Kevin and Wisa's Wedding in Wine Country
Aloha gang! It took some time but all good things do and Kevin and
Wisa's wedding was much more than just a good thing to say the least! We finally got together all of the images from that wonderful weekend and here we are after a short hiatus to share it with everyone. I will do my best not to ramble and get everything together in this short blog but it will be hard to do justice to the magic that went down in Northern California during the weekend of September 26
th. It has been some time
since all six of us Miller kids have been together and there couldn't have been a better occasion than this one to bring not just our immediate family but our now extended
Arquette relatives, some of our Hawaiian
Ohana as well as some close friends from the past together for a storybook celebration that will never be forgotten by anyone in attendance. The weather was perfect, the location was elegant yet far from ostentatious, the Champagne, wine and yes Coors Light was flowing and most importantly there was an unending amount of LOVE surrounding the Cline Winery thanks to the unbelievable people that were witness to the union between Mr. and Mrs. Kevin and
Wisa Miller.
I can't speak for the bride or her friends but prior to the wedding us Miller's along with some of my good High School buddies and one of Kev's first friends in Hawaii took part in a ba
chelor party that was far from the conventional debauchery and strip bars. Kev decided that he would rather have his Mother at his bachelor party as well as his other immediate family members. Being from San Diego we of course root for the Padres and have seen AT&T park on TV numerous times. This weekend the Padres were not in town but the San Francisco Giants were taking on the Chicago Cubs so we all got together and checked out the ball park first hand. It's a unreal park and was quite reminiscent of
Petco Park in San Diego. Taking a page from Chris Miller's book I landed 12 tickets for $10.00 a piece and we all got in with no problem and enjoyed the game from the right field bleachers overlooking the famous
McCovey Bay where many of Hall of
Famer Barry Bonds Home Runs and splashed down. To actually be there instead of watching on T.V. was pretty surreal but was much better than looking up on stage throwing dollar bills at a dancer that's for sure. Plus I don't think Sunny Miller would have appreciated the Strip Bars.
Following the game we stopped for a bit at an adjacent Bar/Restaurant and wound the night down at the Fisherman's Wharf Sheraton where most of the Wedding Party resided prior to the ceremony. After all the Rocky Mountain refreshment, the stomach pangs were setting in so naturally being in California we took advantage of the available In 'n Out Burger available just blocks from our hotel and spent the next couple hours catching up with family and enjoying the bliss that is the never frozen Double Double...My mouth is watering just typing that. If you have never experienced a Double Double then I suggest you make a trip to California very very soon.
Friday was soon u
pon us and the entire party had arrived in San Francisco. Our time in the city was over and it was then off to
Petaluma just across the Golden Gate bridge and about a 40 minute drive into Wine Country. The wedding was to be held on Saturday afternoon but before that, Kevin and
Wisa decided to have a
pre-ceremony mixer at "La
Dolce Vida". Keeping with the casual lifestyle in Hawaii, this was to be a very mellow and relaxing atmosphere as opposed to the strict formal layout of many unions. Instead of a rehearsal (since there wasn't mu
ch to rehearse) everyone invited to the wedding was asked to attend the precursor even at this quaint yet classy restaurant for some light
Pupu's and of course fine wine. Getting to this mixer was an adventure to say the least. The majority of the party had arrived with no problem but the Griswold Mobile (Cheryl's SUV) seemed as if we were trying to find Wally World. Numerous missed turns and stressed Miller's later we all arrived and enjoyed some great music, good food and refreshing dri
nks. It was a perfect prelude to what was to be a magnificent day ahead.
Finally the day was upon us. September 26
th, 2009 had arrived after much anticipation spanning from the 1st day in January when Kevin proposed to
Wisa after the stroke of Midnight. The ceremony was to be started at 3:45pm in the afternoon but due to some navigation issues most of the party arrived shortly after that time. Again in true Griswold form, most of us drove about 10 miles in the complete wrong direction before being pointed in the right direction towards Cline Cellars. I blame the Sheraton for faulty directions as I don't think all of us could possibly be that inep
t at navigation. Nevertheless, we all arrived before
Wisa walked down the aisle and before the Jazz band begun "Here Comes the Bride", so all was in place for the ceremony to go off without a hitch.
The entire wedding party had finally come together and it seemed that everyone was in awe of the location. Nestled right in the middle of wine country the Cline Winery boasted a very modest sized yet extremely tasteful decor. As you walked in through the entrance you were immediately on what would be the dance floor with the dinner tables set up to the left and the only indoor portion of the cere
mony straight ahead. What looked like a small chapel was constructed of adobe and inside held the wedding cake with the miniature plastic Kevin and
Wisa on top as well as the guest book along with a digital photo frame scrolling through various pictures of Kevin and
Wisa's life prior to meeting. With everyone signed in and a slight glaze of perspiration from the warm country sun, we all took our seats as Kevin took the altar and watched his beautiful bride walk down the aisle towards their life together on a new branch of the Miller Family Tree. There weren't too many dry eyes that afternoon as one could see the LOVE in both Kevin and
Wisa as they said their vows to one another. With a very brief a
nd to the point exchange the two were pronounced Husband and Wife as they walked arm and arm back down the aisle towards what was about to be an amazingly fun and unforgettable celebration. Slowly everyone said their congratulations to the couple and made their way to the assigned tables to begin the feasting and toasting prior to hitting the
dancefloor for the remainder of the night. I personally had planned to say something but had never intended on
starting off the dinner with a full fledged toast and more or less assuming the role of Emcee that evening. About 20 minutes prior to dinner the wedding planner who would later bust out the sprinkler on the
dancefloor came to me with the news that I was to be the one to start things off. She reminded me that I was going get things rolling and there was no pressure but "You have to be funny, a little serious, and good!" The good news was that everyone in attendance were friends or family so if I crashed and burned they would still love me right? So with a pen and a notebook I feverishly scratched down as many thoughts as I could conjure up in hopes that I would be able to piece everything tog
ether and pull out some laughs and maybe a few tears along the way. As the Mic came my way I could feel my pulse rising but luckily everything settled down and worked out for the best. I was able to say much of what I wanted to get out of my heart and even got each of the Miller's to say something. If you don't know the Miller family then just know th
at to get each of them to speak into a mic in front of 50 people is no easy task. The Mic was passed around the floor and everyone that wanted to speak spoke and things continued rolling along as smooth as silk.
