one red speaker

Meet Katie.

Actually, let’s start again…

Meet Katie. Our friendship began in the summer of 1995 at a math convention at the Sugarloaf Ski Resort in Maine. One of the nights, they held an outdoor dance. Her boyfriend was being a jerk, and we ended up dancing with each other. When school started again, we had AP Biology together. She walked in and didn’t recognize anybody and sat with me. Mr. Elegante had to separate us pretty much immediately.

We’re both hopeless romantics. We spent hours talking on the phone. I talked about who I liked, she talked about who she liked, and we both endlessly discussed and debated the nature of love.

Are you finished throwing up? Good, let’s continue.

We’re not very good at keeping in touch. We manage to catch each other on the phone every two to three months. When we do, though, we end up talking forever. What’s remarkable about our friendship is that we just pick right back up where we left off: no awkward reestablishment required.

The first time I met Billy was on one of our beach trips. I was so struck by how he exuded calm that I termed him “human prozac”. Billy is the first one of Katie’s boyfriends that I liked for her, and I like him a lot. I was thrilled to hear about their engagement.

The celebration was perfect. It was a love letter to Alabama. After the ceremony, we played in the grass. The friends spelled out “Katie and Billy White”. You can see Katie running towards us in the first one when she realized what was going on:

We had a delicious Alabama barbecue for dinner, but my favorite part was dessert. The centerpiece of each table was a pile of tasty homemade sweet things, and each table had a different one on it. A menu of all the desserts told you which table to go to to find them. People were stopping by all through dinner to visit and grab the key lime cookies from our table. Click through to see the menu at full size:

And of course, their first dance was to “Stars Fell On Alabama”.

As for the ceremony, writing it proved to be more challenging than Christian and Stephanie’s. That time, it was very clear to me from the beginning what I was going to write. This time, I ended up scrapping a few drafts before I was satisfied.

Leading up to the wedding day, I was a little worried about how it would be received. After hanging out with everybody the night before, though, any anxiety I had disappeared. It was a hit. I had like eight older ladies kiss me afterwards. Hot.

I’ll spare you the photographs from my notebook this time around. After seeing my scrawl from the last one, my friend told me I had “serial killer handwriting”, so I’m transcribing it here. I’ve preserved my notes and the line breaks which I had in my notebook.

Congratulations, Katie and Billy! I am so incredibly happy for you two.

Good Afternoon!

On behalf of Billy, Katie, and their family,
I’d like to welcome all of
you here today.

And what a beautiful day it is!
When I stepped off the plane
on Thursday, it was ninety degrees
and humid. I thought two things:
First, I’m home.
Second, this is going to be an
Alabama Wedding. But then I
woke up this morning, stepped
out the door, and found a cold front
had come in and bought with
it a perfect spring day.

And we’re at Burritt Museum on
Monte Sano. Those of us that grew
up in Huntsville all have fond memories
of this place.
Today, we’re going to make a
few more:
games on the lawn,
a barbecue,
a sunset over the city,
and a night of music and dancing
under the stars.

But first things first…

(Ask Billy if he’s ready. Ask Katie if she’s ready)
** If at any point you need a moment, just
look at me. I’ll know **

Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here
today to celebrate the wedding of
Billy White and Katie Davis. In the
years they have been together, the
love between them has grown stronger,
and now, they have decided to live their
lives together as husband and wife.

Who gives this woman to be
wedded to this man?

(Dad says they do. Maybe he sits down?
Need to clarify)

Let’s talk about love.
Specifically, let’s talk about the
pursuit of love.
We often hear about finding true
love, as if it’s this singular thing
waiting for us somewhere out there.

I don’t know if that’s true for Billy
and Katie, after all, they were always
there.

Their journey was not about finding
this singular love, but rather,
discovering the kind of love that
has now inspired them to commit
to each other for the rest of their
lives.

This kind of love, Billy and Katie’s love,
is what I’d like to talk about.

We often hear that love is a fire,
burning bright and hot.
Well, Billy and Katie discovered
a love that smolders like
coals, providing a long-lasting
gentle warmth that will not flame
out.

We often hear that love is exciting
and unpredictable, but Billy and
Katie discovered a love that is calm
and serene, while still retaining
its wonder.

And we often hear that love
requires closeness, but Billy
and Katie discovered a love
that spanned the hundred and
eighty-eight miles between them
with ease,
although, I’m pretty certain they
are excited about not having to
make that drive again.

And some of the qualities that define
their love have carried over into
their wedding: it’s playful,
it’s lighthearted,
and it’s laid back.
As far as wedding celebrations go,
this is going to be one of the
more fun ones.

(To Billy and Katie)

But we mustn’t allow that to diminish
the gravity of the vows you are
about to take.

You are committing to each other for
the rest of your lives.
There will be good times
and there will be hard times,
so remember this moment.

Remember the love you feel for
each other.
Remember the joy with which
you are beginning your life
together.
And remember that you will
never be alone.

Friends, in addition to Billy and
Katie’s commitment to each other,
I ask that we make a commitment:
A commitment to their happiness.

We will always be there for you.

So without further ado…

(Get Katie’s ring for Billy)

Billy, please repeat after me.

I, Billy White,
take you, Katie Davis,
to be my wife.
To have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better or for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
from this day forward,
until death do us part.

With this ring I thee wed,
and pledge to you my life
now and forever.

(Get Billy’s ring for Katie)

I, Katie Davis,
take you, Billy White,
to be my husband.
To have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better or for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
from this day forward,
until death do us part.

With this ring I thee wed,
and pledge to you my life
now and forever.

By the power vested in me by
the state of Alabama, I now
pronounce you husband and wife.

You may kiss the bride.

(They make out)

Friends, family, and loved ones,
I present to you our newlyweds,
Mr. and Mrs. White.