Portraits of Family and Friends

The best portraits of the day were all the informal shots that Dave took as he walked around the wedding to capture the intimacy of family and friendships. Kat and Judith share a hug and a smile.

Lisa and Sue came early in the week to spread their warmth and joy into every aspect of the wedding details. This portrait reflects the happiness and kindness that they infuse into every moment.

Greg and Margo give Betty a big hug for one of the nicest small portraits of the day.

Betty and Ari had some fun trying on each other's shoes and stopped to posed for this delightful portrait.

Since we decided on a casual wedding, friends and family took the wedding portraits. Tonya, Cathy, Keeko, and Alyssa line up for the second round of family pics. Many thanks to Phyllis, Gigi, and Dave for such a great variety of lovely wedding portraits.

Dave brought his computer along to download photos all day long. Sue, Lisa, and Noel enjoy the view and some good wine while the master photographer works or is that plays?

Gigi and Keeko enjoy a quiet moment on a bench by the Tank House, Gigi took many of the photos for the day, along with the Wixsom Family portrait the following week - after we realized that we forgot to take one on the wedding day. The down side of a casual wedding is revealed in the details like family portrait groupings!

The extended family of Margo and Greg's children include Maura, Kiera, Bill, Isaac, Ari, Gavin, Mariana, Nick, and Ariel.

The Long Family gathered into a wonderful group in the sunlight path by the fountain. Greg's mom Betty is surrounded by all of her children and grandchildren that include Tonya and Steve, Jared, Josh, and BJ, along with Chris and Cathy with Alex and Megan, and Greg's children Isaac, Ari, Nick and his fiance Ariel.

We had everyone nearby gather for a Friends & Family portrait. Lisa, Sue, Huck, and Cindy join the gang - they're all like family anyway!

The next weekend all the Wixsoms came down for a family BBQ so that we could walk over to the Harris-Lass Museum and get the family photo that we forgot to gather for at the wedding. Thank goodness for a casual wedding because the post-wedding pic doesn't look out of place in the album even after Kat and the girls drove up from camping on Monterey Bay. Quick showers and a few minutes after we were posing for the family portrait. Greg and Margo were the only ones who needed to get dressed up again, and that wasn't much effort either. Bill and Keira are next to Neil, Keeko, Alyssa, Niki, and Jake. Noel and Kat with Kelsey, Phoebe, and Remy are on the right with Maura.

We had the youngest children in the family gather round the couple for a Children's Portrait which turned out well.

Celebrate Good Times!

The day was lovely, the food was fabulous, and family & friends were inspiring. After the ceremony it was time to celebrate with sumptuous grill from Bill, Neil, and Noel. The caterers, Delectables of Santa Clara, devised the perfect feast to accompany the great grill. Diane and Phyllis enjoy the fruits of their efforts.


Lisa and Margo celebrate Patty's gift of Royal Riviera pears that Bill thoughtfully brought along to grill. The best part was the combination of desserts that included almond pear tart (more pears is always a good idea) and chocolate raspberry decadence cake.





Greg and Kiera never got a piece of the chocolate decadence cake, so Margo surprised them with a second session of the fabulous concoction the next week when the family had to return for more grill and photos of the Wixsom family at the museum.



Margo packed a bin of games to enjoy, but forgot to bring them over to the museum. Isaac, Kelsey, and Phoebe ran home to fetch them from the garage. Luckily they only had 2 blocks to go - the best part of having a wedding in the neighborhood. Our party doesn't start until the games are on deck! Bocci was a family favorite as Nike and Jake demonstrate their focus and enthusiasm. Nate and Gavin were team captains and everyone had a great time playing bocci. Niki, Remy, and Jake enjoyed checkers with football helmets of Stanford and the Cal Bears.





Keeko holds two of the peacock feathers that decorated the tables over Alyssa's eyes and the results are hilarious.



After dinner the sound crew got the dancing started. Isaac, Nick, and Alex manned the mixer and iPod with all the tunes that Bill downloaded from Margo and Greg's greatest hits list. For the first dance, they enjoyed the wise words from "We're Impossible." Then everyone joined in to relieve Greg from his dance anxiety.

