Martin and Marianna's wedding.

More rain. Not that you could tell inside the church.

"In the Philippines, rain on your wedding day is good luck," the priest said, the booming, echo upon echo, Voice of God acoustics of the church making that old chestnut seem more true. Sitting out in the pews I found myself wishing I'd been asked to do a reading in the ceremony, just to hear my own voice bounce off itself a million times, reverberating from on high.

The priest seemed to enjoy it. He was a bit of a showman. "No one is in the unique position to get a better view of the bride coming down the aisle than the priest. Not even the groom. Sorry Martin, it's true. Ha ha."

Some of his bits worked better than others, though. "I would like to tell a joke. Here goes. 'I hope today... ISN'T the greatest day of your lives.' There. Joke."