 |
| Flash mob alert! And you are invited. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
As a traveler, there are times when you stumble upon the opportunity to participate in an unforgettable cultural experience.
 |
| The blushing bride and a handsome rewedding guest. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
For some of us, that chance came yesterday, at the Radical Sparkle ReWedding #3, a gender bender flash mob event that took place on the San Francisco ferry to Sausalito.
 |
| The wedding invite, handed out to commuters on the ferry. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
In what I have learned is a uniquely Bay Area inclination, all guests dressed in costume for the occasion…as they do for most occasions. Travel to the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ve learned, requires a special pool of money known as the “costume budget.”
 |
| Fabulous. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
 |
| Mustachioed ladies. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
For those who didn’t have time to pull together an outfit, a dress and lipstick or a mustache (or all three) magically appeared.
 |
| Proper flash mob attire was important. In a pinch, a dress and lipstick was procured from fellow guests. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
Radical and Sparkle, also known as Jared and Justine, mark their wedding anniversary in a similar way each year. Last year, they reportedly renewed their sentiments on the BART. This year, they did so aboard the Golden Gate Ferry from San Francisco to Sausalito, just as the evening commuters were heading home.
 |
| The bride, groom, guests, and mustache purveyor all board the ferry for the rewedding. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
 |
| Guests enjoy the view from the ferry. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
Passersby and fellow ferry riders took snapshots and video of the flash mob.
 |
| Passersby snap photos of the flash mob. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
For some of us, it might be culturally unthinkable to celebrate an anniversary in such a way. After all, it’s so public. It’s so different. It’s so much work. It’s so…San Francisco. Where I come from, you might take the gift certificate you got from the kids and go out for dinner and drinks, then tuck into bed at a sensible time. Planning and executing a flash mob gender bender rewedding isn’t even in our realm of comprehension.
 |
| The bride walks down the aisle. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
Yet, maybe it’s the kind of thing we all need to be a part of, if only for one rewedding.
It’s easy to be cynical about love. Some of us do it daily, slowly peeling an old, sticky bandaid off our wounds. But it’s hard to step into the public again and again, and declare that you will hold tight to hope for one more year. That you will try again, knowing what you know: that it is sometimes hard, and sometimes joyful but most often it is just the two of you, against the world.
 |
| Radical and Sparkle, bride and groom, reaffirm their commitment. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
Sure, the flash mob was silly, theatrical and fun. But once we were on the ferry, and the couple publicly reaffirmed their vows, a deep tenderness emerged. The groom (Justine) stumbled in gender references to the bride, while the guests gently corrected her. Justine’s voice quivered as she shared with all of us–random commuters, wedding crashers and guests–how much she loved him for accepting her just as she is.
 |
| The flash mob gender bender rewedding party. Photo by awesome, gifted photographer Jim Stone. |
Surrounded by men in skirts and mustachioed women, in a city known for embracing individuality, it seemed a most appropriate reflection.
Like this post: You might also like:
Like this post: You might also like:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Join our community of travelers and enjoy exclusive content by liking us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RollerbagGoddess
Charish Badzinski is an explorer, foodie and award-winning travel and food writer. When she isn’t working to build her blog: Rollerbag Goddess Rolls the World, she applies her worldview to her small business, providing strategic communications, media relations and writing support to individuals and organizations.
Find Charish on Twitter: @charishb
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Rollerbag Goddess Rolls the World by Charish Badzinski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at rollerbaggoddess.blogspot.com.
Rollerbag Goddess Global Communications 
One thought on “Flash Mob Alert! The Gender Bender ReWedding of Radical and Sparkle”