That Wedding: Toasting

When I brought up the idea of doing toasts that included flutes of sparkling cider I expected my dad to say "No way." He can be a little bit on the conservative side at times (not like I'm not conservative myself), and although we drink sparkling cider ourselves at holidays sometimes I thought he might say no because of how it would look in the photos. I was pleasantly surprised to find out he was on board with the idea, and it was a good thing because we were well under our catering minimum before this point and I needed a way to beef up menu a little bit.

I'm going to do what 99% of brides do at this point and say that our toasts were awesome. They include the story of how we came to be as related by the best man, some Polish from a real Pole, a little sister tattling on the bride, a teary eyed father, a bride that planned everything except her speech, and an introverted groom ending things on just the right note. But I think I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Best Man's toast was a completely unexpected hit. If you have ever been curious how a farm girl from Washington and a Polish boy from, well, Poland met in the middle of Utah, all you have to do is listen to this speech. This is the point where it was revealed to all of our guests that I was only married at this point because of the "marriage powerpoint" I presented to convince my future husband it was important to try dating.

Best Man Toast from Jenna on Vimeo.

I made sure everyone knew that after I got up the nerve to tell That Groom I wanted to date him, he took 3 weeks to give me an answer!

Was the toast really that funny? Let's look around and see.

Yep, it was absolutely hilarious.

I'm mostly laughing because I came out looking like the smart one after the toast was over. I am the one who decided we should date (and get married!) after all.

That FIL stood up and had everyone laughing, and even did a little speaking in Polish! If you didn't know, people who have never heard Polish before are fascinated by it. It's very common for people to say to That Husband "Say something to me in Polish."

FYI, don't do that to people. It's always annoying and they don't really have anything to say when you put them on the spot like that.

"Ha ha ha, funny FIL!"

MOH Shay stood up and told everyone I used to beat on her when we were kids. Do I look like the kind of person who would beat on her little sister?

This is the face that says "I'll beat on talk to you later about this little missy."

I admit now that I had a rather selfish reason for wanting do have these toasts; I wanted to have our fathers stand up and say a few words. My dad's toast wasn't funny, but it was sweet and sincere. I think my new husband leaned over to me 3 or 4 times throughout and asked "Is this being taped? Are you sure it's being recorded?", because we both knew that it was something we would want to be able to remember and relive.

Thanks dad.

Then it was our turn.

Bride and Groom Toast from Jenna on Vimeo.

My toast was a little bit ho-hum.

That Groom's however, was really wonderful! He was sincere, thoughtful, articulate and eloquent. I'm supposed to be the extroverted one in the relationship who does well in front of crowds, but now I'm thinking I'm really just the one who likes to talk.

We saw lots of touched expressions like this throughout the room.

The lady you see beaming up at my new husband in this photo deserves a lot of credit for making this all happen. Over a decade ago she received the bio for a Polish boy who wanted to be placed in California for the foreign exchange program. All of the California spots were taken, but she contacted him and asked if he would be interested in being placed with a family in Utah. This kind gesture of hers was the first of many of the events that brought he and I together in the end.

That MIL. The love she feels for her son is so transparent in this photo.

Cake teaser! (And someone please get that hideous dead bouquet off the cake table. Thank you.)

Cheers to us, my darling.

Can you name one wedding day event that isn't sealed with a kiss? I don't think there are any.

Take another picture with your click! click! click! click! camera, Kelli Nicole.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
That Wedding: Photobooth
That Wedding: We Dance
That Wedding: Dining Details