#TheOneWhereJonMarriesAnnie

I thought I’d take a break from my television rants, misguided observations of life, and attempts at humor to share a brief account of a special day – Annie Levine & Jonathan Emerson’s wedding last Sunday. Along with photos of people you don’t know.

The actual wedding was at a very cool art deco restaurant called Cicada in the historic Oviatt building in downtown Los Angeles. Scenes from many movies were shot in that building including DOUBLE INDEMNITY. And Cicada gets a lot of screen time too. Many scenes from MAD MEN were filmed there, and it served as the primary set for last year’s AMERICAN HORROR STORY (but we had them clean up all the blood before the ceremony).

Everyone stayed at the nearby Biltmore – it’s one of those classic old European-type hotels. Think: the Plaza in New York (although I told Annie “Don’t even think about recreating the wedding scene from PLAZA SUITE).

Downtown has undergone a real transformation over the last decade. Parts are becoming gentrified and hip, but there are still enough homeless people and psychotics shouting obscenities to ensure that the real downtown remains preserved.

My wife and I had a suite so that we could use the sitting area to provide hair and make up for the bridal party. We had a fabulous view of Pershing Square right across the street. Unfortunately, on Saturday they had some sort of salsa festival and it was like the bands were in our room. But that only lasted for eight hours… both days.

Saturday we had an actual wedding rehearsal. Some real thought went into this. It reminded me of the runthrough we had before taping THE DATING GAME. Meanwhile, they were setting up for that night’s event – the wrap party for RISSOLI AND ISLES. Several of the guys in the wedding party were hoping on Sunday to find Angie Harmon passed out under a table.

But we all got lovely gifts from the happy couple and no one asked “What is my motivation?”

Later that afternoon we held a reception for all the out-of-town guests. I offered suggestions on what attractions to see in LA. Jon’s relatives wanted to know which studio tour to take; mine wondered where they’d see the most celebrity graves.

The Emersons hosted a muy bueno rehearsal dinner at a fun nearby Mexican restaurant. Gracias Michael & Becky. I have no idea what was in those tacos (or drinks) but they were delicious. We parents gave our speeches and there was not a dry seat in the house.

Sunday the festivities began in earnest. Hair and make-up in our suite starting at 9:30. Coffee and sweetrolls were provided. The fathers and groomsmen took five minutes to put on suits. We met down at Jon & Annie’s suite where the Markers Mark was.

Annie looked spectacular in her wedding gown.

Next were all the family pictures. I recognized most of the people I was in the photos with.

Now it was time to go to Cicada for the main event. We all walked the block from the hotel to the venue. Several of the homeless guys wished “Mazol tov” to the bride.

Cicada was beautifully decorated. Alas, no Angie Harmon sleeping it off in the men’s room.

Two of Annie’s closest friends couldn’t attend because they were both in Israel. As a surprise, Jon arranged for them to join us via Skype. Rarely do you see people holding up iPads during the ceremony. By the way, it was 4:00 AM in Israel. That’s how close these friends were.

Otherwise, we had about 135 friends, relatives, and ten of the best unemployed comedy writers in Hollywood.

A harp player accompanied the wedding procession with theme songs from classic sitcoms. These out of work writers wrote on most of these iconic series.

The ceremony itself was touching, emotional, and joyous. Annie & Jon each wrote vows that were both heartfelt and hilarious. I’d tell them to write RomComs if RomComs didn’t now suck.

Then came the Hora, the Jewish line dance of celebration and confusion followed by maybe my least favorite tradition, raising the bride & groom and then parents in chairs. Safer is Wile E. Coyote getting on an Acme rocket.

The highlight of the dancing, eating, cake cutting, toasting, schmoozing portion of the festivities was my wife Debby organizing all the women to sing “Sunrise/Sunset.” You cannot have a Jewish wedding without that song. They performed it way better than the Broadway production starring Harvey Feirstein and Rosie O’Donnell.

Obviously it was a bittersweet night. What daddy can really let go of his little girl? But Annie has made the perfect choice. Jonathan Emerson is everything a father could ever want for his daughter. If anyone loves her as much as me I know it’s him.

So all and all, this was a magic night of love and laughter. Annie and Debby did a spectacular job planning this wedding. Every tiny detail was taken care of.   And we'll appreciate their efforts even more when we see what a clusterfuck these upcoming Olympics in Brazil are. 

Now Annie & Jon start their lives together. I know they'll do great.  As I said in my speech, I look forward to the day – and this will happen – that I’ll be known in the industry as Annie Levine’s father and known in life as Annie Emerson’s father.