May 2007 -  Bryan Spivey and Lisa Palmer

On Saturday, April 28, 2007, Bryan Spivey and Lisa Palmer were married in a lovely late morning ceremony at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Galveston, Texas.

Afterwards Bryan and Lisa threw a wonderful reception at the Hotel Galvez just a few blocks down the street from the Sacred Heart Church.

Bryan and Lisa are major celebrities in Houston dance circles as well the State of  Texas.  Their dance credentials are a mile long.  Bryan and Lisa were the 2004 Texas State Whip Champions.  They were the 2005 Pro-Am winners of the Southwest Regional.  And that's just for starters. 

In addition, Bryan and Lisa have been a big part of SSQQ for many years.  Currently Bryan and Lisa are the much-appreciated instructors of the SSQQ Martian Whip dance class on Monday. 

They began dating in 2003.  It was obvious from the start that they took their relationship very seriously.  After dating for two years, Bryan and Lisa announced their engagement in August of 2005.  And now two years later, this was the big day.  The time had come complete their commitment to each other.

As you might guess, I have known both Bryan and Lisa for many years.  Over these years, I have grown close to both of them.  Therefore it should come as no surprise to anyone that I was very proud to share their happiness on their Wedding Day. 

So if you detect some paternal prattling on my part from time to time, at least you understand where I am coming from.

Marla and I decided to carpool down to the wedding with our friends Cher Longoria and Robert Goins.

The night before the wedding, Cher phoned me to say they were doing construction work over the weekend on I-45 in the Clear Lake area, so we decided to leave early that morning in case there were delays.

When we hit the traffic backup, Marla suggested we take Old Galveston Road to bypass the construction.  Although I had to drive through a ditch to extricate us from the jam, it turned out her suggestion worked like a charm.  We got there with plenty of time to spare.

For reasons that were clear to none of us, we all thought the ceremony was going to be held at the Hotel Galvez.  Only Marla bothered to bring the invitation.  At some point on the way down, she took another look at it and discovered the wedding was at Sacred Heart Church.

Are we smart or what?

So we cruised up and down Broadway Street for a while when all a sudden we discovered this enormous church that rose nearly to the clouds above.  Operating without a map, we patted ourselves on the back for finding it, but due to our early start we had over an hour before the service was to begin. 

We drove to the edge of Galveston Bay and quickly found a lovely brand new coffee shop.  Perfect!  I read the sports section, Marla got some much-needed coffee in her system, Cher needed Robert's jacket to handle the air-conditioning, and we were all in a very good mood.

As 11 am rolled around, we headed over to the church.  That's when I discovered I was wearing the ugliest shoes in my possession.  No one had told me about the church wedding. I had assumed we were going to the Hotel Galvez and I was going to put on my spiffy dance shoes when we got there.   So here I was in some eighty-year worn out loafers.  I was glad we got there early.  Maybe I could sneak in before anyone got some pictures of my shoes.

I did have to laugh at my discomfort.  If you ever read the story of my own wedding, you will discover I had to borrow some shoes from my friend Paul Foltyn to get married in because I had forgotten to pack dress shoes.  Some things never change.

As we got out of the car, Mitch From, one of the groomsmen, drove up with Bryan.  I smiled and said hi.  Bryan was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped over to shake my hand and Robert's.  Here was one guy that was definitely feeling good about getting married!  

We got to the church so early there was no one to seat us.  Fortunately Bryan's brother-in-law stepped in to offer to seat us.  He politely asked if we preferred to sit on the Bride's side or the Groom's side.  We decided we didn't care, but I figured that since Lisa was from New York, her side probably could use some local folk.  That's how the 4 of us ended up sitting on Lisa's side.  Hopefully Bryan could have cared less which side we sat on. 

Slowly but surely all the guests began to arrive.  It turned out Lisa didn't need our help. I soon discovered that Lisa had a large number of family in attendance.  Lisa grew up in upper New York state, so I imagine her large contingent of relatives had a long way to go to make this event.  But you know what?  The wedding was so much fun I don't think they minded a bit. 

On Bryan's side sat a veritable who's who of Houston Dancers.  Forgive me for I am about to omit many names, but I will do the best I can.  In attendance were Mitch and Ann From, Patricia and David Holmes, Trent and Michelle Haynes,  Catherine Pisano,  Lloyd and Michelle Hilliard, Dennis and Heather Taupo, Krista Johnson, Lise Gagnon, Amy Carter, Natasha Smith, Mark Sheppard, Marlies Whitmoyer, Andrew Laham and Pam Conyne.  There were other dancers in attendance as well, but I didn't know their names. Oh well. 