The Ceremony

The ceremony begins with Remy, Niki, and Jake, leading the parade of bridal party drummers to call the guests to the gardens for the wedding. The children play folk percussion instruments, while Greg, Isaac, Gavin, and Nick play drums that experienced drummer, Huck has brought for the ceremony.



As the drumming begins to call the guests to the wedding, Cindy, Margo, Sue, and Lisa wait in the flower gazebo at the side of the gardens. Sue holds the lotus pillow with the rings for the ceremony.

Cindy, Sue, Margo, and Lisa enter the ceremony carrying carved gathering baskets from Uluru filled with rose petals from their garden. Sue carries the rings, and Margo carries a single stem of Regal Lilies that Lisa selected at the Farmer's Market.









The drummers call the bride and attendants to begin the ceremony.

Huck explains the Flower Ceremony and gives the invocation for the ceremony, sharing with guests the meaning of the Heart Blessing, Candle Ceremony, and Ring Blessing that Margo and Greg have selected as their marriage rite. Attendants Cindy, Sue, and Lisa stand beside Margo with the rings nestled in a lotus pillow, while Isaac, Nick, and Gavin flank Greg with didgeridoos for their ceremony.

Sons Nick, Gavin, and Isaac play a Heart Blessing for the couple, and then for the guests. Margo spent last summer on a Fulbright seminar in Australia studying Art, Environment, and Culture, which has enriched our lives throughout the year. Two of the didgeridoos are from Kakadu National Park, a World Heritage Site. The Fulbright projects can be seen online at:

http://www.fulbright.com.au/events/FulbrightHaysCurriculm.htm

For the Candle Ceremony daughters Ari and Maura held candles that Greg and Margo used to light the single wedding candle - symbolizing how love comes from and is nourished by family. Kiera brought a candle representing the presence in Spirit of son Ryan, along with a sculpture of carved seals to represent the bonding of family and love.

Cindy, Sue, and Lisa read the Ring Blessing:

Benediction of the Elements

May the fountain of the waters of Life
Spring eternal within you!
May the breath of the Spirit
Consecrate the cloister of your hearts!
May you truly be children of Earth,
Living to nourish the seed of the word!
And may the cosmic fire rise
Forever torchlike through your Beings!

The exchange of rings. Margo designed her engagement and wedding band with etchings of the 4 Elements: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Greg's ring is a Mokame Gane from Japanese metalwork traditions that fold several metals into one piece for great strength and to symbolize unity from dioversity. It also reminded him of the Lord of The Rings - one of his favorite books - which is a pretty cool style for a wedding band.







Holding hands Margo and Greg walk out into the community of family and friends . It's ime to get this party started!

After the ceremony it's hugs all around and time for the celebrations to begin. Fabulous food, great music, extraordinary family and friends made this an absolutely perfect day: the evidence is on our faces.

Dave, Gigi, and friends took such lovely photos of the entire ceremony. Phyllis emailed several wonderful shots. In this one Dave zoomed in and the photo has a blur that creates an interesting halo. A lovely effect as this was the moment in the ceremony where Huck declared us a married couple. The halo of happiness radiates to reflect the joy of the moment.

A Beautiful Space for a Wedding

The happy couple pose outside the house as they prepare to walk to the wedding. Margo walked to a salon a few blocks from the house to get her hair done, and Kiera did her make-up, after Sue pressed the wedding dress and vests. Lisa bought flowers from the Santa Clara Farmer's Market a few blocks away and decided on the single Lily stem for a bouquet.

It was a particular treat to be able to walk to the wedding. All the details were planned for a small environmental footprint. The caterer came from a few blocks away, and the wedding and reception at the same space allowed people to stay in one beautiful setting for the day, walking back to Margo and Greg's house for post-wedding celebrations. Table linens, china, and silverware made for an elegant outdoor dinner without being wasteful. Potted hibiscus plants for floral table decor allowed guests to take the greenery home and plant flowers in their yards to expand the green space of the planet. Creating a sustainable wedding and supporting the neighborhood museum was an important part of the celebration.

Mature California Live Oak trees in the center of the museum grounds provided a sheltering space for a wedding ceremony, shade from the hot August sun for dining and dancing, and a spectacular backdrop for a wedding. It was the perfect setting to celebrate the marriage of two avid Naturalists.

