Well, it has happened. My sister has gotten married (and to a wonderful man at that). I cannot even believe how fast it all flew by. Yeah I know, everyone says that, but it's so true. So how does the day go in the household of a bride? Well let me give you a play-by-play from the Maid of Honor's perspective.
Yesterday morning I woke up to the obnoxious sound of a vacuuming, my family conquering the dirt on the stairs which happen to be right near my room. I had planned on waking up at 7am, but thanks to this vacuum-extravaganza and my family's argument over "who would vacuum the stairs and who would go eat breakfast," 6am was my new wake-up time. Well, that and I realized I forgot to print out my speech.. which would have been bad.
Grace ran into my room (for the last time ever as a single woman) and was surprised by the fact that I was awake so early, because to be quite frank, I am not a morning person. I wish I was, but unfortunately I am not. So anyway, most of the morning was a blur due to hurried breakfast eating, intense hair and make-up sessions, and lots of picture-taking.
Off to the church we went in the limo, Cass accidentally digging her heel into my toe. It's amazing how many people you can fit in those things though.. and how hard it is to get in and out of them.
When we got to the church we did some last minute make-up touch-ups and some motivational speeches for the adorable flower girl and ring bearer, along with more moments of blurs, and then came the ceremony. It all was beautiful, and Grace looked incredible as she walked down the aisle with my dad (from what I could see anyway.. it's pretty hard to tell what's going on from the front). A few random favorite parts during all of that- the carpet having issues going down, the flower girl and the ring bearer making their way down the aisle super slowly (until the ring bearer saw his grandpa and ran ahead hahah), and of course the mispronunciation of our last name by our pastor of 10 years. Gotta love it.
Also a favorite part? Watching Kurt's expression as he stared at my sister :]. Way too precious.
After the ceremony were the infamous wedding party pictures which we took at a park close by to the reception hall. You'd be surprised what interesting conversations take place amidst the picture-taking extravaganza.. the photographers have no idea.
The reception was a great time filled with food, hanging out, and speeches. I gave my speech to Grace, which went fine except for the fact that I shake uncontrollably when speaking in public every time. It's pretty bad.. and pretty embarrassing, but what can ya do? It happens. So here is the speech that I gave :].
Yesterday morning I woke up to the obnoxious sound of a vacuuming, my family conquering the dirt on the stairs which happen to be right near my room. I had planned on waking up at 7am, but thanks to this vacuum-extravaganza and my family's argument over "who would vacuum the stairs and who would go eat breakfast," 6am was my new wake-up time. Well, that and I realized I forgot to print out my speech.. which would have been bad.
Grace ran into my room (for the last time ever as a single woman) and was surprised by the fact that I was awake so early, because to be quite frank, I am not a morning person. I wish I was, but unfortunately I am not. So anyway, most of the morning was a blur due to hurried breakfast eating, intense hair and make-up sessions, and lots of picture-taking.
Off to the church we went in the limo, Cass accidentally digging her heel into my toe. It's amazing how many people you can fit in those things though.. and how hard it is to get in and out of them.
When we got to the church we did some last minute make-up touch-ups and some motivational speeches for the adorable flower girl and ring bearer, along with more moments of blurs, and then came the ceremony. It all was beautiful, and Grace looked incredible as she walked down the aisle with my dad (from what I could see anyway.. it's pretty hard to tell what's going on from the front). A few random favorite parts during all of that- the carpet having issues going down, the flower girl and the ring bearer making their way down the aisle super slowly (until the ring bearer saw his grandpa and ran ahead hahah), and of course the mispronunciation of our last name by our pastor of 10 years. Gotta love it.
Also a favorite part? Watching Kurt's expression as he stared at my sister :]. Way too precious.
After the ceremony were the infamous wedding party pictures which we took at a park close by to the reception hall. You'd be surprised what interesting conversations take place amidst the picture-taking extravaganza.. the photographers have no idea.
The reception was a great time filled with food, hanging out, and speeches. I gave my speech to Grace, which went fine except for the fact that I shake uncontrollably when speaking in public every time. It's pretty bad.. and pretty embarrassing, but what can ya do? It happens. So here is the speech that I gave :].
