My Big Brother's Wedding

On Saturday September 22nd, I watched my brother marry the most amazing woman.

Stephen and I were able to make the long trip from Germany to Dallas to see the couple get married under a grove of trees at a place called Marie Gabrielle’s in uptown. It was a smidge on the hot side (especially for me – I’m already used to this cool German weather!), but it was a beautifully clear day, so full of love.

I had a small speaking part in the wedding that I managed to not completely bungle.

I just felt so honored that my brother and Anne wanted me to speak for them on their special day. And, Mike spoke at my wedding, so it felt very fitting. (If you are curious, you can see what I read here. So them!)

Anne has incredible style, so I was not surprised to find that the wedding was gorgeous to the nth degree.

The bride getting ready. Her dress also had a large white sash. I love that she wore chunky jewelry (so her!). On her right hand, she wore “the family bracelet” that all the women in our family wear on their wedding day. She doesn’t have it on in the picture because my mom hadn’t passed it off to her yet.

(Seriously, I wish she would have been around when I got married so she could have picked the decorations!)

The present table:

It was decorated with stacks of books and pictures of their beloved dogs.

The guest book table:

The guest book was an Atlas. Stephen and I signed on the Germany page. They are going to have so much fun flipping through and finding all the signatures.

The bridesmaids wore navy blue sweetheart strapless dresses. They each picked their own shoes. Anne’s “maid of honor” was her brother. (She was his “best man” when he got married.) The guys all wore gray suits with navy ties. They also wore their own shoes. (I saw cowboy boots, converse, and dress shoes.)

With my siblings! My little brother (a groomsman) is on the left. My big brother (the groom!) is on the right.

There was a string quartet that played during the ceremony. A live band kept the party going late into the night on the dance floor. The food was a huge (and delicious) buffet. (It was also vegetarian-friendly. Thanks for that!) Dessert was a mountain of cupcakes, some of which had guitar picks. (My brother is a guitar-playing fiend.)

I had the wedding marked on my calendar for months, but wether or not Stephen could attend was up in the air until pretty much the very last minute. I’m so glad that he was able to be there, too!

He wore his dress blues, and I think he got almost as many compliments on his clothes as the bride! So many people came up to him and touched him, asked about his uniform, shook his hand. (I had already forgotten how nice Texans are to solider!)

The party went well into the night, and when it was time for the sparkler send-off, we wished that it never had to end! The bride and groom and some of their friends continued on to a nearby bar for an after party. Stephen and I wanted to attend, but we are old people and promptly fell asleep upon return to our hotel room.

I always thought that it would be strange when one of my brothers got married. I was wrong. Instead I feel elated! Marriage has brought me so much happiness, and I am overwhelmed with joy to see my brother experience the same feeling. He and Anne and so right for each other. As one of the bridesmaids toasted at the rehearsal dinner, “May the most you wish for, be the least you get.” Mazel tov!*

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