Part 3- The Reception

After a very long Catholic mass and pictures we finally made it to the reception. It was great to see everyone and all the stress was gone. All I wanted to do was get a bite to eat and a glass of wine but there was still a few things to do before we were free. First we had to do to be introduced by the emcee and participate in an age old Italian tradition appropriately titled "The Grand March". I think every nationality has some form of wedding tradition. African American people "jump the broom", Italians do a cheesy polka dance. Ha! In all actuality it was a lot of fun. Finally after the traditional dance we were free to sit back, relax, and have some wine. My parents are not big drinkers so we just had beer and wine and an insane amount of food. There was really way too much food but no one was complaining. The food was actually really good. I don't like to eat a lot because it makes me feel ill so I just had a bit of everything. About two hours in it was time for our Maid of Honor and Best Man speeches. I am never nervous about anything but as soon as I took the mike I instantly lost my train of thought and completely went blank. Something about seeing everyone staring at me, intently waiting for words to come out of my mouth, made me freak out. I quickly got over it and regained my composure. I had been planning this speech for almost a year and I was not about to blow it. I took a breath and spoke from the heart. My story was very simple and true. Last September, at Chris and Michelle Chiara's wedding, a turning point in my mind occurred. We were sitting at a table in their reception and I was sitting next to Devin when this sappy country song came on. That's when he leaned over and told me how he knew he couldn't be without Laura and this song made him realize it. Apparently they had been going through a tough time in their relationship and he left their apartment and was upset. He said he had the radio playing and then the song came on and it made him think about life without my sister and he realized he couldn't let her go. Great story right? So it went over with rave reviews. Then my brother went on to give his speech. It wasn't as to the point as mine but there is something that he said that really touched me. In his speech he said that Laura and Devin's' wedding day was one of the best days of his life and honestly, I have to agree with him. It was also one of the best days of my life. So after all the seriousness the reception started to get a bit crazy. You don't want to miss the next installment, it is by far, the most entertaining.