My college room mate and best friend, Anna, was set to get married two days after I finished my job in Boston. My job ended on Thursday and Friday morning, I was on a plane flying to Baltimore. It was my first friend wedding and I was a bridesmaid, so the last thing on my mind was meeting someone at the wedding. When I arrived on Friday, I was quickly swept up into wedding festivities with Anna and the other bridesmaids. Meanwhile, Mike was boarding a plane from Hawaii, hoping to make it to Annapolis in time to make the wedding ceremony. It wasn't guaranteed, though, because it's about a 12 hour flight and the wedding was at noon, so it would be cutting it close.
Saturday morning, the bridesmaids and Anna got ready and were in full wedding mode. The night before, we had rehearsed how to proceed out of the church without Mike, which was good since it was looking pretty unlikely that he would make it on time. I didn't really pay too much attention since it didn't affect me and I didn't even know who this guy they were talking about was. The ceremony was beautiful. I remember watching a single tear fall down Mike's (the groom) face as Anna walked down the aisle and just thinking how happy my best friend looked. About halfway through the ceremony, probably when the vows were being said, a door in the back of the church opened and I remember feeling so relieved that Mike was here. It was strange because I didn't know who this guy was and it wasn't going to be a huge deal if he missed the ceremony, but I definitely felt a sense of relief. He snuck into the pews next to the alter where the groomsmen were sitting and it was like he had been there the entire time. He says that he looked across the alter and thought to himself "she's the one." I think he just says that to embellish the story, but who knows.
After the ceremony, the bridal party hung around for pictures and eventually boarded the trolley to head to the reception. If you look at a lot of the pictures from that day, Mike is standing behind me. The photographer moved him a few times, but I specifically remember him trying to stand near me. On the trolley, the boys went crazy. They were popping bottles of champagne and I'm pretty sure Mike was one of the ones doing flips down the aisle of the trolley. I remember thinking, "These guys are crazy and really obnoxious." HA!
Mike and I ended up sitting at the same table at the reception. I forget if we had assigned seats or if there were just reserved tables for the bridal party, but either way, Mike somehow ended up sitting right next to each other. We ended up talking throughout the reception and I realized he wasn't quite as obnoxious as he seemed on the trolley. They did the garter toss and Mike caught the garter. He proceeded to wear it on his head for the rest of the evening. At one point, the DJ asked all of the men to grab a girl to dance with and I turned to Mike and said "Well, are you going to ask me to dance?" I'm not sure if it was this song or another, but this picture was taken.
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| I think this picture is hilarious because Mike is wearing the garter on his head while staring at me. Meanwhile, I'm oblivious and I'm pretty sure I was singing "Call Me Maybe" |
Today, I'm thankful for technology. It would have been near impossible for Mike and I to stay in touch after the wedding, especially during the deployment. It also allows me to stay in touch with my friends and family back home. It also allows for us to order American staples (read: hot sauce for Mike) on Amazon to be delivered here in Turkey. A true blessing.
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