A Wedding and a Party
Posted on August 24, 2008
My best friend Anthony’s wedding was this weekend and I had the honor of being best man. One of the biggest (or at least the most stressful) responsibilities of the best man is the toast. I’ve never had to speak in front of that many people before but I think it went over relatively well.
My Speech:
Ladies and gentlemen, if there’s anybody here this afternoon who’s feeling nervous, apprehensive and queasy at the thought of what lies ahead, it’s probably because you just got married to Anthony Ventura.
When I sat down to write this thing I had no clue where to start.
Some people tell jokes, but I’m not that funny.
Some people write a poem, but I can’t rhyme.
Some people give advice, but I’ve only been married a year so the only advice I have is to shut up and let her do the talking.
Since I can’t do any of those the best thing I came up with is to tell everyone how I got to know the lovely new Mr & Mrs Ventura. The only problem is, I’ve known Anthony for so damn long I have no idea how we met. What I can tell you is a few things that he’s taught me over the years.
I’ve learned that the Ventura’s really know how to raise a son, but I have no idea how they deal with both of them. (Harriet you’re a saint)
I’ve learned that Rollerblading down giant hills can lead to war scars the size of your fist.
I’ve learned that Mascara really does look horrible on a guy (Ask me later, I have pictures).
I’ve learned that transformers and legos are fun to play with at any age, wait no not really.
I’ve learned how good friends stand the test of time.
And I’ve learned that a list like this can go on for days so we’ll just stop here.
The really awesome part of having a friend like Anthony is that every time we see each other, even if its after months or years apart, it’s back to the same old shenanigans, drinking past 2am and befriending trashcans (or toilets). He’s always only a phone call away any time you need to patch a hole in a wall or get away from your pets for 2 weeks.
I remember the first time I met Meg. It was Anthony’s birthday and he wanted me to come out to MacGregors to meet this stunning girl he had been seeing. A few Irish Car Bombs later and there we were, 2 country boys and a beautiful blonde stuck in front of Deer Hunter the video game. When Meg proved she had what it takes to kill more bambies than us I told him:
“Any woman that can shoot a toy gun like that is worth keeping!”
I was right because he’s definitely getting the better end of the deal. Anthony, you are a lucky groom - you’ve married Meg, who’s beautiful, smart, funny, warm, loving and caring, and she deserves a good husband. Thank God you married her before she found one.
I’ve been told that Meg is good at a lot of things but directions are not one of them. I don’t know how she found her way to their first date, but I’m pretty sure one of the biggest reasons she keeps him around is because she can’t read a map. Anthony, whatever you do, don’t buy her a GPS device because she might not need you anymore.
I lied, I do have one small piece of advice. If I have learned anything during the past year it’s this. Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.
From the moment I saw them together I could tell that they’re very much in love and would bring each other happiness for years to come. It was truly an honor for me to be a part of their day. I would like to propose a toast to the happy couple, wishing them years upon years of blissful happiness.
To Anthony and Meg…
May your love grow ever stronger as you share your lives together, and may your future be more wonderful than you dreamed possible.
And Now I Feel Old
Posted on April 21, 2008
My niece Jennifer was married to Jeremy Pike last Friday April 18th. It was a Beautiful Ceremony at the Christian Community Church of East Williamson. Rachel and I were able to see some people we haven’t seen since our wedding including my Brother! Always a good time.
The only problem is. Now I feel Old. Is that wierd? She’s only my niece and really only 6 years younger.
High(er) Resolution Wedding Slide Show
Posted on October 24, 2007
I just stumbled upon stage6 and decided I’d finally upload a better quality version of the wedding slide show like I promised months ago. The experience has been good thus far except the site forces you to donvert to divx before doing an upload. Since I didn’t have anything to do that with it took me a bit longer than I had hoped but worth it in the end.
[Stage6 is no more, so this Stage6-hosted video cannot be displayed.]
Our Wedding Video
Posted on October 18, 2007
This is the video taken during the wedding by Bryan. Some parts are a bit shaky but you get what you pay for.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7774850876999663582Marry Me
Posted on October 6, 2007
According to the New York Times there’s a new trend going on in the world of proposals. People are paying lots of cash to have photographers disguise themselves in order for them to capture the moment. Normally this is a very private and very special occasion however people are beginning to publish everything about their life on the Internet and what’s the sense of leaving out the most romantic part of your life? To that end I’ve decided to share our story for everyone to read.
Our engagement story is both romantic and spontaneous. Maybe that’s the same thing? I had the ring in my possession for months in advance just waiting for the right time to ask. In October of 2005 we found out that our good friend Charles was living in London and he offered us a place to stay. We looked into flights and since it was past high-travel season the flights were dirt cheap. We were able to fly direct to London from jersey for under $300 a piece. After talking with Charles we found out that London would be celebrating Guy Fawkes day in 3 weeks and we made our plans to start our vacation that weekend.
At that time I had still not decided whether to use this opportunity to reveal my intentions or not. In fact until 5 minutes before walking out the door for the airport I still hadn’t made up my mind. At the time I knew of no truly romantic places in London. However, as many of you know, just before leaving the house I did decide to take the ring with me.
Once there, and after talking with Charles I decided that the top of the London Eye would be the perfect place. It took some effort, but I convinced Rachel to wait until the last day of our trip to ride it. This was so we could end our trip with the best part of all (providing she said yes).
When we were finally at the top I asked a gentleman who was in the capsule with us to take our picture, much to Rachel’s dismay. She couldn’t understand why I would want a picture of us at the top when we wouldn’t even be able to tell and she asked:
Why don’t we get some shots of the beautiful scenery?
Then, while she was posing for the picture, I bent down on my knee and she began to ask “he’s taking our picture, why are you tying your sho….ohhhhhH!”
Will you marry me?
and we all know her answer.
In the beginning the only plan I had was to ask a stranger to take our picture at a romantic place and pop the question while he did. I think it turned out beautifully and the spontaneity just added to the romantic feel of the moment. What does this mean? That I’m 2 years ahead of The New York Times.