Abby's Wedding - The Big Day Part II

Alright, time for another wedding post. Didn't realize how long these were going to be! This is the second to last, though!

When I last left off, we had just arrived at the reception. The DJ announced the wedding party and then Abby & Ryan were announced for the first time!

They got down to business right away and did their first dance to Michael Bubble's song, "Everything." I hope the videographer captured this as the dance was AWESOME. They didn't take dance classes, but Abby had taken ballroom dancing in college and said her & Ryan had been practicing. I was expecting a nice little first dance, but they blew me away with their number. They were seriously like Fred & Ginger on the dance floor with lots of dips and spins and things like that.

Pretty cool, huh? I fear I am way to klutzy to ever pull something like that off. I'd be the bride that would wipe out in her heels on the dance floor!

We arrived for part of the social hour so I was able to chat with some of the guests - and get some pictures taken, of course.

Suzanne, aka qwerkyqook, and I

Some of my cousins from my dad's side of the family: Ashley, Julie, and Alison

Soon enough, it was time to sit down for dinner which meant speech time! I have honestly been thinking about this speech since last fall when Abby asked me to be her maid of honor. I started sifting through quotes and thinking back on memories. What do I say to my sister on her wedding day? Obviously I wouldn't be giving a 'here's some marital advice speech' since I have no experience in that department. I can be a little bit on the witty side at times, but it is tough to be funny in front of 200 people when you only know about 1/2 of them. So I decided to take a sentimental approach to my speech. I started off by talking about the concept of a 'helicopter parent' and said they haven't coined this term yet, but if they did, I would fall under the category of a 'helicopter sibling.' I have always been that over-dominant older sibling, constantly offering unsolicited advice. Being 7 years older than my sister, I've always felt like I needed to take her under my wing and help her make the right choices and avoid the missteps I've made in my life.

I talked about how when Ryan came on the scene, I totally backed off because I knew my sister was with someone who was going to take care of her; someone who brought out the best in her. I meant it when I said I couldn't have picked a better spouse for my little sister. They compliment each other so well and it is so obvious how very much in love they are. I didn't talk about this in the speech, but I remember the first time I met Ryan. I had broken up with my Ryan the night before (confusing? Yah, we both dated Ryans. And we have a cousin Ryan. And our cousin married a Ryan. I guess we are fond of that name). Anyways, I was a sobbing mess, and I am not exaggerating when I say that. But he was so sweet and kind to me that weekend at the lake and he didn't seem too uncomfortable with my sporadic tears. I remember playing the game Apples to Apples with them and watching their interaction - it was nothing like my interactions with my Ryan. It was so hard to end things with my Ryan and I was starting to wonder if I had made the right decision. But I watched Abby & her Ryan and thought to myself, 'Lisa, you need to hold out for this kind of love.' Anyways, I obviously didn't talk about that during the speech because I would have come off as a train-wreck maid of honor who needed therapy. But that is what I thought about when I thought about what I wanted to say about Abby & Ryan.

Back to my speech - I closed things up with this quote:

"As you sit side by side through this roller coaster of life, remember to scream from the peaks, hold hands through the dips, laugh through the loop-the-loops, and enjoy every twist and turn."

And that's about all the blogging I have in me tonight. Stayed tuned for my final wedding post.

PS I seriously want to throw my computer off my balcony right about now. I apparently contracted a virus from a Facebook link that I stupidly clicked on (via a message from a friend). I can not figure out how to get rid of this annoying virus. I've done virus scans. I renewed by PC-cillin membership. I am at my wit's end. So lesson learned: don't click on a link in a message received on facebook from a random person.