Bahamas, August 2006: Day 3, August 26, 2006, Nassau (My Best Friend's Wedding)
The day of Craig’s and Kandice’s wedding started with a loud knock on the door.
I only had six hours to fully recover from the previous day's food, alcohol and slight seasickness, but after the third set of knocks it didn’t matter.
Craig and his brother were sleeping heavily so it was up to me to answer the door.
It was Craig’s friend Jamal who I knew when he lived in
Atlanta a few years ago.
With Jamal’s arrival the room started to wake up.
I thought about going for a quick jog on the beach, but I opted instead for a swim and some quiet time.
The beach at the Nassau Beach Hotel was unique for lack of a better word.
One couldn’t just walk into the water, but had to climb down a five foot precipice.
The beach evened out about 100 yards away from the hotel, but I wasn’t up to walking.
After wading in, I splashed, floated, dove and beached myself for about 45 minutes.
It was early enough that the beach wasn’t too crowded.
I had plenty of space to sit in the sand and let the waves sink my feet.
I stared out into the clear sea finding a few minutes of peace.
I was thankful for moments like these on a beach.
They usually marked either a beginning, mid-point and end of a chapter in my life.
This moment marked an end to my friendship with Craig and Kandice as singles, and a beginning of a friendship with Mr. and Mrs. Eldon.
I also reflected on my desire to get married and start a family.
I wasn’t going to rush anything because my best friend was about to get hitched, but observing Craig and Kandice over the past year changed my mind about marriage.
It no longer seemed like a death sentence to someone’s personality.
It was more like the birth of a whole new personality - a shared personality.
But before I had more time to philosophize Cory called me in to get ready with the other groomsmen.
It amazes me that men can take just as long as women to get ready for an event.
I’m thankful that we men don’t have the same curling, polishing, brushing, ironing, more curling, spritzing and finally dressing routine as women.
But with a wedding, all care for manly grooming efficiency goes out the window.
It took five guys the greater part of an hour and a half to shower, iron, brush and “handsomize” ourselves before meeting the limo in front of the hotel.
I tried not to take too long, but the saltwater required extensive scrubbing and shampooing even with my military style haircut.
As we finished dressing, the wedding planner came in to pin on our buttoners – adding the final touch to an already dashing ensemble.
I liked the way I looked in this tuxedo.
I had nightmares about wearing such tropical colors as ivory and pool, but I looked like a dream in the tuxedo.
I was confident to win the affections of every young available bridesmaid, but unfortunately the bridesmaids were either married, Craig’s little sister or Kandice’s best friend.
All were off limits in my book.
We waited for close to an hour before the limo finally arrived to take us to the church.
While waiting the videographer captured some candid moments of the groomsmen trying to keep Craig calm, but we weren’t doing such a good job.
Surprisingly he was already calm.
At some points he was trying to calm us down.
I chuckled as I thought to myself that my friend was really ready to get married or at least go on the honeymoon.
We got into a stretch white Lincoln limousine and headed for the church. I felt weird riding in a limo on an island to a wedding, but I soon noticed that the streets of Nassau were full of limos driving around bridal parties, tourists, dignitaries and anyone else who wanted to go to the beach in style. We arrived at the church within minutes and were ushered into a conference room in the rear of the church. We ended up waiting another 20 minutes. Jamal and I had missed the only rehearsal so we took this time to practice our walks with the bridesmaids. Craig was still surprisingly calm so we didn’t have to find him an emergency shot of alcohol. We did drink copious amounts of water trying to combat the heat in wool suits. Luckily the wedding wasn’t interrupted for a groomsmen’s bathroom break.
An usher finally signaled us to take our positions at the altar. It was Craig, Cory, Robbie (Craig’s neighbor), Jamal and me. Pachebel’s “Canon in D” began to play. As the bridesmaids entered the sanctuary, each groomsman stepped out of line and met the bridesmaid halfway down the aisle. The groomsman bowed and the bridesmaid curtsied. Then the groomsmen took the bridesmaid’s arm and they walked down the rest of the aisle. As they reached the priest, Father Eldon, they bowed and split to rejoin their parties. Even though I was last in the lineup I was the first to meet a bridesmaid. I had to meet Kandice’s beautiful sister Indira. Jamal had Kandice’s other knockout sister, Mia. Robbie had Craig’s sister, Renee. And Cory was with the matron-of-honor, Nicole. Our parties were followed by the ring barer, Zion, and the flower girl who sprinkled red rose petals onto the aisle.