The happy couple arrive at the Harris-Lass Museum surrounded by sunshine, flowers, and the warmth of family and friends. Alyssa leads the way with programs for the ceremony. Along with Kelsey, and Phoebe, she handed out programs and made sure that everyone took the time to select a flower for the Flower Ceremony.

Before the ceremony, Greg and Margo had the chance to walk around and greet guests and celebrate the gift of family and friends before the ceremony started. Greg chats with his Dolby colleagues while Margo embraces Graham's best wishes.

Irene at Delectables Catering suggested that we serve appetizers and drinks for a half hour before the ceremony, which was a perfect idea for an afternoon wedding. Kathy, Megan, Judith, Tracy, BJ, Josh, and Jared sample the tasty selections. Guests arrived at 2pm to relax with fabulous food and delightful company. Fresh food and cold drinks set the tone for the day for all to be relaxed and refreshed.

The expansive lawns and many garden areas of the Harris-Lass Museum created a delightfully relaxing space to enjoy the company of family and friends. Nick, Ari, and Ariel relax on the benches and grass around the front fountain.

Margo and Greg savored the ability to walk around and greet guests, and enjoy time to laugh and relax together before the ceremony. It certainly was a treat to feel so relaxed at their own wedding after all the work, planning, and activities.

Nick and Isaac ccordinated the set-up for tables and chairs for the wedding celebration. Tonya, Jared, Josh, and BJ were the lead work crew, setting the stage for a perfect day.

Lisa and Cindy set flowers and vases on the ceremony table, after they arranged pots of hibiscus and peacock feathers at the other tables. The ceremony table was surrounded by mature California Live Oak trees and pale pink hydrangia.

A Beautiful Space for a Celebration

Mariana cut and arranged decorative papers for each table setting. The colors coordinated with the wedding party fabrics: gold, light brown ochre, pale blue and turquoise. Keeko painted Kanji for joyful words on stones groupings set at each table to keep the placemats in place with the regular breeze.

Margo, Cindy, Lisa, and Sue get ready for the ceremony in amid the greenery and flowers of the gazebo. The museum grounds had such a luscious assortment of flowers, benches, copses, floral archways, and green spaces. The women gathered in the gazebo beside the main gardens while the men processed in with a drumming ceremony led by the children with folk percussion instruments.

Ari and the Warren cousins select flowers for the Flower ceremony with Patty, Moose, and Alyssa. Huck set up a table near the fountain so that flowers would sit in the water jars in the sun for the afternoon to absorb the flower essences and blessings.

Margo gives hugs all around to the grill crew who made her vision of fabulous food come true. Neil, Noel, Gavin, and Nate were chief grill crew members. Neil made marinated portabello mushrooms and Noel prepared two varieties of stuffed figs.

Bill was a champion with the BBQ chicken. He spent most of the previous evening repackaging chicken in ziplock bags with his famous "Love Rub" that has become our household favorite.

Throughout the day he was decked out in his apron nourishing the crowd with his incredibly fillin' grillin'. Maura, Keeko, and Nate keep the grillmeister company, and guarantee that he is never lacking for a cold beer!

The Wilson Posse enjoys the shade of the large oak tree. Kiera, Rebecca, and Becca make a stunning trio of beauties.

The Wedding Guests

In 6th grade Sue was assigned to be Margo's "friend" (under the most abusive conditions!) and still holds fast to that assignment. Cindy sat across from Margo for 4 years of high school and the friendship stuck also. Lisa got the college berth as Margo's friend through 3 years as Literature majors sitting in the same classes together creating dragons and essays. We 4 have been enjoying the adventure ever since!



Dave stepped off the plane in San Jose to the request, "You're #1 photographer for the week!" He's embraced the assignment with a delightful and mischievious relish. Sue looks over his shoulder as he downloads photos after the wedding ceremony.




Keeko's dad, Gigi, gets the award for farthest traveling guest. He returned with Keeko and Neil from Japan for the month of August. Gigi has been our #2 photographer taking great photos and always bringing good cheer.






Graham came in with the New York contingent, although technically he could be the farthest traveling guest since he's from Sydney, Australia. His kindness and generosity (and propensity for golf and engineering) has made him an honorary Wixsom.






