Good Evening,
A little over eight years ago, my brother Matt stood up at my wedding reception and gave what some would consider a pretty memorable speech. It was witty, even funny at times, sentimental, and offered a bit of wisdom – everything you could ask for from a Best Man’s Toast. When Matt called to let me know that he an Erin were engaged, he challenged me, saying, “I don’t think you’ll be able to top my speech, but you can give it your best shot.” Thanks for the vote of confidence, Matt – you’re always there for me.
It truly is an honor to stand up with my brother on his wedding day, a day that some of us (Mom) thought would never arrive, to see him marry a stunning, intelligent, charming woman, and to finally have him admit that I am the Best Man. It’s just a great day all around.
I thought it would be nice to tell you a little bit about the first time that I officially met Erin. I had just arrived into State College with the volleyball team that I was coaching in 2008. It was the last weekend in May, and we were preparing to play for the State Championship. I had asked Matt to make some arrangements for us to have a team dinner – he picked Rotelli…shocking, I know – and as the team filed into the restaurant, he pulled me aside.
“I need you to do something for me.” He said. “There’s this girl that I’ve kind of been hanging out with, and she’s a little paranoid that I haven’t told anyone about her. She thinks I’m keeping her a secret.” To which I replied, “Could that be because you HAVEN’T told anyone about her, and you ARE keeping her a secret?”
“That’s not the point,” he said. “I’m going to introduce you to her later, and I need you to pretend that you’ve heard a lot about her, and that I talk about her all the time.” At this point, the dishonesty alarm in my head is going nuts, because I’m usually not one to try and pull one over on someone, especially a stranger (sic), but after all, the rule is: “When your brother is going with a story, you have to play along.”
“No problem,” I said.
Later that evening, Erin came to the church gym where we were having practice, and Matt introduced us for the first time. True to my word, I said, “Oh, Erin! It’s nice to finally meet you! Matt’s told me so much about you!” She politely smiled and said something along the lines of, “You’re full of crap.” That’s a paraphrase.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said. “He just told me about you an hour ago.”
It was then that I knew that Matt had met his match, so to speak, and as the three of us met up later at our hotel’s restaurant, Erin and I began talking and sharing all sorts of stories about Matt – lines he’d used, stories he told, stupid things he’s done – all as he sat there squirming like an ant under a magnifying glass. It truly was a magical evening, and I really think that Erin and I bonded over that table at Mad Mex.
Of course, after meeting Erin, my next move was to shamelessly spread the news to everyone I could think of. I didn’t have any clue that Matt was seeing someone before hand, and neither did our parents. My mom’s expression of shock, disbelief and, to be honest, genuine relief, was impressive. My grandmothers, however, infinitely wiser than the rest of us, seemed to take the news in stride.
Grandma Jordan just smiled and said that she and Grandpa thought he was probably seeing somebody – apparently he kept talking about going to dinner at “a friend’s” house. She didn’t buy it.
Grandma Lin said simply, “Well, at least now we know he’s not gay.” Grandma, I know Matt appreciates your continued faith in him.
What I can tell you about that weekend is that I left with a feeling in my gut that Erin was going to be the one that Matt ended up with. I could tell that he really cared about her by the way he described her to me, and by the expression on his face when she was around. He couldn’t seem to suppress that stupid grin – yeah, that’s the one – the whole time she was there.
Seriously, though, Matt and Erin, we are all extremely excited and happy for you as you begin this new chapter in both of your lives. I won’t tell you that it will always be easy, and there will be some things that you will never agree on, but in the long run, it will be worth it. A wise man once said, “Marriage is not just a word. It’s a sentence.” You can interpret that any way you like.
Let’s raise our glasses to Matt and Erin. May you have a long and happy life together, and of course, may your first child be a masculine child. Cheers.
Wedding Toast – From July 31st, 2010
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