My Best Friends' Wedding: A Rehearsal Speech Story

[This is a long one; get ready. (I won't be offended if you don't read the entire thing.)]

As mentioned before, my best friend, Erin, got married this past weekend. I was the Maid of Honor, which I was happy, and honored (yeah, I know it's a pun, but I'm serious) to be. I had many jobs to complete, not the least of which was a speech made at the rehearsal dinner.

Let me set the stage for you:

Erin had told me months ahead of time (per my request) that I would be giving a speech at some point, along with the Best Man. The week before, I learned it would be at the rehearsal dinner (later I learned I would also be giving a toast at the reception, too). I wrote a speech and read through it a couple of times to practice. I didn't memorize it, because I am awful at remembering things word-for-word. For some reason, I thought there would be some sort of podium for me to put my paper on. Looking back, I have no clue why I thought this. Why would there be a podium in a dining area?

So, the night of the dinner, we get to the dining area and I realize my hopes for a podium would not be realized. I would have to hold my paper. I knew my hands would shake--I don't really fear public speaking, but I still get shaky. As the dinner progressed, I began to get more and more nervous. I even passed up the ice cream dessert, because of my nervousness (and I really like ice cream).

Then, the Best Man gets up to make his speech. He's an actor. Like, for real--that is his profession. As you can imagine, this makes him a pretty good speech-giver.

He had memorized his. It was a comparative speech--the groom, David, to the biblical David. A literary work of art. He's acting the whole time, too, walking around and projecting his voice enough for the grandparents to hear (I'm sure they heard none of my speech).

And then he starts to sing.

Did I mention he's a Broadway actor? Yeah. So he's singing...it's a little weird at first, but then the groom joins him.

I am dead serious.

They have this whole routine--singing, joking, dancing a little. They can both sing and act. Everyone was laughing, people were pulling out recording devices, there was applause at the end--I think I even heard some "Encore!" requests.

I was hoping, at this point, that people would just forget I was supposed to give a speech. No such luck. "Lizzy, your turn!"

[There will be no pictures of my speech. I guess standing in one place, reading a sheet of paper isn't exactly photo-worthy. Or maybe it's because I look like this while giving speeches:

Yeah...]

I made some joke about Erin and I acting out The Sound of Music (which we did, once, as we watched it) and then something about me being a writer, so I would just read my speech, thankyouverymuch.

I read this speech:

I can remember the exact moment my friendship with Erin began. While we met our freshman year at Union, I thought of Erin more as my roommates' friend than my own. One day our sophomore year, Erin was in our apartment studying with Jill. After a while, all my roommates were leaving to go to choir practice. I looked at Erin and said, "See you later," thinking she would leave when her friends did. Erin looked back at me and said, "What? We can't be friends?"

And thus began our friendship.

Throughout college, we had many adventures. We were "adopted" by the same Watch Care family at church, and therefore, became "sisters." We would take road trips to Memphis, just to shop, and watch chick flicks when Jill was out of town. We lived together our senior year and survived the entire spring semester without air conditioning. Erin and I made a great team--I'd get crazy ideas for things to do and Erin would make everyone do them. We made family portraits one day in the living room, had everyone participate in the church musical, and successfully executed a graveyard scavenger hunt.

After graduation and a whirlwind trip to California, Erin and I went to train for camp. Erin was working her second summer as a Crosspoint staffer, and I was working my second summer as a CentriKid staffer. This meant that we got to train together. Now, I realize that God brought these two together, but I'd like to take a little credit as the messenger. Erin and I determined that we'd each pick out a guy for the other one on their team. Erin later told me she just picked the first guy she saw me talking to, to which I immediately said no. I, on the other hand, took time to observe her team. I knew who D-Mac was--you didn't work camp then and not know who D-Mac was. He had a reputation as being a good guy and when I saw him and Erin together, I knew he was my pick for her. I told Erin and she said no; he had a girlfriend.

Then, a few weeks later, I got a call from Erin saying that David and his girlfriend had broken up. All of Erin's calls to me the rest of the summer included observations of David. She thought he liked her, but wasn't sure. Then she knew he liked her, but didn't know anything would come of it. Well, something did come of it, obviously; that's why we're here today.

Since graduation, despite being busy with med school and dating and being engaged, Erin has been there for me any time I needed her, to talk, listen, and give sound advice. My prayer journal from the last couple of years is full of "Thank You, God, for Erin" statements. I have also prayed for Erin, and for David, and their relationship together.

Erin, you are my best friend. David, I guess that makes you my best friend-in-law tomorrow. I know tomorrow is only the first of many happy days of marriage for you two. I love y'all!

It wasn't so bad. I made it through without crying--barely--or falling over on my shaky legs.

The next day, I stumbled through a cliff-notes version of that speech (that I did not have written down. I'm pretty sure I said something like "I hope you have a bunch-many hours...days...um, years of happiness.) before the Best Man said something very eloquent about the love the couple has for each other serving as an example to the rest of us.

Then this little old man posed us for an awkward picture, and I tried to forget what just happened.

"Stand behind the microphone and act like you're giving a toast. No, both of you. No, move the microphone, it's in the way."

All photos courtesy of Pam McDaniel.