I smiled as I watched the members of the dance community arrive.  These people were Bryan and Lisa's best friends in the world of Houston dance.  Basically most of them got their start as SSQQ Swing Kids circa Year 2000.

If you have never heard the story, Bryan came to SSQQ in 2000 to become a Hall Monitor.  He was going to college and needed a part-time job.  Truth be told, I was a little irritated with Bryan because he was always leaving his Hall Monitor post to join one of the dance classes.  He had never taken a dance class in his life, but he liked what he saw in the dance classes and realized he wanted to learn.  A warm-hearted, outgoing guy, Bryan made friends quickly and soon began to show up at the East Coast Swing practice nights and parties.  That's when I noticed the quality of his dancing was far superior to anything he could have learned in a dance class.  The Kid was a Natural!

One day I found out that Bryan had substituted for a Swing instructor who had failed to show up for class. I immediately popped a blood vessel, exclaiming, "What the heck is a Hall Monitor doing teaching a dance class!?!!"

In my mind, an instructor has to complete a long apprenticeship, but here was Bryan, the guy who had learned to dance on the fly, suddenly teaching a dance class.  I was fit to be tied until I was told that he did a really good job.  The students loved him.  That's when I realized Bryan had a talent for dance that far exceeded anything I had ever seen before.  Early in 2002, I decided to promote him to become an official East Coast Swing instructor. 

That's when Bryan joined an entire group of Swing Kids who became SSQQ instructors such as Patty (O) Holmes, Gloria Sanchez,  Steve Gabino, Krista Johnson, Kimberly Smith, Michelle (Wann) Haynes, Lise Gagnon, and Dennis Taupo. 

But Bryan's interests had already moved from East Coast to West Coast Swing.  Bryan was quickly becoming the best male dancer in the studio without even bothering to take a single class.  It was craziest thing I had ever seen!   A former football player, Bryan had no formal dance training at all.  Yet Bryan mysteriously had the ability to move gracefully in ways that far transcended people who had taken years of dance lessons.  He was able to move his body without being effeminate.  He was a sexy dancer that commanded the eyes of everyone in the room.  The girls loved to dance to with him.   'How did he ever get so good?', I wondered.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  

In March 2003, Bryan and his friend Michelle Wann, one of the card-carrying SSQQ Swing Kids, teamed up to win the Houston Novice Invitational.  In other words, Bryan had won the first dance contest he ever entered.  And to my knowledge, he had never taken an official Whip class in his life.  Amazing.

From there, Bryan's dance career sky-rocketed.  Meanwhile, later that same year (2003), a tall, slender woman by the name of Lisa Palmer caught his eye.  This graceful woman could not only dance with the best of them, Lisa was beautiful, intelligent, and classy.  Although she was a bit on the quiet side, she really didn't need to say anything.  Lisa's beauty turned heads whenever she entered a room, then her dancing made jaws drop.  Bryan and Lisa were well-matched on the dance floor.  

From the moment they began to date, Bryan and Lisa started a meteoric climb to the top of the Houston dance community.  They quickly became the rising stars.  Just a year after they began to go together, in October 2004, Bryan and Lisa became State Champions.  It happened so fast!   

Since then, Bryan has continued to win dance contests for the last two years. In addition to more triumphs with Lisa, Bryan won two contests dancing with his talented mother Yvonne. Bryan also had a Top Ten finish in the National Swing Championships in late 2006 with Valerie Menard, a highly experienced dance professional he teamed up for a shot at the top.

After all the immediate success in the world of competition West Coast Swing dancing, Bryan and Lisa realized they were quite a dance team.  But the question was could they make money at it? 

Now it was time to think about the future which included marriage and raising a family.  Anyone who has ever pursued a career in the Arts knows it is tough to make money.  Ask a musician, a painter, a writer, or an actor, much less a dancer, how hard it is to make a living in their specialty.  It can be done, but it isn't easy.  But when you have the kind of talent that Bryan and Lisa possess, the chances are greatly improved. 

I venture to guess that as his wedding date approached, Bryan spent more than a few anxious moments mulling over his future.  With his prodigious talent, I hope he will continue to pursue a career in dance.  But that's Bryan and Lisa's decision.  We will have to see. 