Greg's mom, Betty, has known Wayne and Marlene since middle school back in Iowa. Middle school sweethearts, Wayne and Marlene (long married) are still glowing, and live close by in Los Altos to join the celebration.

Nate, who keeps our 19th Ward family alive in the Bay Area, brings his good humor to every family event, along with the serving trays for the grill, and sumptuous desserts for the rehearsal dinner. He's the family's Food Czar.

Abe and Miriam congratulate Kiera on the coming of Olivia as they enjoy a shady spot on this sparkling sunny afternoon.


Greg's Dolby colleagues include ET and Sam, with Wilson and Jane.

A reunion of the Washington Manor Wolves includes Huck, Phyllis, and Diane who worked with Margo at her first school in the Bay Area in San Lorenzo. Diane has retired to Chico, and Huck has retired to a magical life. Phyllis keeps us connected with current and former staff as she continues as the school librarian.

Quynh and Craig enjoy some relaxing time with Greg before the ceremony. Quynh collaborates with Greg on Adobe product research, and has recently joined him in the MBA program at the University of the Presidio.

Our last family wedding was celebrating with Tracy and Jim, so it was a pleasure to have them call and volunteer to help with set-up and clean-up for our wedding celebration. They bring plenty of fun and good times to every family gathering.










Becca and Rebecca, who are 19th Ward family, share some fun in the sun visiting from San Diego and San Francisco. they stayed overnight after the wedding to help keep the good times rolling.





Margo's Palo Alto High School colleagues, Linda who is retired and living in Mendocino, Moose and partner Patty, and Susan with partner Ken.

Wedding Day Preparations

Even a casual wedding like we planned takes a HUGE amount of support and assistance from family and friends. We have been blessed richly by both. In the morning Sue and Lisa went with Margo to the Farmer's Market and bought 15 bouquets of flowers for the wedding ceremony and table settings.




Alyssa, Kelsey, and Phoebe distributed the wedding programs with the cover illustration of the wedding mandala. The lotus was the design pattern from the wedding vests, playful otters, the 4 elements of wind, water, air, and fire surround the moonrise and sunset that symbolize the joy and timelessness of love.


Sue & Lisa arranged hibiscus plants in pots as centerpieces with peacock feathers at each table. Mariana cut decorative papers, in colors that matched the wedding vests, into three-layered placemats for the tables .

Huck prepared a table with water and a placard about the Flower Ceremony, and invited guests to select a flower from the table arrangements and place it in the water jars with a blessing for the couple. Sitting in the sunlight all afternoon, the water is infused by the flower essences. After the ceremony Huck made flower essences as a very special gift for Margo and Greg to have and use throughout their marriage.

The caterer, Delectables, set up appetizers and drinks as the guests arrived to provide a welcome and refreshing space for the wedding celebration.

Decorative tables, exquisite food, a guestbook table for kind thoughts and wishes, along with the Flower Ceremony table provided a lovely celebration ambiance to welcome guests and bridal party to this sacred space.

Noel prepared and served figs in goat cheese and prosciutto (Margo's favorite!) while Neil marinated portabello mushrooms for the vegetarian entree. Last year Margo asked Noel, Neil, and Bill to do the grilling for the wedding, because they provide our family with such delightful holiday grilling - and no caterer could recreate that kind of excellence!

The most extensive support for the entire week was Bill's tireless grilling efforts. He marinated 80 pieces of kosher chicken the night before and rolled his smoker grill the 2 blocks to the museum grounds early that morning. Gavin, Nate, Noel, and Neil formed Bill's grill squad while Graham transported and coordinated beverages. Keeko toasts the finish of her decorative kanji stones.

Ari arranges the candles on the ceremony table before the ceremony. The Candle Ceremony included the three daughters. Maura and Ari gave Greg and Margo their candles, used to light a couple's candle, while Kiera carried a candle to remember our son Ryan Brendan who is with us in spirit.

Keeko paints Kanji for happiness, joy, laughter, freindship, love, and other delightful words on the stones that hold the centerpieces in place. After the ceremony we invited people to take home the hibiscus and kanji stones as mementos of our wedding celebration. Keeko also stayed at the house all day on Friday to help with the children and rehearsal dinner preparations.