Lay down the boogie and play that funky music till you die

My whole family was cutting the rug at my sister's wedding reception on Sunday when my mother suddenly grabbed my arm and exclaimed, "They can't say that in front of me!" I stopped for a second to figure out what she was complaining about when it hit me suddenly. I leaned over and told her that the band was singing "Play that funky music white boy."

The wedding itself was somewhat surreal. My sister had asked my brother and I to be in the bridal party as her "Men of Honor" in leiu of the bridesmades. It's not that she didn't have friends that could have filled the role, she just liked the idea of the wedding party being all family. It opened Rob and I up to an endless avalanche of bridemaid jokes (No we didn't wear pink dresses), but it really was an honor to be involved in that way. It was a big day in her life and it was cool to be a part of it.

The wedding was actaully kind of a three day triathalon of partying. The festivities started on Friday night with just the close family at the rehearsal dinner. There were some really nice toasts and everyone there was presented with a little a gift to everyone. All the guys also got matching ties to wear to the wedding. We were all instructed to wear dark suits with a white shirt, only the groom would wear a tux.

Saturday there was a pig roast for a hundred and fifty odd people at their house in the Hamptons. It was bar none the coolest barbecue I'd ever been to. Their house is awesome for parties. It has really open architecture with great skylights over the living room and dining room which kind of spill out onto the backyard porch overlooking the pool. They had a tent over the porch and a second tent over the area of the yard next to the pool where the dinner tables were all set up. The catering company came out early in the morning to start cooking the pig over a spit in a massive oven. The kids at the party stared at the roasting pig with a kind of glass eyed awe. Most of them hadn't thought about their food in terms of an actaul animal before and the site of the skewered pig captured in an action pose as it dripped fat onto the charcoal was a bit much for some of them. The ones who were willing to try agreed for the most part that it was delicous though, the rest enjoyed the barbecued chicken and sides of corn on the cob and beans.

Sunday was the wedding itself. I'll spare you the blow-by-blow since all weddings really go the same. There were was nobody left at the alter and no objections from the crowd. I can't even begin to explain the weird mix of pride and happiness I felt for Mary as my Dad brought her up the aisle in my mother's wedding dress. So suffice it to say that the whole thing went off without a hitch.

The reception though deserves a few words. They held it at the Hamptons Point Inn. The view of the sunset as it set over the sails of the boats in the marina really had to be seen to be believed. There was a delicious cold anitipaso station, a raw bar with clams on the half-shell (so so good), oysters, and Shrimp cocktail, waiters with a blur of delicious other hor de vouers (surely misspelled?) including crab cakes, slices of raw tuna with a light wasabe sauce, skewers of chicken with a peanut sauce. I always knew my sister had great taste and tons of class, but the whole affair was so nice I had to look around every once in a while to make sure I was at the right wedding. Supposedly Billy Joel was marrying some 23 year old model in the Hamptons and I wasn't sure at times if I hadn't somehow ended up at his party. I shudder to think about what the whole thing must have cost my parents, but at the same time can't imagine that there's really a better way to spend money.

Oh, last thing I promise. The band was killer. Tight rhythm section. A lot of funk and disco classics and three singers with absolutely amazing voices.