Day 213 - Dance the Hora

Date: August 7th, 2010

August 7th was boring.  Nothing of any interest or importance happened.  By the time evening rolled around I just kept thinking to myself "gosh, I can't wait to go to sleep so I can wake up tomorrow and have a more interesting day".  I mean, seriously.  Literally nothing cool happened at all.  It was an utter waste of a day.

Oh.  Right.

In truth, I woke up on August 7th feeling about the same way I've always felt on Christmas morning.  My present?  Seeing two of my best friends share an incredible moment in their lives and sharing in their joy for a few hours.  As the weeks and days before the wedding ticked down, I made an executive decision that if I didn't do anything "new" that day, I wouldn't care.

Because who can say no to those faces?

Most of the first half of the day was spent on morally responsible espionage.  Or, as I like to call it, spying for Jesus.  There were surprises afoot.  But the main theme of the morning was getting gussied up for the big show.  The ladies spent the better part of the morning putting on makeup, getting hairstyled, putting on dresses, and generally prettying up to the best extent possible.  Luckily no one tried to eclipse the bride in breathtaking beauty.  I would not have been above giving out a wedding day black eye or two if there were any show stealing attempts.

The ride to the church was rife with a sense of pure, innocent joy.  There were no cold feet.  There was no hesitation.  There was no sense of concern or dread.  It was, in every sense, the perfect example of the proverbial "fairy tale wedding".  The blushing bride and adoring bridesmaids spent the whole ride with huge, uncontrolled grins on our faces.  Once we got there, we were able to take a few moments and let the excitement build.  There were laughs, smiles, tears and all around a sense of wonderment at how two such wonderful people could bless us by inviting us to share their day.

Radiant!

The ceremony was incredible and though I've been in weddings before, I couldn't help but think about how once-in-a-lifetime this experience was.  Seeing Ben and Lisa as husband and wife for the first time was indescribably wonderful.  Of course, that's when the party really started.  We hopped back in the limos to ride off into the, well, not really sunset cause it was only about 4:00pm, but the metaphorical sunset.  After some wonderfully posed pictures at the Big House and the Law Quad, we aimed our sights for the reception hall and a night of toasts, cake and joyful celebration.

After an epic entrance (set to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"), we settled in to a delicious dinner and a heartwarming toast from Lisa's father.  Part of me kept waiting for something to be off.  There was a little voice in my head saying that things can be amazing, but hoping for perfect guarantees disappointment.  But as the night wore on it became clear that this day was the exception that proves the rule.  The toasts were lovely (especially mine, which totally rocked the house), the cake was delicious...

...and the feeding of the cake was adorable...

Now, the thing that makes Ben and Lisa such wonderful people (among many many other things) is that they bring out the personalities of the people around them.  They have always been the kind of people to lift up those around them and celebrate others even when its their day.  That's why one of the amazingly entertaining things that we were lucky enough to witness at the reception was Lisa's friend Megan doing a dance with fire.  Its too bad you couldn't have been there to see it.  Oh wait...

I'd love to make a pithy comment.  There's got to be some sort of fire/hotness/dance joke that can be put in here, but there was something so beautiful and pure about the whole evening that sullying with sarcasm just doesn't seem right.  Of course, the title of the entry has, thusfar, had nothing to do with the wedding.  That's because one of the unforgettable moments was still yet to come.

My sophomore year in college, I met a young man named Dave.  He's smart, witty and "out there" in the best possible way.  It was through him that I met Michael, who I decided to take a class on Communism in China with.  I came to class one day to find him talking to Ben, who I (and Michael and our friend Katy all) promptly decided would be perfect for Lisa.  The rest is history, as they say.  Now, it goes without saying that Dave was at the wedding, which is why, about halfway through the reception, I was approached by him to see if I could convince the happy couple to participate in a Jewish tradition - the Hora.

Ben's initial response?  No way in heck.  I don't know if it was the fact that I looked crestfallen or the monumental joy that was his wedding day, but he immediately scaled back his response to include an exception.  If and only if Lisa issued a "resounding yes" would he do the dance.  Well.  Guess what.

In a moment that was semi-impromptu, the night became all the more memorable.  It wasn't until a few days later that I realized that giving up my focus on myself for a day led to one of the most interesting, amazing, and uplifting new things I've done all year.  That is a lesson I will have to remember as the year wears on.  Life is so much more fulfilling when its not all about "me".  Besides, ain't nobody can get down like the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Peters.

Freaking seriously.

It was an unquestionably beautiful night.  It was one of the best days of my life, getting to see such amazing people become one family.  There aren't words to describe how beautiful the bride looked, how giddy the groom looked or how perfect the whole night really was.  There truly aren't words.  There is, however, one image that, for me, says it all.  So I'll leave you all with that.

Congrats to two amazing people!