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September 02, 2007

Congratulations, Elle and Bob!

This weekend was the long-anticipated wedding of my dear high school friend, Bob, and his new bride, Elle. Over the past two years, they have had to endure an overseas romance, visa issues, involuntary separation, and serious phone bills. But the wedding underscored just how worth it this all was. The setting was perfect--Bob's Wicker Park backyard, the site for much celebration and events over the past decade. They married on the front porch, with friends and family scattered in the yard in front. And it bears mentioning that the weather was ridiculously cooperative. After weeks of being pounded by storms and searing heat and humidity, all weekend, the weather was auspiciously sunny, mild, and overall just excellent.

It's a huge testament to Bob and Elle that people flew in from all over the country--not to mention, the world. Of course, Danny was in from L.A. and Nick, Lisa, and Dave from Cleveland. But then there were friends Elle and Bob met in Thailand in from England. The Brophies from Canada. And--my stars!--my favorite German girls, Barbara and Babette. It was like a parade of awesome people. I was smiling so much that it hurt.

During the toast portion of the day, I was seriously enjoying myself. The lineup for toasts was excellent: Nate, Danny, Steve Catalano... Good material all around. And then Bob did a horrible thing.

Let me back up. Three years ago, at our wedding, I asked Bob to do a toast something like ten minutes before he needed to give it. Suffice to say, the toast was great, and I hadn't thought of it much since.

But apparently, he has. Because one thing I didn't know about Bob was that he can totally hold a grudge. So he grabbed the microphone, told the aforementioned story. And then, on the spot, made me come up and give a toast.

Let me just say that I never would have asked Bob to give a toast at our wedding, had I known what a jerk he was in the first place. You think you know a guy after 20 years. I'm not what you would call a "toastmaster" under the best of circumstances. I went up and stumbled through what could be considered not so much a "speech" as it was awkward rambling.

What I would have said, had I had the ten minutes I generously gave Bob at our wedding, would have been much more heartfelt and clever. I would have mentioned the great energy that was going on that day, that the perfect weather, in the perfect spot, on the perfect day, was a fitting coda to what had certainly been a frustrating journey for Bob and Elle. That they definitely deserved every minute of happiness this wonderful day. That they'd really pulled together something wonderful in such a short time period. It was of little matter that Nate was cleaning the bathroom 30 minutes before the ceremony. Or that the bartender seemed confused that she should have brought ice. That's what made it Bob's wedding. (And bless Elle, for her understanding of such matters.) But just that I'm so happy that we are just a short drive away so we can spend more time as they build their lives together. And that even if it was borderline horrifying, I was still flattered to be invited to deliver a toast at their wedding.

Enjoy these great photos that Shawn took.

Posted by lisa at September 2, 2007 12:01 PM

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