Weddingbee Blog

As soon as the wedding party sat down and before the salads came out, both of our dads got up to speak. My dad reminisced about my childhood, the first time he met Mr. T when we started dating, how he couldn’t believe this day was here, and how he was so happy to add another son to the family.

Then, Mr. T’s dad got up and said a few words. He started out by saying that there are certain life events where everyone remembers exactly where they were when it happened. Like 9/11. He tied it back in by saying he’ll never forget when Mr. T was born, but we still like to tease him about that time he brought up 9/11 at our wedding. He welcomed me to the family, and toasted to our bright future together.

My uncle/priest gave a quick blessing…

…and then the salads came out. During the salad course, the maid of honor and best man gave their toasts. My little sister started.

She talked about how when we were little, she wanted to be just like me. We are a very theater-oriented family, and she said I was always the director. She charmed everyone with embarrassing stories about how I used to get my door taken off the hinges when I’d slam it in the heat of an argument. Because we shared a room, that meant she also spent a significant portion of her childhood without a bedroom door.

She welcomed Mr. T to the family. We already have three brothers, but she said she already knew that Mr. T was going to be her favorite.

Mr. T’s brother, B, was up next. He gave a short but very sweet speech. He welcomed me to the family, and said that while he’s always looked up to his big brother, he has never been prouder of him than he was on our wedding day.

Finally, we got up to say a few words. I let Mr. T speak on our behalf because my nervous stomach had returned. He thanked everyone for coming, told them how much they mean to us, and said that we wanted to toast to them.

All photos by Andrew Collings Photography

Miss a Treasure recap? Catch up!

• Practice Makes Perfect – Our rehearsal
• Hitting Rock Bottom – Our rehearsal dinner and too many butterflies
• Hair, Makeup, and Broken Mirrors – I get ready with my girl friends
• All Dressed Up – I become a bride
• The Somethings – Old, new, borrowed, blue
• The Guys Get Ready – Mr. T and the rest of the guys get dressed and head to the church
• Goin’ to the Chapel – We head to the chapel and fix a wardrobe malfunction on the way
• Moments Before – My nerves resurface just before the ceremony
• The Processional – The bridal party makes their way down the aisle
• Here Comes the Bride – My parents walk me down the aisle as I see Mr. T for the first time
• I Do – Our Catholic wedding ceremony
• We Are Family – We take formal photos with our family
• Trolley Time – We cruise around Chicago on our trolley
• Life’s a Beach – We take photos at North Avenue Beach
• The Nitty Gritty – We take gritty, urban photos near the Kinzie Street Bridge
• Stopping Traffic – We take photos in the middle of LaSalle Street
• Magnificent – We take photos on the Magnificent Mile
• The Da Vinci Code – We finish up our group photos in Renaissance style
• Cocktail Hour – We mix and mingle with our guests
• The Little Things – The details of our day, including our non-traditional centerpieces
• Make an Entrance – The wedding party enters the reception to the sounds of Passion Pit