My sister got married last weekend! It was fun and busy and crazy and emotional and very very special. Here are some of the highlights in the form of Quick Takes (complete with grainy cellphone pics). Enjoy!
THE WEATHER! It was a perfect weekend for a wedding, blue skies, warm sun, and puffy white clouds. When my sister set her date for April 17 last fall we joked that, Minnesota being what it is, there very well could be snow on her wedding day. Instead they got sunshine and 80 beautiful degrees.
Pedicures! I haven't had my nails done, nor done them myself, in almost a year. And I do like to have polish on so going for mani/pedis was such a treat. And soaking my feet in hot water while sipping on a latte without any interruptions basically felt like a Caribbean vacation.
Getting to know another side of my sister. I've known my sister for all of her life and almost all of mine. Even though she has been an adult for quite some time I still can't help but think of her as my 11 year old little sister. But over the wedding weekend I got to see her as her own person outside of our usual family setting. It was great to meet her cool friends and see the supportive community she has built. She was so laid back and chill about wedding plans and details. It was so fun to see her be in charge on the wedding day, and be the center of attention with so much grace and poise.
5 minutes before the wedding when my mom was about to be escorted down the aisle she came over to where my dad and I were standing. She gave my dad a hug and said to him, through some tears, "Have fun walking Amy down the aisle." My dad turned to me, tears starting to form in his own eyes and said, "Now why did she have to say that?" From there on out we were pretty much a mess.
Johnny was the Ring Bearer. Instead of giving him a pillow with some fake rings to hold, we made a flag for him to carry that said "Here comes the bride." During the rehearsal he was wiping that flag around, banging it on every available surface, and running up and down the aisle. But the wedding was at 3:00 pm, right in the middle of what is usually nap time. So when it was Johnny's turn to walk in he came down the aisle with heavy eyes and slow steps, dragging the flag on the ground behind him. I really hope the photographer got a picture of him, because it was pretty hilarious. When he finally made it to Alex in the front row everyone started clapping. Then my sister came in and everyone very appropriately forgot about Johnny, who fell asleep on Alex's lap.
I was not the only one who cried while giving a toast. Amy told me ahead of time that her new in-laws were an emotional bunch. And she was right My new brother-in-law's father, who is a minister, gave the sweetest wedding sermon, and cried his way through the whole thing. Then his brother, the best man, cried his way through his toast. So I was in good company when it was my turn to read the toast I had prepared. The only difference was that when my brother-in-law's father and brother cried they did it really nicely. They didn't really look like they were crying, they just paused a lot and took some deep breathes. But when I cry, I ugly cry. My mouth get quivery, my face gets red, and my voice cracks and squeaks. I think I held it together for the first 7 seconds of my toasts, and then I was just hot mess. Lucky for me a wedding is one place where that sort of thing is entirely appropriate.
Going to weddings as a married person is like a nice little refresher course on marriage. And the two things I took away from the aforementioned very sweet wedding sermon were these:
1. A marriage requires humility. I know this. Just like I know humility is something I struggle with. But how great would it be for my marriage if I would always treat Alex as more important than myself? The morning of the wedding, while we were at mass, I picked up a prayer card that has the litany of humility printed on it and I thought to myself, "I should start praying this." Then when I heard the word humility at the wedding I knew God must be trying to tell me something.
And 2. Watch your mouth. I know that my tongue can be sharp and I know that my words can cause injury. If I can learn to humble myself and not feel entitled to say everything that pops into my head, my marriage will be served so much better. It's not that I can't say what I'm thinking. But I do need to learn to say what I'm thinking in a gentle and helpful way.
It was a beautiful wedding. It made me excited for my sister and brother-in-law to begin their married life. It made me excited to continue working on my own marriage.
Have a great weekend everyone! And for more Quick Takes visit This Ain't The Lyceum
//1//
THE WEATHER! It was a perfect weekend for a wedding, blue skies, warm sun, and puffy white clouds. When my sister set her date for April 17 last fall we joked that, Minnesota being what it is, there very well could be snow on her wedding day. Instead they got sunshine and 80 beautiful degrees.
//2//
Pedicures! I haven't had my nails done, nor done them myself, in almost a year. And I do like to have polish on so going for mani/pedis was such a treat. And soaking my feet in hot water while sipping on a latte without any interruptions basically felt like a Caribbean vacation.
//3//
Getting to know another side of my sister. I've known my sister for all of her life and almost all of mine. Even though she has been an adult for quite some time I still can't help but think of her as my 11 year old little sister. But over the wedding weekend I got to see her as her own person outside of our usual family setting. It was great to meet her cool friends and see the supportive community she has built. She was so laid back and chill about wedding plans and details. It was so fun to see her be in charge on the wedding day, and be the center of attention with so much grace and poise.
//4//
5 minutes before the wedding when my mom was about to be escorted down the aisle she came over to where my dad and I were standing. She gave my dad a hug and said to him, through some tears, "Have fun walking Amy down the aisle." My dad turned to me, tears starting to form in his own eyes and said, "Now why did she have to say that?" From there on out we were pretty much a mess.
//5//
Johnny was the Ring Bearer. Instead of giving him a pillow with some fake rings to hold, we made a flag for him to carry that said "Here comes the bride." During the rehearsal he was wiping that flag around, banging it on every available surface, and running up and down the aisle. But the wedding was at 3:00 pm, right in the middle of what is usually nap time. So when it was Johnny's turn to walk in he came down the aisle with heavy eyes and slow steps, dragging the flag on the ground behind him. I really hope the photographer got a picture of him, because it was pretty hilarious. When he finally made it to Alex in the front row everyone started clapping. Then my sister came in and everyone very appropriately forgot about Johnny, who fell asleep on Alex's lap.
//6//
I was not the only one who cried while giving a toast. Amy told me ahead of time that her new in-laws were an emotional bunch. And she was right My new brother-in-law's father, who is a minister, gave the sweetest wedding sermon, and cried his way through the whole thing. Then his brother, the best man, cried his way through his toast. So I was in good company when it was my turn to read the toast I had prepared. The only difference was that when my brother-in-law's father and brother cried they did it really nicely. They didn't really look like they were crying, they just paused a lot and took some deep breathes. But when I cry, I ugly cry. My mouth get quivery, my face gets red, and my voice cracks and squeaks. I think I held it together for the first 7 seconds of my toasts, and then I was just hot mess. Lucky for me a wedding is one place where that sort of thing is entirely appropriate.
//7//
 |
| Thanks to my cousin, Alyssa, for lending my this photo. I did not even get one of my sister! |
1. A marriage requires humility. I know this. Just like I know humility is something I struggle with. But how great would it be for my marriage if I would always treat Alex as more important than myself? The morning of the wedding, while we were at mass, I picked up a prayer card that has the litany of humility printed on it and I thought to myself, "I should start praying this." Then when I heard the word humility at the wedding I knew God must be trying to tell me something.
And 2. Watch your mouth. I know that my tongue can be sharp and I know that my words can cause injury. If I can learn to humble myself and not feel entitled to say everything that pops into my head, my marriage will be served so much better. It's not that I can't say what I'm thinking. But I do need to learn to say what I'm thinking in a gentle and helpful way.
It was a beautiful wedding. It made me excited for my sister and brother-in-law to begin their married life. It made me excited to continue working on my own marriage.
Have a great weekend everyone! And for more Quick Takes visit This Ain't The Lyceum