Allen: “I am not being an asshole DJ — we can’t find the iPod cord, seriously”.

Unfortunately, this video is not very sexy or awesome, but the song is (despite being in the lazy, later years of Serge’s oeuvre) and so was our honeymoon!

The camera lens really needed to be cleaned

JENNY & KEITH SWANN:

Jaylene and Brion,

Please accept our apologies for not being there in Bisbee to help you celebrate this joyous day. Jenny and I have never been to the US, and we had hoped to combine a trip to your wedding with a quick holiday. Alas we could not get the time off work so we will take a rain check and hopefully catch up with you soon.

Brion, as I said at my little cottage in Nairobi, look after Jaylene, she is a very special person. Never before have I met a young lady with such a tremendous intellect and an enormous capacity to assist those in need. I am so glad we became friends and I hope you and Jaylene and Jenny and I can build on that friendship.

Have a wonderful day and a happy life together.

Jenny and Keith Swann

Kiama, down under in the magical land of Oz

MATTHEW EDMUNDSON:

Dearest Jaylene and Brion,

My sincerest apologies for not being in attendance on this most joyful day! In my stead, please my heartfelt congratulations and please accept the following poem, taken from Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass”.

“Song of the Open Road”

Allons! the road is before us!

It is safe – I have tried it – my own feet have tried it well.

Allons! be not detain’d!

Let the paper remain on the desk unwritten, and the book on the shelf unopen’d!
Let the tools remain in the workshop! let the money remain unearn’d!
Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher!
Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the court, and the judge expound the law.

Mon enfant! I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money,
I give you myself before preaching or law;
Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

My sincerest wishes for a most undetain’d life together!

All my love,
Matthew R. Edmundson

KATAYOUN & CLARENCE:

Dearest Brion and Jaylene–

Clarence and I are ever so sad to miss the two of you getting your business on in Bisbee. However, we are somewhat relieved that Clarence will not be asked to produce greencard papers upon stepping foot in Arizona; Puerto Ricans are naturalized citizens, but the Persian princess might have been have had to go fist to cuffs to save her man. We look forward to celebrating this momentous occasion on neutral territory. Lots of love and mystic wishes to you on what  we are sure will be a spectacular celebration! Congratulations!!!
Love Katayoun and Clarence

ZEN S. & R. KELLY:

For those of you who haven’t been feverishly checking the weather forecast the last few days, Saturday is looking to be freakishly overcast and less-than-sweltering. Friday? Warm and sunny. Sunday? Warm and sunny. Saturday, The Happiest Day of Our Lives? Not so!

That said, we do have an incredible back-up location, which in the event of rain, shall be utilized. Otherwise, we’re aiming to break out the enviornmentally degrading space heaters and keep warm on the dancefloor over at the Shady Dell. As mentioned before on here, do bring a sweater, scarf or jacket just to be on the safe side.

(the above image of J.Lo is in homage to the incredible mother of the bride, Ma Ney, who has been the most incredibly wedding planner the world has ever known, so much better than J.Lo in ‘The Wedding Planner’. She is sometimes lovingly referred to as “our very own J.Lo”)

While there will be many very cool dads in attendance this fair wedding, perhaps  none is cooler than the father of the groom, The Dad.

A native Californian and likely as close to an enlightened human being as one can find, The Dad is a retired second generation longshoreman, where working on the Oakland and SF waterfront for years, he earned the nick name “Honest Ron”, telling it like is: drawing political chalk cartoons on the side of ships or leaving his handiwork posted around the offices.

He raised Brion on a diet of samurai films and BBC programs, most notably ‘Dr. Who’ and ‘Monty Python’, so if you’ve ever wondered where Brion’s freakish obsession with justice and dry humor came from, that’s a good place to look.

He makes a mean gnocchi, loves spending time with his border terrier Chloe (sadly sitting this occasion out at “the doggie hotel”), making all manners of miraculous wood stuffs in his labyrinthine garage workshop and boasts the must-be-experienced-to-be-believed talent of finding the most alluringly trashy television/movie currently being broadcast at any time.

As caring and funny as they come, he’ll be one of the luminaries in Bisbee to engage with a nice “howdy!”

This is the best man.

She is awesome.

Jaylene calls her “Niki Becki”, but Brion exclusively calls her “Beckwith”. He once referred to her by what they now refer to as “the N word” (“Nikole”) and were disturbed by it for days.

She is an incredible playwrite, caring human being and amazing friend. You’re basically guaranteed pretty thrilling conversation if you engage her for even a moment. (She particularly excels at video chats)

Brion and Beckwith met in an intensive acting program and bonded over their inflexibility. Once they made eye contact with outstretched arms nowhere near touching their far far off feet while the rest of class caressed their toes with their fingertips, they knew the awesomeness was on.

She likes boys that all look the same, maintaining a remarkably consistent devotion to “type”. She makes cartoons, plays the ukulele, and is perhaps the best big sister ever.

Her work organizing Brion’s bachelor party was exemplary, surely only to be exceeded by her showing in Bisbee.

Prepare yourself to Behold The Beckwith.

For all you iPhone and BlackBerry addicts, be forwarned: the cell phone service in Bisbee is spotty. You may go hours without a signal, and will have to resort to picking a spot and meeting there. Previous visits have indicated that Verizon is better than T-Mobile or evil AT&T, but since the program is pretty regulated you will not need to be connected all the time. For communication though, be sure to get hotel numbers, or invest in a carrier pigeon.

Sadly many people have to leave too early for the 10.15 am mine tour on Sunday. You should organize amongst yourselves for Friday or Saturday morning. There are group rates available, I think it is $3 off the $13 entrance fee:

Anyway, here is the website: http://www.queenminetour.com/

Or call to speak with the friendly mine people: 520-432-2071

The preferred weather

Normally, in Bisbee the weather in late April early May is around 75 F (24 C) and sunny in the daytime and at night it can get down to 45 F (8 C). So bring an alluring range of cashmere and chunky cable knit.

Since all nuptial related activities take place out of doors we are hoping that a freak thunderstorm doesn’t send us running for the mine. Despite the relatively wet year Arizona has had, chances are still good the weather will not be like this:

Freak thunderstorm, Bisbee, October 2009