The bride was stunning in a lace dress, the groom looked fashionable in a light grey suit, white vest, and white cravat; but it was Etienne in his new suit, looking so handsome, who I had my eye on. Today was it: Wedding Day!
The whole house was up relatively early, eating and starting all of those last minute preparations: Andre and Denis washed the car and adorned it with white ribbons; Anne gathered everything that needed ironing and set to work; Etienne...he tried to handle me as I ran into small disasters getting ready: my nail polish kept getting ruined and repaired, ruined and repaired, ruined and repaired; and my curling iron broke, leaving me upset that I would have to have flat, dull hair all day, or else do my hair in one of its all-too-common twists or ponytails which I do for work only because I'm too lazy and inept to do my hair. I opted for flat and boring because the dress was too nice for my usual hair "style."
We all dressed, and once more I waited for the feeling that Etienne looked like a stranger in a suit (I seriously had trouble ever thinking of him in a suit), but this time, it didn't happen. This time, he looked so handsome and, well, powerful, if I'm completely honest. He looked confident and elegant. I felt plain next to him.
We all set off to Versoix for the wedding, and I was seated with one of Etienne's stepsisters and her family: a cool Australian husband and two pretty, adorable little girls who had slowly been warming up to me over the past couple of days. Unfortunately, as is always the case, the two and a half year old was not okay with sitting quietly for an hour, but she was quite sweet, so I didn't mind.
It was time for the entrances. Etienne was escorting his cousin down the aisle, ahead of the bride and her father, and while I looked forward to finally seeing the dress (always the one thing I look for when a wedding is involved), I was stopped short by a sight that made me forget everything and just feel so much love: Etienne was nearly in tears. I've never seen him cry before, but on wonderful, special days filled with meaning for him and a sister he loves, I guess Etienne is just a big, tender, softy. Turns out the whole family are criers, as I learned when Andre tried to discretely pass Shanti (the bride) a tissue.
The ceremony proceeded, and I was nervous because all of the members of the wedding party had to make a short speech. I had an idea of what Etienne might say, but now I was wondering if he'd be okay to do it, as I watched him tear up from time to time. He was the last to speak, so I had to wait...and watch. When he finally came to the microphone, he composed himself and starting to tell an amusing story about how Shanti, his baby sister, and Laurent, his best friend, became a couple. But when he opened up to talk about the joy of this event, this wedding, he briefly broke down again, which pretty much made him steal the hearts of everyone in that church. You couldn't help but applaud! It was beautiful, loving, and tender...everything you would want from a loving brother on your wedding day.
Heartfelt love on your wedding day...
...Wish you were here.
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