Memories: Grace and Kurt’s Wedding Day
Saturday, May 28th, 2011
Saturday, May 28th, 2011
To be completely honest, this speech was pretty difficult to write. How do you contain a lifetime of memories on one sheet of paper? Well, I guess I have to begin somewhere.
First I would like to say, thank you, Grace. Thank you for spending time with me, your baby sister (even if it involved some bargaining on my part). For those of you who do not know, Grace does have a knack for negotiation. Grace’s form of bargaining would go a little something like this: “Here, Lena, I have a great idea. If you leave me alone for an hour, I will play with you for five whole minutes.” I joke about this, but in reality, a high school student sacrificing time to play with an obnoxious eight-year-old unfailingly exemplifies the love of Christ in her.
Grace has always been known to radiate this love in the presence of all who meet her. All of you who have been blessed enough to know her have witnessed what a woman of God truly looks like. Some of my favorite memories of Grace and I are the ones we shared while having “sleepovers” in her room. It would always be such a treat to sleep in her room, and the laughs, as well as the arguments over who was taking more of the blankets, always remained abundant. The most important moment of my life, when I fully understood what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross and fully accepted Him into my life, happened during one of these sleepovers with Grace. I know that I am honored to call Grace not only my sister, but my friend. Who else have I shared such interesting experiences with? From our embarrassing attempts to keep up with our unusual exercise videos, to our adventurous trips and hikes with cousins, our unique arrangement of memories can never really be defined. Who can possibly describe our numerous “Mystery Science Theater Marathons” with Abe, our many interesting games with the cousins, or our infamous “girly movies” (or “bonnet movies” as Abe calls them).
Grace has always been known to radiate this love in the presence of all who meet her. All of you who have been blessed enough to know her have witnessed what a woman of God truly looks like. Some of my favorite memories of Grace and I are the ones we shared while having “sleepovers” in her room. It would always be such a treat to sleep in her room, and the laughs, as well as the arguments over who was taking more of the blankets, always remained abundant. The most important moment of my life, when I fully understood what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross and fully accepted Him into my life, happened during one of these sleepovers with Grace. I know that I am honored to call Grace not only my sister, but my friend. Who else have I shared such interesting experiences with? From our embarrassing attempts to keep up with our unusual exercise videos, to our adventurous trips and hikes with cousins, our unique arrangement of memories can never really be defined. Who can possibly describe our numerous “Mystery Science Theater Marathons” with Abe, our many interesting games with the cousins, or our infamous “girly movies” (or “bonnet movies” as Abe calls them).
Grace, I guess what I’m trying to say is that the memories aren’t over. While we may never be able to replay your surprise birthday party (the birthday you thought everybody forgot about) or our many Boston College vs. UMass Lowell hockey games (even if you were always the lone B.C. fan), God willing, we will get to experience even more incredible memories in the years to come. I am so happy for you and Kurt as you create your new memories together. I’m so thankful that God brought Kurt into your life to stand by you and be the husband you’ve always dreamed of. I am now forced to share a quote by Grace when she was discouraged that the right guy would never come along (long before the times of Kurt Marvin). Our cousin Cass and I tried to convince her that her “knight in shining armor” would come for her soon. Grace replied with, “Well what happens if he was delayed...what happens if his horse died or something?!" Thankfully, Kurt’s “horse” never died and he never was delayed, but rather was brought into her life in God’s perfect timing. Kurt, I know you will love my big sister with the love of Christ and I thank God that she will be the wife of such a godly man whom I can now call my brother.
So, I guess this speech went over the “one page” limit, which is probably my cue to end it. To conclude this I would just like to thank God for all of the memories we have made, the memories we are now making on Grace and Kurt’s wedding day, and the memories that we will make in the future. I would like to leave you with one verse that I hope you will remember from this day: Psalm 91:9-11 “Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For he shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”
God bless you in your new life together. I love you so much, Grace and Kurt.
Great speech! You chose a perfect verse to bless them with, too. <3
ReplyDeleteI love your relationship with your sister!Such a godly example :)
ReplyDelete