When Dad is the Best Man

On June 14th 2008, at a stunning waterfront home on Liberty Bay, my oldest son, Ben, and his beautiful bride, Alex, were married in a very intimate ceremony, surrounded by family & friends.

And I was the Best Man.

Yes, that's right. The Father of the Groom was Best Man. How cool is that? I mean, typically, such positions are normaly reserved for close friends their own age. Ben has any number of guys he could've tapped for the role. But he chose me. And it was a sweet time!

We wore these really nice brown tuxs, with silk shirts, cuff links, vests, pin stripe pants. Not super formal, but certainly sharp. And Ben insisted on wearing old school chocolate brown Converse tennis shoes. Just like I used to wear when I was a kid. I got the high tops. It was awesome!

The day was a blur. I cried most of the time. I am such a sap for all things romantic.

Later, during the reception, I gave a toast. Allow me to paraphrase it somewhat:

"You need to know something about our son, Ben. He is like his Father, the consumate diehard romantic. Unfortunately though, throughout his teen years, he had the misfortune of dating girls who never seemed to appreciate such over-the-top displays. None of the girls he dated ever returned, in equal measure, the amount or degree of devotion and spoiling lavished upon them by our son. What thrills us today is that Alex loves Ben so completely, so passionately, and with such deep commitment. What more could his parents want?"

It was a perfect day. The weather, which is typically quite unpredictable here in June, cooperated nicely. You couldn't have asked for a better setting. Thanks to Dr. Mike & Kelie Jungkeit for affording us such amazingly generous hospitality in opening there home and impressive grounds for our special day. We are truly indebted!

It didn't quite sink in until we stood there on the pier, watching the Newlyweds motor off across the bay (courtesy of Captain Mike and his new 26ft. Glacier Bay), that I fully realized the change that had just taken place. Even though Ben had moved out of the house nearly a year before, but now he was married, embarking on the greatest adventure of his life. No longer just my son, but a man. A husband.

(To see more pictures of the Wedding, GO HERE)