Bullard's Wedding, April 2001
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Friday April 20th - Houston to Philadelphia, Rehearsal Dinner
Cecilia and I took a half day of vacation, and met Chad and Jennifer at the Houston airport at 1pm.  We flew to Philadelphia, and met Justin Guinney at his gate.  We rented a car, then drove to a hotel in Rittenhouse Square in downtown Philadelphia.  The wedding and reception were both located within walking distance of the hotel.  The weather was warm, and spring was in the air.  It was perfect logistical planning and timing for the event.

The rest of the Penn guys arrived over the next few hours - Ramos and Lauren, Eric and Christina, Brian, Chakrapol and his new fiancé.  We went to the Sansom Street Oyster House restaurant where Bullard, Jen and their families were waiting.  I had not seen Bullard's family in over Five years - they looked great.  The dinner was excellent, highlighted by a few additional creations by chef Ramos.  I reluctantly (not really) agreed to eat one of his condiment-based creations, to relive old times when I was willing to eat "anything".

After dinner we went to a bar upstairs.  I recognized it as an old brewery that had changed ownership since we graduated.  We relived old times, smoked some cigars, and contemplated the future of the group.  We left the bar before 2am and walked to a corner cafe for waffles and snacks.  We walked back to the hotel, and were asleep shortly thereafter.  I was prepared with my earplugs, but Chad did not even snore that bad!  Other images from the day:
 
Aaron Eating the Special Dish - Brian is Certainly Impressed!
The Group at the Restaurant

Saturday April 21st - Penn Campus, Ceremony, and Reception
We woke up late, and had some free time before the evening wedding in the downtown Racquet Club.  We had a snack at a coffee shop around the corner, then decided to take the whole group to Penn campus.  We spent the net several hours walking around campus, making purchases in the new bookstore, and discussing all the *changes* that had happened since were last there.  For some of us (like me), it had been five years since last stepped on campus.  We took a group picture in front of the "Cavern", a three-story house that we had lived in together during senior year.  The house had since been combined with an adjacent house, and turned into a sorority.

We ate lunch on the lawn across from Smokes (popular campus bar) and the highrises (just beyond the dueling tampons), and slowly made our way back to the car.  We were back at the hotel by 4pm, and started to prepare for the big event.

We arrived at the club early at 6pm, and watched the crowd gather for the ceremony.  The ceremony went quickly and smoothly, without a hitch.  Jen looked great, and Bullard looked slick in the tux.  The reception was held just adjacent to the wedding room, and we enjoyed a night of eating, drinking, and even some dancing.  At one point I was put on the spot (led by Chakrapol's fiancé) on when I planned to tie the knot....I replied that Cecilia did not even think about rings, and that she did not even know what the 4 C's stand for (or had even heard of them).  Everyone thought I was crazy (and lying), so we asked Cecilia directly if she knew what even one of the 4 C's represented. Cecilia, after thinking hard for a few moments, replied "Carbon?".  She was dead serious....and I had made my point.

After the dinner we walked to a nearby sushi bar/restauramt, where we had a  few more beers and maki rolls.  We were back in the hotel and asleep by 3am.

Sunday April 22nd - Brunch, Liberty Bell and Return to Houston
We woke late again, and checked out of the hotel.  We drove to Jen and Bullard's new house in the suburbs, where we had brunch with the newlyweds and admired Bullard's handiwork in the yard (a new shed).  Their new house was impressive, and was packed with wedding gifts!  They were preparing for their honeymoon in Hawaii....life is really tough for newlyweds!  We drove back into Philadelphia, and had a little time to spare before going to the airport.  We stopped by central city, and went to see the Liberty Bell.

We returned to Houston that evening with Chad and Jennifer.  Another wonderful wedding weekend, and another Penn friend removed from the bachelor list!

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