Wedding Recap

I am happy to announce that my little brother is now a married man!  All went off without a hitch (well, other than the "getting hitched" part, haha") and I can honestly say it was a beautiful weekend.  Coming so close on the heels of my own wedding, it was a bit like experiencing that event all over again, with the added bonus that I wasn't stressed out and could spend more time talking to family and friends.

Hooray for the bride and groom!

The wedding was also a reminder of the beauty and power of marriage.  My brother and his wife (so weird to write that!) have been living together for five years, and done extensive traveling together.  Compared to me and my husband, who had never spent the night together (well, except for on a plane to South Africa), my brother getting married seemed kind of anti-climactic when I anticipated the day.  Seeing the joy on their faces during and after the ceremony, however, was enough to remind me that marriage in itself, in the act of formally and publicly committing oneself to another person for life, does change a relationship.

On the other hand, this wedding was a reminder that my brother and I are so different.  Where our wedding was more of a banquet, theirs turned into a wild party.  Seriously, guests stayed and danced with the bride and groom until almost 2am.  Where Gil and I saw our vows as the time to declare our love, my brother and his wife each gave long, moving speeches at the reception, in which they talked about how they fell in love.  It was touching, and very them.

Thanks to all who prayed.  There was no family drama in this wedding weekend.  In fact, it gave me an opportunity to reflect on how much joy there is in my family, despite all we have been through, or perhaps because of it.

Many waters cannot quench love;
    rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
    all the wealth of one’s house for love,
    it would be utterly scorned.

Song of Solomon, 8:7