My nephew Danny married Kenzie yesterday. It is his second marriage, so they kept it to a small gathering. I only got invited because Danny still has my steam cleaner.
This might be my favorite wedding ever. It was held at Kenzie’s parents’ house. The house isn’t big by Westlake standards, but nicely renovated with a comfortable backyard. Guests could eat peanuts and drink during the short ceremony. That alone kicked it up a couple of notches. Being at a house, rather than a hall, there were a dozen comfortable places to have a good conversation. That beats sitting at a table and talking over the band. The food was catered and fantastic.
A big advantage was that the cost of the whole show didn’t run into the mid five-figure range. They could afford it, but chose not to. I didn’t ask why. My reasoning would be that most couples, well, probably just brides, focus on staging a fantasy wedding that is completely disconnected from a comfortable and sustainable marriage. Kenzie was married where she grew up. Her and Danny will revisit the spot for several more decades. That counts.
I’m optimistic about Danny and Kenzie. I’m usually optimistic at weddings, but Kenzie is different from most of her generation. She knows what to do. Kenzie understands that social media and fantasies aren’t real-life.
Her dad, Walt, is an interesting guy. Walt is in the skilled trades, but it’s more like he lives the skilled trades. He’s a maniac. Between his actual job, side jobs and personal projects, it’s hard to keep up. Talking to him, I can follow the topic of conversation, but the big picture is hard to grasp.
Danny is just like Walt. Guys like that have a bunch of ideas, and take on all of them. Since Kenzie knows how her dad works, she can manage Danny. That’s what makes me optimistic.
