The family made the trip from Burbank to Oxnard on Thursday afternoon, and checked into the Embassy Suites Hotel. Our Expedition was packed with mom, dad, the bride-to-be (BTB), Tiffany (our middle daughter), Cassie (the youngest), luggage, wedding favors, cameras, and other critical pieces of wedding equipment (at least we would like to believe they were items of unspeakable value and use). By the time everything was pulled out of the SUV, we had loaded two luggage carts. The hotel bellman turned and asked me to push one of the carts to the room. Okay, I'm paying for the wedding, four hotel rooms, and I'm bringing a lot of business to the hotel - and you want me to push my own luggage cart? He then asked the valet to help (must have been the look on my face).

Friday morning broke to a postcard sunrise, with expected temperatures in the mid 70s and light breezes. On today's schedule was a massage for the Mother-of-the-Bride (MOB) and the Bride-to-Be (BTB), a daughter's gift. Dad (FOB), on the other hand, had to return to the San Fernando Valley to pick up 160 chair covers and sashes for the reception, gas up the SUV, and stop at the outlets for a new pair of shoes (to go with the new suit). I also checked my office voicemail and emails as I was coordinating an important meeting for the following Tuesday. In the evening, the two families got together with the bride and groom to-be for sub sandwiches at a great local restaurant.

Saturday morning promised another great day in Oxnard: rehearsal day. The groom, his two brothers, the father of the groom, two groomsmen, and the FOB headed to the Port Hueneme Naval Base for a five-hour round of golf (who was in a hurry?). During the round, I received a call from the owner of the party rental company. We had called them the evening before to say 25% of the chair covers were dirty and we needed to replace them ASAP. The owner's wife had gone to their vendor to pick up at least 50 more covers only to find the same problem -dirty covers. We would have to determine how many were usable and hope for the best. A few hours later, we received another "bad news" call. Mom Louise Byers had fallen back at the Puerto Rican Compound (our home) and was on her way to the local hospital via paramedics. Seemed she decided not to come to the rehearsal dinner because she had not received an invitation, despite the fact that her son David was our videographer and she was my adopted mom. So it looked like we may not have a wedding video. The rehearsal began at 4:30 PM and went well. Almost sixty-five guests then freshened up and headed to the Whale's Tail for the rehearsal dinner, minus Louise and David.

Sunday, November 19, was a gorgeous day for a beach wedding. Throughout the day, final preparations were being made for the big event. The "girls" had moved into the bridal suite and turned it into a salon. Two hairdressers were available to assist the wedding party, the moms, and the BTB. The guys were running around, getting into trouble (it's what guys do when they have time to kill - get over it). Surprisingly, David the videographer had arrived (his mother was admitted into the hospital with a disclocated and cracked shoulder). At 1:00 PM, the bridal party assembled on the Presidential Lawn for pictures, followed by the groom's family, and finally the bride's family. With all of the last minute preparations complete, guests began to arrive and those in the actual wedding gathered in the bridal suite. The ceremony was about to begin.

The music of " Somewhere In Time" was playing over the PA system as the wedding party began to line up. The " Wedding Nazi" (actually, Toby was very nice and knew what to do) began to send each couple down the aisle. As the two flower girls headed out, I found myself alone with my daughter, the little girl who had become a woman and would now become a bride. For the first time I felt that I was actually losing a daughter. From this point forward I would still be her "dad," but Brian would replace me as her Knight in Shining Armor. I reached over and kissed my daughter and told her how proud I was of her and how much I loved her. We then turned to the right and headed down the aisle.

The ceremony was just under an hour long and went off without any problems. Pastor Erik Kirk introduced the now Mr. and Mrs. Brian and Amanda Vasconcellos to all the guests. " Danger Zone" from Top Gun began playing as the couple marched up the aisle. Guests were directed to the reception room as the bridal party gathered for any last minute photos. Later, The Others (the band) played a fanfare as the wedding party was introduced at the reception, and then the newlyweds entered the room. The post-wedding party was now in full swing. Cooper Bayliss, lead singer for The Others, acted as our emcee. Liz Costella and Heidi Nuti worked behind the scenes to keep the reception on track (Liz handled the timeline and Heidi kept the catering staff busy). The guests raised their glasses to toast the newlyweds at least four times; the cake was cut (the groom was told he would sleep on the beach if he smeared the face of his bride with cake); the garter was removed and tossed toward eligible bachelors; the bouquet ended up in one of my other daughters' hands (she will have to wait at least three years before I can afford another wedding); and everyone danced. Three special dances were held: first was a dance with the bride and groom (danced to "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait); the second, with the bride and dad (danced to "I Loved Her First" by Heartland), was a tearjerker; finally, the groom danced with his mother (to the Beatles' "In My Life").

The evening ended at 10:30 PM, as the bride and groom retired to the honeymoon suite; the parents left the banquet hall; and the catering staff began the clean up process. The next morning both families enjoyed breakfast with the newlyweds. Afterwards, the newlyweds headed to San Diego and the families headed home. A new branch in the family tree was taking root. Who knows, maybe there will be new sprouts on the branch by next Thanksgiving.