And now back to our wedding story.  After the Catholic Priest announced that Bryan and Lisa were husband and wife, the group moved its operations over to the Hotel Galvez for a much-anticipated afternoon of dancing and fun.

Marla, Robert, Cher, and I were practically the first people there.  Please take note of this minor miracle.  Punctuality is not my strength.  This may be the only story of mine you will ever read where being early is the case. 

Sure enough, the guests began to arrive and soon after that, so did the wedding party.  I was surprised to notice my friend Larry Parker was the official photographer.  Larry has not only taken dance classes at SSQQ, I hired him to take pictures for several of our dance parties.  I assumed Bryan had hired him after meeting Larry at a dance party, but that was not the case.  It was just a coincidence that Larry had gotten the job.  Small world!

Meanwhile I wish I had taken the time to take more pictures!  Maybe Larry can share some of the pictures I missed out on.  For example, I am kicking myself that I didn't get a picture Lloyd Hilliard and several other people.  And my worst mistake was missing out snapping a picture of Bryan's lovely mother Yvonne.  I talked to her several times, but it slipped my mind to take a shot.  Duh. It is so difficult to have lots of fun and to take pictures too!

We all enjoyed a wonderful meal and now it was time for the dancing festivities.  Bryan and Lisa entered the floor for the traditional first dance.  They started with the predictable slow dancing, but to no one's surprise, they eventually segued into a graceful West Coast Swing. 

I took several pictures of Bryan and Lisa first dance, but quite frankly my talents as a photographer are quite limited.  The lighting on the dance floor frustrated me on many pictures I took that day.  I never quite understood why some of my pictures of the dance floor turned out perfect while others were dark as midnight.  Oh well. My own shortcomings notwithstanding, it was a sweet moment that brought smiles to many faces.

Now it was time for Bryan to dance with his mother Yvonne.  As I mentioned earlier, Bryan has danced with Yvonne in several competitions.  This woman can dance, let me tell you.  It is obvious where Bryan gets his talent from. 

Here's a story for you.  Bryan and his mother got out of the floor for some slow dancing.  At that moment, I was at the other end of the room getting a drink from the bar.  I was busy chatting with the bartender.  The strains of some slow dance ballad filled the air when suddenly the familiar sound of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" came on.  The change in music was so dramatic that both the bartender and I turned our eyes to the dance floor. 

At first Yvonne was clearly taken off guard by her son's sneaky trick.  But it didn't take long for her to switch gears.  Pretty soon Yvonne turned it on.  Yvonne was bumping, grinding, spinning, gyrating, moving her hips, showing her footwork, and generally putting on a great show.  In fact, the dance was so mesmerizing that the bartender and I watched the entire performance. 

When it was over, he realized he had been holding my glass in one hand and orange juice in the other in mid-pour for about two minutes!  We both laughed.

As the bartender finished making my drink, he began to shake his head. "Man, I've been doing these things for a long time, but I never seen no Mother move like that before!"

I cracked up.  It was a high compliment indeed. 

I asked the bartender how many wedding receptions he had worked.  He replied hundreds.  Three a day on Saturday and sometimes on Sunday or during the week.  And he had never seen dancing like this before!  Our group of dance superstars was something to behold.

At this point, Lisa danced with her father.  I never got the pleasure of meeting her father, but he was a very handsome, distinguished-looking man.  It wasn't hard to figure out where Lisa got her height!

Now it was time for everybody to dance.  I had to smile.  There were so many dance instructors at this wedding, you had an equal mix of male-female couples dancing alongside same-sex couples.  Everywhere you looked there were women partner dancing with women, men partner dancing with men. 

And you know what?  Nobody seemed to mind the slightest bit.

Cher, Robert, and Marla

Mitch and Ann From

Catherine Pisano, Robert, Krista Johnson

Patricia and David Holmes

Michelle Hilliard and Amy Carter.  Notice
Michelle is ready for her dollar dance.

Michelle and Trent Haynes

Natasha Smith, Bryan's sister Denise, and ??

Pam Conyne and Andrew Laham

Mark Sheppard and Marlies Whitmoyer

The final event of the day was the Dollar Dance.  I had never seen this particular ritual before, but apparently it is customary up in the East.  And since a third of the audience was from the East to support Lisa, I think they decided to introduce the custom here in Texas. 

