So right off the bat: the wedding yesterday was insane. It had my trifecta of food, friends and fun all held together with heaps of love. The endless wine probably helped too.

The ceremony was a simple civil one. Having seen only religious wedding ceremonies myself, I was actually quite surprised to see how much the code referred to how you need to treat each other but also your future obligations to any children you may have. Hunter, the best man, is from the Potawatomi nation and blessed the couple by gifting them with a traditional blanket. I think everyone shed a tear at that one.

Highlights of the night include: josh shedding a “single” tear (as opposed to crying), spritzs at the gelateria, the insane antipasti selection, the interpreter, funny photos at the tables, catching up with friends that I haven’t seen in seven years but picking up right where we left off, an amazing five course meal, josh splitting his pants, the amazing music, field trip to see the cigarette vending machine, Ali and Giova being everywhere at once – still looking at each other the way they did nine years ago. When you’ve been together long enough for your relationship to be a third grader, at some level a wedding is a chance to bring people together

As you can tell, in the food category alone, this wedding will be a tough one to beat… Ever! Which means that the morning after, you’re a little tired but also a little sad that the event you’ve been anticipating for a year now is over.

Once we were done brunch, Giova and his dad drive Sanjay, Emilie and myself around the hills in the region as a little sightseeing tour. It’s unbelievable how much history there is in this country, even in the relatively unknown regions. Took in the vineyards of the Barolo region and learnt a little bit more about the slow food movement.

Ending our tour with an obligatory gelato (the intensity of the flavour is insane! But though it might be sacrilege to the Italians, I think Village Ice Cream holds it own with them, though VIC does more adventurous flavours and they stick to the traditional ones here), I took a nap before we headed to Giova’s house for dinner. Honestly, I hope my house looks like theirs one day- covered in books and art with magnificent views out of every window.

While we munched on bread, meat, cheese and tomatoes (which I ate like a plum, making Andrew follow suit, horrifying Giova’s mum), taking in the beautiful vista, a storm was coming in. A better part of the evening was spent taking pictures of the lightening, or at least trying to. What a lovely evening!