America 2015: Day Ten (8 August 2015)

And each time I leave, Chicago is
Tuggin' my sleeve, Chicago is
The Wrigley building, Chicago is
The union stockyard, Chicago is
One town that won't let you down
It's my kind of town

                                                                                                            - Frank Sinatra

Saturday 8 August

Epic! That’s the only way to describe the #LoveMeLonghini wedding today. It was off the chain amazing in every way, from the perfect ceremony at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in downtown Wheaton, to the reception in the spectacular ballroom at the beautiful Medinah Country Club, home of the 2012 Ryder Cup golf tournament. I’ve never seen a venue quite like it! The weather was good, and the company was even better.

The happy couple!

It was great to see two of my favourite people tie the knot and embark on what’s sure to be an amazing life together, and the party that followed is one that I won’t forget anytime soon. Technically, it spanned two days: the last note from the DJ faded about 12:30am Sunday morning. Honestly, it felt like the reception had flown by in about five minutes.

Not for the first time this trip, we were specially acknowledged for travelling about 12,000 miles to be here, first by the pastor at the church and then by the father of the bride. It was my absolute privilege and honour to be there, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Brian’s nod to us during his extremely moving speech was as unexpected as it was humbling, and it actually left me momentarily lost for words. Amazing, right? It certainly doesn’t happen often.

Medinah

It was great to catch up with a bunch of people that I’ve met over the years in Chicago and to meet new people as well. It’s remarkable how our circle of friends here has expanded over the years to include literally dozens of people, all of whom go out of their way to catch up with us when we’re in town. No wonder I keep wanting to come back!

Had my first Uber experience to and from the reception at Medinah, and it’s safe to say that our drivers in both directions – but especially Darryl, who drove us there – thought we were hilarious. You could see him trying not to laugh at the things we were saying, but it got harder and harder.

Safe to say that my new Tommy Hilfiger suit was a roaring success, though my forays onto the dance floor paled into insignificance in comparison to some who dominated all night and into the morning. Special shout-out to the DJ, who managed to squeeze in an AC/DC anthem – “You Shook Me All Night Long” – halfway through the night. The guy turned up on a table in a wig, jamming out a fake solo on a plastic guitar, which was pretty funny. Not sure that Acca Dacca is exactly wedding music, but it made me feel right at home.

What a great day – it’ll be hard to top this one!