Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Buckley

I flew back to DC this weekend for my friend Joe's wedding. He and his wife Abena started dating just before the last time I was in DC a little over two years ago, so this ended up being the first time I was able to meet the lovely lady. I've got to say, Joe, it looks like you picked a winner. So congratulations to you both!

It was a lovely outdoor ceremony, as the thunderstorms that were predicted held off until later in the evening. The reception was held at a small art gallery and was a lot of fun as well. Lots of people from Wilson were there, so it was great to get to catch up with some folks I haven't seen for probably 5 years at this point.

I also got to spend some time hanging out with my family. The highlight there was checking out the Monte's new house, which they have done an amazing amount of work fixing up in a very short time. It's a really nice house with a great backyard and I imagine that they will be happy there for a long time. Congratulations, Montes!

Now here are a couple of pictures:

Here is the wedding venue - the Spanish Steps (not to be confused with the other, more famous Spanish Steps, which are somewhere else but not in Spain). The ceremony took place on the first landing - about elbow height on Joe's brother, and best man, Matthew (in the blue suit). I was a groomsman, as were Joe's Wilson classmates Mark Jackson (left) and Jeremy Flattau (right)

Here are the newlyweds, getting ready to cut the cake. Joe's mother made the cake with a big assist from his sister Monica, and it was a big success.

Here we are near the end of the reception. That's Joe's grandmother Mary, on the left. She made the trip from Minnesota and was having a ball even before she got coaxed onto the dance floor!

All in all, it was a great trip. I'm very happy for Joe and Abena and I loved getting to be a part of their wedding. It was great to see my family, too, and the best part is that I get to see them all again next month at my own wedding!