Congratulations, Marie and David! :)

Marie and David, making it official! Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Gwilliam!

When I was a freshman in college, my Residence Director was a senior named Marie. She was sweet and bubbly and cool and she and I hit it off right away. It wasn't long before she decided that she was adopting me as her "little sister," and it stuck. For twelve years now, this amazing woman has called me her little sister. :) Before I moved to England and when I moved back to the US, I stayed with her and her best friend Cindy when they lived in Washington DC for a few days on either side. It was an amazing chance to reconnect with her. A few years later, she moved to McMinnville, OR, which is about an hour away from where I live now. We don't get to see each other much, but we talk enough to stay connected, and I just love this girl.

It wasn't too long ago that she called to tell me she had met and fell in love with the most amazing man, and he had asked her to marry him! I was so excited for her, especially after watching her struggle with a string of guys who weren't nearly good enough for my sweet "big sis." I was honored to be asked to be a Eucharistic Minister at her wedding.

David has three beautiful daughters, and this little one, Megan, decided we are now best friends. She asked me to take this photo. So cute! I am SO happy to see that they adore Marie, and the two older ones each gave a toast, saying that they love their "second mom." :)

They had kind of a rough day (Marie's best friend and bridesmaid, Cindy, got the stomach flu at 1 AM the day of the wedding, and David--the groom--fell ill with the same bug around 6 that morning, it was raining, Marie's dad's shoes fell apart when he got to the church--just a crazy day, overall), but they say a rough wedding means an easy marriage, right?! :) She was beautiful, the wedding was amazing (and everyone managed to make it through the ceremony and reception without puking), and at the end of the day, they're hitched!

Even with the flu, they still braved the cake. And it was beautiful!

Congratulations to one of my favorite people and her awesome new husband (who I finally got to meet, and who is CLEARLY crazy about her!). Best wishes and God's blessings on your marriage. And for the girl who helped me really start to understand this, always remember--the BEST is yet to come!

My FAVORITE photo of the day--leaving the church in Marie's dad's amazing classic car--they look perfectly happy, and I love that I caught them laughing. Congratulations, you guys!