Volumes of Love: The Groom Squad Strikes Back

Hello there.

(This is Mr. Library again.)

I forced myself out of bed and down the uncomfortable hardwood ladder from the top bunk at around 8:30 AM, and after throwing on my pre-wedding clothes, embarked on a full morning of writing my last poem for my soon-to-be wife and hating my groomsmen for sleeping. By 9:30 or so I had completed the final piece in my cycle of verses–a poem riffing off giving her my life in marriage and giving her the Game of Life as a present–and began waiting to have my needed squad. The master plan was to have three people involved: one to read the poem (Groomsman D), then Best Man K on hand munching crackers and looking confused (the last line of the poem is about being excited to share my life with her, so the ideal joke would have been to have K eating Life cereal and offering that, but I underplanned… Still, K eating crackers sounded like it would be a funny counterpoint), and a third party (Reader Rachel) to come in and berate K for forgetting the gift, the wrapped Game of Life.

So, I played on the Wii and waited. D arrived about 9:45, K emerged groggily about 10:30, followed not long afterwards by a cranky Rachel, who had slept poorly due to our dear mutual friend’s snoring. With the squad assembled, I urged them to dress and sent them on their way, all very happy to partake (D, because he loves us and poetry, K because he loves Wheat Thins, R because she loves getting out her anger at K).

I took this time to seek solitude and write my letter for the soon-to-be Mrs. Library. It must have taken me until between 11:30 and 12:00, because the next thing I remember was trying to call the Bridesmaids to see if now was a good time to send K over again, or if I should wait until my betrothed’s messengers arrived. Failing to reach anyone’s cell phones, I simply devised a good use for my last gift, a pair of white gold, opal, and diamond earrings: I used them to pin the letter shut, such that the bejeweled part of the earring would hang by my signature on the letter when opened.

I finally sent K, but he was quickly brought back as he ran into the Bridal Messengers (joined by our photographer) in the hallway.

A very fun sequence ensued which has been well-covered in Mrs. Library’s post, although the fun of four of us (Groomswoman K, Best Man K, D, and myself) trying to open a box as a team was unmentioned. (Brother K only arrived just in time for the mustache photos.)

As the bridal convoy departed, Best Man K followed them, and the rest of us began to get ready–we had our Groom Squad Photo Shoot slated for 2:00, and would need to make for the bridge right after.(Mrs. Library here… this picture makes me laugh EVERY stinkin’ time! Doesn’t Mr. Library look JUST like the creepy brother from “Wedding Crashers” in this photo? Don’t think so? LOOK!)

(Source)

Very funny, Lovely. That’s merely how I look when I’m told to retie a tie just so it can be photographed. (Yeah right!)

We all assembled in the hotel lobby, only slightly late and still trying to rightly attach our boutonnieres: myself, Brother K, Best Man K, Groomswoman K, Groomsman D, FMIL and FFIL Library (as they are known to this blog, aka my parents), and Ring Bearer J with his father T.

The photographer led us out behind the hotel to a little footbridge, where many photos were taken. I insisted on getting one-on-one shots with all my squad, and the photographer put together some great group shots.