SAN JOSE -- Erica Grace Wagner and Mark Ross Lundquist made it official in a fun-filled and joyous ceremony, Oct. 14th, 2001.
The ceremony, held at the Church of the Chimes in San Jose, was one of the more festive weddings most of us ever have attended. Rarely do we get a chance to sing at weddings, and if Mark and Erica only knew what some of our singing voices sounded like, they may have reconsidered their invitation list. It was a nice touch to have several choir members with microphones to drown some of us out.
Before I forget, Mark and Erica also have a web page devoted to their wedding. You can check it out at www.markanderica.crosswinds.net. They took a three-week honeymoon so if it hasn't been updated yet, make sure to check back and take a look.
Anyway, we really enjoyed the ceremony. The slide show at the beginning was a real hit. I missed a lot of it because we were a tad bit late but I understand Erica even had a shot of herself taking a beer bong on one of the Pedro's houseboat trips. Now that takes guts!
Erica
takes a beer bong on a Pedro's houseboat trip.
As expected, Erica and Mark weathered their ceremony without a hitch. Their vows to each other were touching and unwavering and before you knew it, they were husband and wife.
The wedding party consisted of:
It's hard to believe that Erica is not only over 30, but also married now too. It seems like only yesterday when she was doing her high school homework while a Pedro's party raged around her. And the memory is still crystal clear of when she moved out for the first time with Karen and got a final warning after their housewarming party turned into a rager/riot. But I guess anyone who can survive those times relatively unscathed (and without a criminal record) is ready for marriage.
But I digress. Okay, back to the wedding.
After the ceremony, most of us (when I say us I mean the Pedro's bunch) went to Paul Krciks house for a quick beer. We were there for maybe 20 minutes and then we took off for the reception at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose.
After
a quick beer at Paul's house, it was off to the reception.
The weather was perfect and we took the opportunity to roll a few putts out on the practice green. Paul Krcik brought his putter out and one thing led to another. Next thing you knew, seven of us were playing closest-to-the-pin for a dollar. John Allen won both rounds of that competition, pocketing some easy cash and feeling guilty about taking the proverbial candy from the mouths of babes. That feeling quickly passed though.
I
took a little money off the boys, thanks to Paul's putter.
Mark and Erica were outstanding hosts. The newlyweds know their friends so well that they put the Pedro's people at two tables right next to the bar. Those of us who benefited from their seating chart took advantage of this to the fullest extent and would like to thank the bride and groom from the bottom of our hearts. We may have missed out on some of the toasts and dancing, but hey, we didn't miss out on any rounds.
This
is the view we had of the toasts from our table. But the bar was right behind
us.
Best man Alex Chak gave a solid toast and so did Kari Wagner, Erica's sister. Others gave toasts but it was difficult to tell some of the players without a program. Suffice to say, there were a whole bunch of people who wanted Mark and Erica to know how happy they are for the them.
Best
man Alex Chak gave a solid toast. Too bad we couldn't hear it.
It was great for all of us to see some people we haven't seen in such a long time. Chief among them were Kara and Brendan, who were married something like 10 years ago. Kara was a cocktail waitress at Pedro's a very long time ago. She is a fifth-grade school teacher now. The couple are thinking about having another baby, which would be their third.
It
was nice to see Kara and Brendan again after such a long time.
Also, it was great to see Missy Barthelow (aka Melissa Mulkey) again. Missy was a waitress at Pedro's and worked her way through college and her first year of law school at the restaurant. Missy is married to a man named Madison and they have a son named Madison Jr.
Missy
(the one on the right) is married with children now and a lawyer.
It was also nice to see Karen's little brothers all grown up and drinking beer. Tevis and Jordan Blom used to come out and play softball with us when they were just little kids. You wouldn't use the word little to describe them now.
Thank you to all of our friends and family, both near and far, for sharing
this day with us, and for your loving support.
-- Mark and Erica Lundquist
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things.
-- 1 Corinthians
To view all of the available pics, click on the links below:
