These are Days...: My Little Sister Got Married!

I cannot believe over this past weekend, my little sister got married. Talk about feeling old!

I was lucky enough to the Maid of Honor and thought I'd share some photos and my speech.

the happy couple: Jodie & Jimmy

My speech:

Before I start officially, I wanted to let you all know that for the past 10 months or so, Jodie has been planning this wedding. And everything you see here has been her vision and dream. She also did all of this, for the most part, on her own. So a huge round of applause for my sister for pulling off this gorgeous affair. I must say she learned from the best.

Now I have been planning this speech for a very long time - even though I just wrote it last night! I had these ideas of grandeur with dances, videos, poems, and walks down memory lane. But at the end of the day, I embarrassed Jodie enough at her shower and I also didn’t want to take away from the bride and groom with my awesomeness. Instead, those of you that know me, I will blow your mind with the route I decided to go with.

Growing up 7 years older than my little sister, I sometimes acted more like her mother than her sister. Okay that’s not true, I did it a lot. So rather than mess with tradition, I’m going to give Jodie and Jimmy some advice.

Now listen here, you two...There are two important things about marriage that I want to share with you.

Getting married is not just about spending the rest of your life with someone you love, having babies, paying bills, and arguing over what to have for dinner. Marriage is so much more than that. Someone once told me, and it’s really been stuck with me for a while, that being with someone for life is more about sharing your life experiences with them. It’s about having a partner or copilot to go through all the ups and downs. About having someone at the end of your day to talk to and laugh with and of course argue with. It’s like going on a never ending roller coaster ride with a seatmate. You’re not alone and you have each other to witness your lives.

Never forget this because what’s the point of going through life without having someone to share it with. Now you have each other and I can’t stress enough that you need to talk and share and argue, all with passion.

I love this quote: We need a witness to our lives. There’s a billion people on the planet….. I mean, what does any one life mean? But in a marriage, you’re promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things….. all of it, all the time, every day. You’re saying ‘Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness.

Never forget that.

My second tip for the two of you is also a very important one. You just agreed to love one another no matter what for the rest of your lives. But more importantly, you have to agree to love one another as you are. You both are two unique individuals with some similarities and many differences. In some respects, you are who you are. Don’t change. You each have to accept each other for who you are and you can’t expect the other to change. So if Jodie is moody or Jimmy drops clothes all over the floor, get used to it. We are who we are and we shouldn’t change. Accept it now and you’ll be much happier. The minute one of you tries to change a big part of the other, your marriage will suffer. So love each other for who you are today and grow together and more in love over time.

To quote a movie: In my opinion the best thing you can you do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person will still think the sun shines out of your ass. That’s the kind of person that’s worth sticking with.

You can’t sugar coat marriage though. Every wishes you congratulations and such but no one really tells you the truth; that sometimes marriage is hard. Marriage is hard - trust me. But it’s also one of the most satisfying things you’ll do in your life. I know the two of you are so in love and I’m looking forward to watching you grow old together.

I hope my tiny bit of wisdom helps you both.

Jodie, I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become. I’m lucky to have gone through my life with a sister. And now that we’ll both be old married ladies I can’t wait to bond even more.

Jimmy, all I’m saying is back when I was in 5th grade, Mickey brought out the baseball bat. Many a guys have been tortured by the thought of it. And he’s not afraid to use it.

Finally, Jodie, just because you’re married to Jimmy now, you’re not all of a sudden Polish like you thought you would be.

I love you both! Salute!

Some more photos: