As I sort-of hinted in my latest post, my sister-in-law and one of my closest friends, Susanne, married the love of her life just over a week ago. The event was touching and beautiful.
I love weddings. For me, attending a wedding reminds me of why I said "I do" to my husband nearly 15 years ago. It reminds me what love is all about -- what we strive for in our marriage, what we fight to create and then maintain, what it means to go through all of life's ups and downs together with someone else. What it means to love and be loved.
And to watch this special sister of mine marry her man... well, let's just say that thinking about it still brings tears to my eyes.
Here's the happy couple on Friday evening, saying their farewells for the last time before they will see each other the next afternoon in the church. Already they're beautiful, aren't they?
For me, this was a particularly special event, as Susanne had asked me to be her maid of honor. And I was honored. In particular, I was honored with all the special access I got with Susanne as she prepared for her wedding. We spent Friday evening together, chatting and trying (unsuccessfully, at least for the first few hours) to get her amazing, happy son Lauritz to sleep. He could tell something was up.
Like "Hey mom! You seem excited and a bit nervous! I don't want to leave you alone like that!"
But sleep he did, eventually, and so did we. And then, Saturday morning, the morning of the wedding, I had the honor of helping to take care of this little guy while his mom got ready for one of the biggest days of her life.
This kid will take wrap your heart around his little finger in a heartbeat. Believe me.
I know.
I mean, honestly, your heart must already be melting. Look at how beautiful he is!
Auntie Tina misses you, Lauritz!
One of the first items on the wedding-day checklist, after an amazing breakfast Susanne and I shared looking out over the water and the coastline, was getting Lauritz ready to attend his parents' wedding.
Again, have you ever seen anyone so handsome?
The next few items were, in random order, a visit to the hairdresser, a walk in the rain, makeup application, flower delivery, and talking, talking, talking. So much to talk about!
And then, there was the main event. Getting into the gown. For Susanne, that is. I was just there to straighten out the skirt.
Now, I warn you, my sister-in-law is always beautiful, but she was knock-you-down gorgeous that day. And glowing. How can anyone glow like that?
Here she is before the veil is put into her hair.
We really had to hurry in the end to get Susanne into her dress, because we knew her dad was going to arrive at any minute. We had planned it so she'd have half an hour with her family before we had to head to the church.
When he walked into the room, I saw my father-in-law's reaction to his baby girl, and my eyes filled with happy tears, but it wouldn't be the last time that day.
And then her mom and brother were there too... I think we were teary eyed all around (don't worry, everyone will deny it but me).
Anyway, unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the church. As in many US churches, in a Danish church, it is generally frowned upon to take photos. So you cannot (at least right now) see the beautiful bride walking down the aisle, still glowing, or her dad next to her. Nor can you see the pride on her mom's face.... or the wonder on her husband-to-be's. But it was a gorgeous ceremony. And they both said "I do".
And when they stepped out of the church, what had been a rainy day had suddenly turned into the brightest sunshine. What better sign could there be?
We arrived at the reception to the sight of a beautiful wedding cake...
And my wonderful family of five was seated with Susanne's brother Carsten, and another one of my very best friends, Ulla, and her family. We had a great evening.
My dad always say that the Danes know how to throw a party. He's right, of course.
Dinner at a Danish wedding takes hours. I mean hours. Like 5 hours. But you never notice the time, because it's filled with incredible food, amazing wines, great entertainment, and speeches and songs presented by the loving couple's family and friends.
And this wedding was no exception.
Here are my two beautiful older boys posing for the camera. Yes, I forced them to wear ties. But, oh, aren't they steal-your-heart handsome?
And here I am with our littlest one. He had to wear a tie too, but by this time, it's gone missing.
As the couple who not only threw the party, but who were also the center of attention, Susanne and Jesper were lucky enough to get to listen to a number of speeches in their honor. This is taken while they're listening to one of them.
Another great tradition is the extension of what we've got in the States. You know when you tap your knife on a glass and the wedded couple has to kiss? Well, the Danes have extended that tradition as follows: if you want the couple to kiss while seated, you tap your plates. If you want them to stand on their chairs and kiss, you tap your glass. If you want them to kiss under the table, you stomp your feet.
This crowd thought the last option was particularly funny.
Susanne's parents gave a heart-warming speech filled with humor, good advice and a fairy tale. After all, what wedding would be complete without a fairy tale?
And the groom gave a speech to his beloved bride. He brought a box of tissues to share. That gives you some idea of the beauty of his words.
As I mentioned, Susanne's brother from down under came in for the wedding too. We had a great time reconnecting with him and sharing some great laughs (but Michelle, Emma and Annabelle -- it wasn't complete without you!)! He gave a speech too.
Susanne gave a speech too, as did Steen. And I. And then Lucas abducted my camera. Therefore, all of the photos from the dancing until 4 a.m. are a bit foggy... Kind of artistic, actually, but I didn't know whether I should share them.
It was a beautiful day and a memorable night.
And you know how this story ends, don't you????
They rode into the sunset and lived
happily ever after.
Guess what? They're celebrating their 40th anniversary.
40 years! Just saying it is amazing to me. I wonder how many couples in my generation will be able to proudly say they're celebrating 40 years of marriage?
