Ryan and Chari’s wedding was a blast. The ultimate fusion of Spanish American culture. The ceremony was in both Spanish and English in this beautiful garden at a banquet hall about 40 minutes outside of Madrid. Everybody was dressed to a T and all smiles hugs and besos. Ryan and Chari and their son Jake were beautiful and friends and family made for a great party.

After the ceremony we had some tapas and drinks in the garden and got a chance to meet Chari’s family who weren’t at the BBQ the day before. The “California” boys were a big hit with everybody, although Chari’s family new how to have some fun at a wedding themselves. We had a three-course meal with some great wine and danced the night away. The DJs were classic Spanish cats and played a lot of Spanish pop music, which requires some imaginative dance moves and sense of humor to get down to.

We left the banquet hall around 1pm on a rowdy bus ride back with some amateur Flamenco and spontaneous song going down every couple of minutes in the back of the bus. Back in Madrid we kept the party going at a club called Capital, a three-story dance club with go-go dancers and travelers from all over the world. Still in our suits and riding the high of the wedding we rocked out until 5 in the morning with people from all over the world.

Exhausted, but happy we stumbled back to a friend’s hotel room and slept until 2pm the next day.

It’s hard to put into words what it’s like to see a good friend step up when he was force to, to create a life for himself and his family in another country. His determination, courage and love for his family are an inspiration and example for us all. Congratulations Ryan and Chari!!