I was skeptical at first, but quickly found myself fishing in my wallet for my opportunity to dance a couple minutes with the Bride and Groom.  Like I said, I have never seen a reception where there was this much boy dances with boy and girl dances with girl, but it was all in fun.

In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed watching 6' 6'' Mark dancing "follow" with Bryan.  They looked pretty cute together if I may say so.  And color-coordinated too!

Everyone got in one line, then got in the other.  In fact, several of us got in the same line twice.  Lisa and Bryan were in such a good mood that it was fun to keep this event going.

I was about to dance with Lisa when I noticed that Lisa's father had gotten in line to dance with Bryan.  This I had to see.  Bryan is 6' 2", but I think Lisa's father is nearly as tall as Mark. How much did Lisa's Dad know about dancing?  I had no idea what to expect and I was very curious.

The two men were a riot to watch.  Bryan got to dance 'Follow'.  Lisa's Dad did a pretty good job of tossing Bryan around if I may say so.

If I had one single regret from the afternoon, it was that I was unable to get a decent picture of the two men dancing together. But at least I got this silhouette shot to reveal the deep bonding that developed on the dance floor between Father in Law and Son in Law.  Check out those smiles!

Yup, Bryan was a happy boy all day long. He was all smiles and just as friendly as he could possibly be. He made everyone feel important.

And Lisa was as happy as I have ever seen her.  She was beaming all day long.  Lisa is reserved by nature.  She will never be quite the ham that Bryan is, but Lisa cut loose on many an occasion that day. 

Mark made Bryan work hard for his dollar

And Dad makes Bryan work hard too!

Bryan's Best Man was his childhood friend Daryl (I apologize, but I did not get a snapshot of Daryl).  I know Bryan appreciated having Daryl down throughout the weekend.  Daryl's main responsibility was keeping Bryan calm and collected.  Daryl was like a second son to Bryan's mother Yvonne as they grew up.  The two of them were practically inseparable until high school when Bryan went to Stafford and Daryl went to Memorial.  Now Daryl is doing graduate work in computers up at the University of Texas. 

I had a chance to briefly speak with Daryl about Bryan as he grew up.  Daryl said that he is amazed at the chance that has come over his friend since Bryan discovered his dancing talent.  In those days he was shy and unassuming. Today Bryan is incredibly outgoing.  I smiled at that remark.

And Lisa's cousin from New York (in the picture above) said something similar about Lisa.  He said Lisa was a quiet bookworm.  Lisa was always the one who made the best grades (FYI, Lisa was at one point a doctoral candidate in biology).  Hidden behind her academic achievements, no one had any idea the dance talent that lurked inside.  But today he was watching a different woman than the girl he grew up with.  In fact, he said he was pretty intimidated about dancing with her, but he intended to get his dollar's worth anyway!  Indeed, Lisa's entire family watched in appreciation throughout the day at the dancing on display from our Wedding Couple.

I noticed that Lisa had two sets of parents.  In this day and age, it is not at all unusual for parents to divorce and remarry.  What I found interesting was just how well the two sets of parents seem to get along.  That brought a smile to my face indeed. 

I also had to smile when it was Lisa's mother's turn to dance with Bryan after the First Dance.  As I mentioned earlier, Lisa and Bryan put on quite a show for their First Dance.  As a result, Lisa's mother was so intimidated that she exclaimed, "Oh no, please don't make me have to go out right after you, Lisa!  Can't we wait a while till no one's looking?"

A very pleasant aspect of the day was the opportunity for many of Bryan and Lisa's friends to come together and celebrate.  I realized I was getting a preview look at the people who will be running the Houston dance community one of these days.  If so, Houston's dance scene will be in good hands.

Indeed, we were all one big family that afternoon.  Weddings are fun, but Bryan and Lisa's wedding was particularly great fun for everyone involved.

Fun for everyone, that is, save for one young man.  I believe he was the ring bearer.  If memory serves, he wasn't at all happy about being forced to stand still while the pictures were being taken right after the wedding.  Fortunately, even this young man cheered up later on when the food was served.  I saw him chowing down and having a merry time of it.

What a wonderful wedding!  Thank you very much, Bryan and Lisa.

Dennis and Heather Taupo.  Dennis was a
groomsman and Heather a bridesmaid.

May 2007 -  Mark Sheppard and Marlies Whitmoyer

April 2007 -  Keith Baker and Betty Missler

April 2007 -  Jason Kapplinger and Tammy Kidwiler