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After dinner, we transitioned straight into the toasts! Up until this moment, I honestly hadn’t given much thought to the toasts, (probably since I didn’t have to give one), but listening to these ended up being among the most beautiful, memorable moments of the night!
My dad went first. I have to admit, I was a little nervous for him, (sorry to embarrass you, Dad!) But he’s admittedly not a public speaker…he did such a wonderful job though, and gave the most classic, touching father-of-the-bride toast ever! Everyone loved it! 
My mom listening to my dad’s toast
Next up was my Maid of Honor, “Camo.” Maybe I’m just partial, but I thought she gave the hands down best toast I’ve ever heard at a wedding.
A lot of it was just plain funny. She shared a good dose of embarrassing stories and funny memories, involving not only me and Mr. Turtle, but also some classic blasts from the past from our friendship. Everyone laughed when she told the story of when she knew that Mr. Turtle was the one for me: I’d invited Mr. Turtle as a guest to our church youth group’s summer camp not long after we’d started dating. MOH Camo remembered me approaching her one day at camp, saying, “Mr. Turtle signed me up to go with him on an overnight backpacking trip/hike in the mountains. We have to sleep out under the stars and make our own food and stuff.” Then I handed her my crystal necklace I wear every day and asked her to guard it while I was gone, so I didn’t lose it on our little trip. She said that any guy who could convince me to rough it overnight in the wilderness, leaving all of my trappings of girly life behind, must really be someone special.
Another highlight was when she threatened Mr. Turtle to always treat me right, or he would have to answer to her, and she knows how to “kill a man with her thumb.” This may sound a little strange, but anyone who knows MOH Camo knows that she is in the Air Force, so this threat is no joke. She’s legit. (And it’s pretty hysterical, considering she loves Mr. Turtle!)
Then, one of my bridesmaids, J-me, surprised me by joining in on Camo’s toast. (You should understand, all of my bridesmaids are my absolute irreplaceable best friends, but Camo, J-me, and I are a little threesome. We’re more like, I don’t know… sisters? Soul mates? Or as Alan from The Hangover would put it, “the three best friends that anyone could have!” You get the idea… So, in the moment, it was a surprise, but looking back, I can’t imagine their joint toast any other way!)
Camo and J-me also balanced the humor with some serious moments. They talked about how much we’ve been through together over the years, and the strength of our friendship after sticking together through the good and the bad. (In the last year and a half, Camo and J-me both lost their brothers, so most of our guests understood the depth of these references.)
Of course there were more laughs. J-me made some jokes about all the boyfriends, breakups, and crushes her and Camo have gone through while I’ve been steadily with Mr. Turtle through it all. She closed with the chorus lyrics of the country song, “Love Like Crazy.”
“Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse ’I love you.’
Go to work, do your best, don’t outsmart your common sense.
Never let your praying knees get lazy,
And love like crazy.”
The whole time I sat there listening to their toast, I just wanted to get up and give both of them a big hug! But this would have to wait… because the toasts were only halfway through!
Next up was Mr. Turtle’s brother and Best Man, R!
He is a great public speaker, so of course he gave a great toast! He talked about how he couldn’t come up with too many embarrassing stories about Mr. Turtle, because Mr. Turtle was always the “good brother.” R was the one making the mischief. Apparently his main memories of Mr. Turtle growing up were that he was obsessed with Star Wars. And eating salami. He also shared some really sweet observations he’d made about the special relationship that Mr. Turtle and I have. I really enjoyed listening to everything he had to say!
To us!
And finally, Mr. Turtle and I gave our toast! I planned on saying something, but I ended up just letting him talk, because he did such a good job. (And I’m usually the one doing all the talking!) He thanked everyone who’d supported our relationship since the beginning, those who helped us put together our wedding, and all our guests for coming and blessing us with their presence and love!
(Apparently, by the looks of my facial expression in this picture, he said something funny too.)
To everyone!!
And then, finally, it was time for the group hug I’d been waiting for! Yaaay! Thank God for best friends! (And Chloe, thank you for capturing these moments. These pictures are so special to me!)
I apologize for the longest post ever. And about toasts, of all things! I just love these pictures, and couldn’t bear to cut any of them out! If you stayed with me through the whole thing, congrats! And as far as these Turtle recaps go, we’re nearing the end! Can you believe it? Next up: we cut the cake and toss the garter and bouquet!
Whose toast are you most looking forward to hearing at your wedding? (Or if your wedding has passed, whose toast did you most enjoy, and why?)
In case you missed out on any of my earlier recap posts:
Once again, all of the photos in this post were taken by our wonderful photographer, Chloe Murdoch, with Mike Larson Inc.
I loved all these pictures! Your toasts seemed like they were beautiful and special! My favorite toast from the day was the one our best man gave to us. He had lived with us for 4.5 months so he knows us very well!
Loving your recaps!! Sad they are winding down! Toasts are the best 
Your toasts sound like they were so heartfelt. I loved the toasts at our wedding, too. My dad is typically a great speaker, but he was a little nervous.
Aww oh my goodness! The toasts sounds wonderful! And I love the pics of you and your besties! Super sentimental!
I can’t believe we are almost to the end of your wedding. I love reading your posts!
So sweet! Looking at these, your wedding was just so darn classy
Oh, I loved this post so much! Your wedding is not only picture-perfect and magazine worthy, it is filled with all the love, joy, and MEANING that all brides hope for. I’m so happy for you, and I loved reading this. It was wonderful. So heart-warming.
I can’t get over your lovely wedding, and that you get that song stuck in my head EVERY TIME! But it’s a good one, so I’m happy about it 
I loved the group hug, so sweet. You’re a lucky girl to have such great friends!
Such joy in all these photos, you can tell how happy everyone is for you guys!
Those were some beautiful toasts. You have amazing friends and those pictures are just adorable.
Oh, those are sweet toasts. I love that “love like crazy”!!
All 13 of you: Just wanted you to know that your comments truly made my day today! I really try to make my recaps feel authentic and meaningful, and I’m so thankful that our wedding comes across that way. Thanks for your heartfelt words!
these toasts sound like they were a joy to listen to! I just can’t get over how beautifully everything came together.
[...] So Happy Together: Toasts [...]
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Mrs. Turtle, Central California Age and Occupation: 21, Art Student/Teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, English Student Engagement Date: August 16, 2008 Wedding Date: July 2010 Venue: Mr. Turtle's Grandparents' backyard, Arroyo Grande, CA About Me: I am a California girl who loves the beach and the mountains, but is quite satisfied living right in the middle where I can enjoy the best of both worlds. I am happiest when traveling to faraway places, wandering through museums, watching old movies, or baking up a storm. Mr. Turtle and I are high school sweethearts and fellow book nerds who both drive Mini Coopers and are most likely to be found browsing in antique stores. We're having so much fun planning our European garden wedding with a vintage twist and can't wait to share more of life's adventures together!
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