was in heaven! Wait, why is he hiding his cigarette all sneaky in this photo?
me, mom
Oh, it's because my mom must've walked out! Hahah.
best ˆ me ˆ mom
dad, me
Love this guy.
best ˆ dad ˆ me
sarah
DJ Ultrapout.
dj ˆ sarah
chuck, hank, meredith
Mer, Chuck and Hank!
dance ˆ chuck ˆ hank ˆ meredith
sarah
What do you have planned for us, DJ Adorable?
dj ˆ sarah
fatty, me, meredith, rachel b, scott m
When a circle forms around you on the dance floor, it can only mean one thing...DANCE OFF!
dance ˆ dance off ˆ fatty ˆ me ˆ meredith ˆ rachel b ˆ scott m
me, meredith
Me vs. Mer!
best ˆ dance ˆ us ˆ me ˆ meredith
ellen, matt, scott m
Scott attacked Matt with a vicious shimmy.
best ˆ dance ˆ dressed up ˆ ellen ˆ matt ˆ scott m
matt
Matt WORMED his way out!
best ˆ dance ˆ dance off ˆ the worm ˆ matt
amanda, fatty, marina
Oh man, I love this photo.
best ˆ dance off ˆ high five ˆ amanda ˆ fatty ˆ marina
leigh, scott m
Leigh and Scott.
best ˆ dance ˆ dance off ˆ leigh ˆ scott m
leigh, scott m
BITE YOUR TIE! BITE YOUR TIE!
bite ˆ dance ˆ dance off ˆ leigh ˆ scott m
leigh, me
MOAR TIES!
vampire ˆ leigh ˆ me
sarah
Sarah!
dance ˆ sarah
me, sarah
Me and Sarah.
me ˆ sarah
chuck, meredith
Mer and Chuck!
dance ˆ chuck ˆ meredith
leigh
You're the man now, dog!
point ˆ leigh
amanda, me, meredith
Feel pretty lucky to know these two.
best ˆ amanda ˆ me ˆ meredith
leigh, me, sarah
These two are pretty okay also.
best ˆ leigh ˆ me ˆ sarah
Sarah!
Me and Leigh!
leigh, scott m, steve b
Scott busted out some crazy-ass Footloose moves and started swinging Leigh around! (Steve's expression in the background is great.)
best ˆ dance ˆ dance off ˆ leigh ˆ scott m ˆ steve b
hank, meredith
When Hank saw that Leigh was letting people swing her around on the dance floor, Meredith had to literally hold him back.
hank ˆ meredith
hank, leigh
The next thing you know he was out there on the dance floor throwing her around like a human hula hoop!
dance ˆ hank ˆ leigh
hank, leigh
Around you go!
dance ˆ hank ˆ leigh
hank, leigh
Ta-da!
best ˆ dance ˆ hank ˆ leigh
ellen, hank, leigh, mandy, meredith, steve b
Hahaha.
best ˆ dance ˆ ellen ˆ hank ˆ leigh ˆ mandy ˆ meredith ˆ steve b
mandy, meredith
Mer and Mandy.
mandy ˆ meredith
meredith, scott m
Mer and Scott getting down.
dance ˆ meredith ˆ scott m
meredith, scott m
Towards the end of the night, someone had the genius idea to recreate Meredith's fall from the chair earlier in the evening. Haha. I love how Fatty's reaching in to lend a hand.
best ˆ fall ˆ meredith ˆ scott m
meredith, scott m
(Actual re-enactment.)
best ˆ fall ˆ meredith ˆ scott m
hank, me, meredith, scott
Which led to the great idea of practicing our Hava Nagila skills. I volunteered to take (the much drunker) team for a test drive.
hava nagila ˆ hank ˆ me ˆ meredith ˆ scott
hank, me, meredith, scott
Hands free!
hava nagila ˆ hank ˆ me ˆ meredith ˆ scott
me, scott m
Aerial view. Haha.
hava nagila ˆ me ˆ scott m
ellen, hank, leigh, marina, matt
Who, little old me?
best ˆ hava nagila ˆ ellen ˆ hank ˆ leigh ˆ marina ˆ matt
ellen, hank, marina, matt
Get her up there! (I love how Ellen's part of the hoisting team!)
best ˆ hava nagila ˆ ellen ˆ hank ˆ marina ˆ matt
joann, meredith
After the team had proven their trustworthiness, we grabbed Joann! Ready for a ride?
best ˆ kiss ˆ joann ˆ meredith
fatty, hank, joann
Hank's face is the best.
excited ˆ hava nagila ˆ fatty ˆ hank ˆ joann
hank, joann, scott m
Hahaha.
excited ˆ hava nagila ˆ hank ˆ joann ˆ scott m
leigh, sarah
Super big thanks to Sarah and Leigh for playing wonderful music all night! It was like getting to hear the Traveling Wilburys of the NYC's downtown DJs!
dj ˆ leigh ˆ sarah
chuck, me
Thanks, Chuck!
chuck ˆ me
amanda, ellen, fatty, marina, matt
Dance floor recovery zone.
amanda ˆ ellen ˆ fatty ˆ marina ˆ matt
fatty, leigh, marina, scott
And an extra special thanks to Scott & Leigh! In addition to pulling dance moves like this all night, they also shot tons of footage and interviews of the party...
best ˆ dance ˆ fatty ˆ leigh ˆ marina ˆ scott
leigh, me
...and a few days after the party, Leigh sent us a link to...
camera ˆ leigh ˆ me
...this AMAZING video she edited together for us. It's one of the best gifts I've ever gotten! I smile ear to ear every single time I watch it. It's set to one of my favorite songs of all time (Jump in the Line by Harry Belafonte) and all the edits are INSANELY TIMED to the lyrics! It's SOOOOO GOOD! BTW: The auteur herself makes only a brief, hidden appearance at 2:59. (You can see her blue-painted fingernails reaching out to accept a VDC from the bartender. Haha.)
best ˆ video
me, meredith
Clearing the dance floor and taking home table roses at 12:15! ("Looks like those double-scotches finally caught up with you, Dr. Rosepenis.")
flower ˆ us ˆ me ˆ meredith
matt
After party at Matt's!
lick ˆ statue ˆ matt
kristi, meredith
We all piled into taxis...
kristi ˆ meredith
leigh, matt
...and reconvened at Matt's place!
leigh ˆ matt
biggy, hank, meredith
Meredith hid from the light while Hank made buddies with Biggy.
biggy ˆ hank ˆ meredith
amanda, sarah
Sarah and Amanda. (PS - Every time I see Amanda make this expression I hear a Japanese school girl giggle in my mind.)
peace ˆ amanda ˆ sarah
matt, me
Thanks for hosting, Matt!
matt ˆ me
amanda, kristi, meredith, sarah
Winding down.
amanda ˆ kristi ˆ meredith ˆ sarah
hank, meredith
All partied out! Thanks again to Joann & Chuck and to everyone who came (especially all you last-minute guests!).
passed out ˆ hank ˆ meredith

1 comment

  • snailmailisbetterdecember 6, 2011

    Wow, has Sarah lost weight?  Not that she needed to, but she looks AMAZING!