With some delicious organic fruits, vegetables and an array of other delicious foods we all ate, drank (Not just wine but yes Coors Light...long story short us Millers are not huge wine
connoisseurs so after about 6 verification emails the winery finally ordered our requested 10 cases of Coors Light at a winery. You stay classy San Diego!!), smiled and laughed until it was time for the Bride and Groom's first dance to the very appropriate song by the infamous artist formerly known as Prince's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". Kevin had a dance with Mom,
Wisa had a dance wit
h her Pops and then DJ Dave let it loose on the turntables for a night of great music and ass shaking. The bouquet was tossed, the garter was thrown (And caught by me...yikes) and one by one and drink by drink the ties loosened and the heels came of as each of us hit the floor at some point in the night. I can't speak for everyone but the most classic part of the night was Sunny Miller (A.K.A. Mom, A.K.A. the most amazing woman on the planet) was pulled onto the floor by yours truly and broke it down like you wouldn't believe. We all kne
w Mom loved dancing but until that night we thought she just kept it at home with the Big Bird Shuffle. Maybe it was the wine but between her dance with Kevin and I, that girl kept up and showed some serious rhythm for a Midwest girl! I don't remember the last time I smiled that far from ear to ear for so long. As I watch the video (Oh yes there was video) I have that same smile. I'll post the video somewhere but it takes about eight years to upload to this blog. This truly was a night to remember with
all Miller siblings in attendance as well as all of our closest friends and family sharing dances, congratulations, drinks and most importantly Love with one another.
Finally the last dance was upon us and it couldn't have materialized in any better way. Each and every person came to the center of the winery and formed a circle around the entire dance floor. With each of us interlocked like a closed circuit you could feel the emotion and love coursing through the veins of everyone there. There have been many weddings in many parts of the world and call me bias but I can't imagine one more perfect than the Miller/
Arquette wedding that went down on September 26
th, 2009. I think that all in atte
ndance felt very fortunate to be a part of something so special and to be in the presence of so many great individuals. I'm sure by now all of you may have noticed my repetitive use of the word LOVE throughout this blog. The reason for that is because it is THE most important part of this world and this life we all share together. During the course of that weekend the kind of Love that fuels us humans was in abundance. Some of us....strike that all of us lose sight of what life is about at times. With countless distractions, responsibilities, and pressures that follow us through each and every day it is very very easy to forget what is important. Each family has issues and all friends have issues at some point in life. What we all need to remember is that life is unbelievably short and whatever issues are at hand can be dealt with in some way or another. I know that I am guilty as anyone for avoiding real issues at hand because it is much easier to run from pain than to face it head on. Without going on a long diatribe of what everyone should do...I just want to get the point across that Love does conquer all and we need to express that Love with the ones that we care about before it is too late...OK Phew sorry had to get that out.
I hope I haven't bored all of you with the extensive wording but I really did try to make this as concise yet descriptive as possible so each of your whether in attendance or not could get a small glimpse of that weekend. Kevin and
Wisa want to thank each and every person that was able to make the trip across the ocean, state or country to witness their union. Planning a wedding like this is no easy task especially while trying to run a business simultaneously. A lot of hard work, effort along with a fair amount of stress went into this ceremony and every bit of it paid off that weekend. So with the wedding in the books, Mr. and Mrs. Kevin and
Wisa Miller an official married couple we now move in life as we always do. Next in line will be the newest addition to the family in the form of Kev and
Wisa's baby girl. Any of you that weren't able to make it to the wedding are more than welcomed to volunteer for baby sitting and diaper duty when that time comes! So with apologies for the delay in the Wedding edition of Aloha Monday (Blame it on me) we say aloha to everyone from Kevin and
Wisa and as always the entire HF Crew! If the pictures included aren't enough for you then give us a shout and there will surely be a online album elsewhere to view the entire stock of photographic evidence. Until next week....Aloha Monday!!!
a chance to finally put some of them to use. I managed to score an appointment with a friend that works close to my other hotel job and she managed to get my mop into a perfect replica of Ace Venturas doo. The thing was rock solid and was pretty much the best part of the costume. So with the Doo done, and Jason Ali G'd up along side with Jimi Hendrix, Pocahontas, Fred Flinstone, a Misfit, and Awesome Man our crew made our way downtown for the Block Party.