The doors closed while “Canon” faded out slowly and a song called “Parents” by a Greek composer replaced it. When the doors reopened there was Kandice decked out in an ivory wedding dress matching Craig’s all ivory tuxedo. It was a simple off the shoulder dress, but with intricate bead work and a subdued hoop. Even though they weren’t royalty, Craig and Kandice looked the part. She was escorted by her father, Roscoe, the limo company owner responsible for the day’s transportation. He beamed with pride as he escorted his last daughter down the aisle. Kandice wasn’t so much beaming as she was trying not to cry. It sounded like a mix between a nervous laugh and an unstable sob. I tried to make her laugh by crossing my eyes while looking at her, but it didn’t help. She stopped when she was hand in hand with Craig. They always seemed to have a calming effect on one another with the exception of the times when they infuriated each other, but so was the life of any couple.
The ceremony wasn’t too long and Craig’s father, Father Eldon, had the entire sanctuary laughing as he ad-libbed some parts. Father Eldon was a newly ordained Anglican priest and Craig’s wedding was his first to officiate. That added a nice touch to the proceedings as Father Eldon wavered between fatherly advice and Fatherly advice. The ceremony soon drew to a close and after the exchange of rings and vows Craig unveiled his bride and kissed her. The sanctuary erupted in clapping and hollering more from the bridal party than the audience. After they signed their marriage documents, Craig and Kandice made their public statement before the rest of the sanctuary confirming their marriage. With another kiss they exited the sanctuary followed by the rest of the bridal party.
We were all in a jubilant mood. We were so jubilant that we were borderline silly. The photographer was starting to get agitated as he tried to take the bridal party shots in front of the church. We just couldn’t stop laughing. The ride to the reception didn’t curve our laughter either. Mia had snuck a bottle of rum into the stretch Excursion carrying the bridal party. We toasted the bride and groom about four times before we reached the reception at the British Colonial Hilton Nassau hotel (1 Bay Street). When we arrived some of us were a little intoxicated. The alcohol did help us loosen up during another one-hour photo shoot at the hotel’s grand staircase and in the gardens overlooking Nassau Harbor.
Finally, it was time for the reception. After the guests were seated we began the bridal party processional. Indira and I came out first followed by the rest of the couples. After the bridal party was seated the new Mr. and Mrs. Eldon made a grand entrance to the blaring horns and heavy drumbeats of Junkanoo (Bahamian Carnival music). Ever since Craig started planning the wedding he focused most of his attention on the reception. He wanted a party after the pomp and circumstance of the wedding ceremony. Kandice wanted a beautiful wedding hall. They compromised and had a heavenly decorated wedding hall, but with a killer DJ.
The Master of Ceremonies pushed the program along with speeches from the bridal party, the parents and a few special guests. I gave a short speech to honor my best friend of more than eight years and what the new couple meant to me. After more speeches, more drinking, good food and a few tears, it was time for the best part of the evening – dancing. As custom, the bride and groom and their families share the first dances, but as soon as the MC told the deejay to start the party, all the custom and formality was obliterated.
Most of the bridal party went through about two bottles of champagne each and it showed as we twirled around on the dance floor. The groomsmen’s suites were stripped down to the just the shirts and slacks. Luckily the bridesmaid’s dresses stayed on, but their shoes came off during the toasts. I have never had such a great time at any party. I think it had more to do with celebrating love and faith.
Love in the fact that it conquers all family squabbling, individual resentment, time, space and all the things that this world deems worthy. Faith in the fact that it through love is a force more powerful than anything we can imagine. It brought two families together. It made two hearts become one. And it has inspired others to love with all their faith. God bless the union of Craig and Kandice Eldon.
The day of Craig’s and Kandice’s wedding started with a loud knock on the door. I only had six hours to fully recover from the previous day's food, alcohol and slight seasickness, but after the third set of knocks it didn’t matter. Craig and his brother were sleeping heavily so it was up to me to answer the door. It was Craig’s friend Jamal who I knew when he lived in 
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