Benson Wedding in Fort Lauderdale - Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about Fort Lauderdale and our visit.  Now, on to the wedding.

Living in Park City, we don't find many opportunities to get dressed up.  You can go years without having to wear a suit here. It was fun getting to clean up for the event.

Julie, Loris (the groom's mom), and Kathy all looked stunning.  This is in the hotel bar right before the wedding.  It was nice to have the barbeque Friday night, the wedding and the reception all at the Harbor Beach Marriott.  Not only is it convenient, it eliminates any issues of driving after a few drinks.

Jim, Bill (the groom's dad), and Dave (the groom's brother-in-law).  Same bar. Same time.

The wedding was held outside and the weather mostly cooperated.  It was sunny and warm but a bit breezy. Erica is Jewish, but I would have to describe the ceremony as "just a tiny bit Jewish". I like weddings that are short enough to keep your undivided attention, but long enough to make you feel like you have witnessed something important.  This one was right in that sweet spot.

The happy couple after it was all over, or just starting, depending on how you want to look at it.

Bobbie, Julie, Bill and Jim.  Jim and Bobbie are our friends who live in Fort Lauderdale but have a condo in our Park City neighborhood.

Here we are at the reception.  I normally don't end up with photos of me, but Kathy was nice enough to take a few of us.

And a close-up. I am fairly certain it wasn't intentional, but the wedding's flower arrangements went absolutely perfectly with my tie.  I figure that's at least a good omen.

Jim and Kathy, right before hitting the dance floor.

They did the traditional "chair ride" for the bride and groom, the bride's parents and then the groom's parents.  It was tough getting a good photo with my little camera, but this one came out ok.

I think they made a wise decision doing this very early at the reception. I understand a lot of weddings do this late into the drinking, which has to make the likelihood of serious injury go way up.

One of the hits of the evening was the photo booth.  You could either do something serious or get dressed up in the fun accessories. We tried piling everyone in and getting a shot, but it was way too crowded. This shot was in the photo booth, but with my camera and the curtain open.

A shot of your ever so serious photographer.

The Benson family: Shannon, Seth (the groom), Loris and Bill.

By the end of the night, things were slowing down pretty dramatically. We left the dancing and the reception and went to the bar.  Everyone was tired and mellowing out.

It was an excellent weekend.  We got to hang out by the pool, walk along the beach, see friends we don't see enough, and celebrate the marriage of the Benson's son. Spectacular!