Allison and I became friends when we were 16 years old. At the time I was the ONLY girl my age at Church and it was a lonely place for me. One day out of the blue, this new girl and her family moved in and I wasn't alone anymore! We called ourselves Alison Squared. We are kind of awesome like that... We grew up and did our own things in life, but it didn't matter how long it had been since we'd seen each other. We would always just pick right back up where we left off. I served my mission, and she left for hers before I came home. I found an American boy, got married, and got pregnant. When I was stuck in Canada and my husband was stuck in Colorado waiting for immigration to come through. Allison and I picked up where we left off. She was fresh off her mission, back in University, and trying to figure life out again. I was just lonely again and she was there to save me once more.
I don't think I can properly describe how much her friendship means to me.
Anyways...
After I moved to Colorado, she contacted me and told me she wanted to Skype. I was super excited to talk to her!! Our conversation was nothing like any conversation I had ever had with her before though. She told me she tried online dating, and it worked. She found herself an American boy in California. Never had I seen her so excited about a boy. I was so happy for her!!! It was new for her, and she wanted to talk to me to get my perspective on long distance dating. I gave her all the advise I could. Later on she had decided to go visit him and see how things would go in person. She told me when she was planning on leaving and it turned out that I would be in Canada at that time. I was the lucky one to see her off at the airport as she began her international dating adventure.
A few months go by and we Skype again. "Are you engaged???" I ask her. "Uhhhh.... Well... Here's the thing..." She proceeded to tell me that technically they were engaged and they were currently sorting through their own immigration stuff to figure out how to make it all work as quickly and as smoothly as possible. They got an awesome immigration lawyer and that guy made it happen. She told me that they were planning on getting married on March 2 and that I should plan on being in Salt Lake City for it. I was ecstatic!!!
The weekend finally arrived, and Ray and I packed up our car with Warren and embarked on an all night drive to Utah. We wanted Warren to sleep as much as possible for the drive, hence the all nighter.
That night, I attended Allison's bridal shower. It was a Canada reunion! So many people from home that I grew so close to as a Young Single Adult were there. It was so refreshing to see so many familiar faces from home.
During the shower I offered my help to the bridesmaid in charge of Allison's hair and makeup. That meant that I needed to be there to help bright and early the next morning.
Allison was probably the most calm bride I have ever seen. She was just sitting down while her hair was being curled, talking to people as they came in and out of her hotel room. We laughed and joked and went over final details. It was incredible. I was super impressed with her composure.
The sealing ceremony itself was so wonderful. There was such a sense of joy and happiness for Allison and her soon to be husband, Curtis. Both sides of the family were filled with so much love and excitement. I felt so privileged to be able to be in the midst of that pure, all encompassing love. I looked around the sealing room, seeing my husband smile at me in the mirror, and taking in all the small and intricate details of that room. I was so content. This is what we live for. Joy, family, and knowing that Heavenly Father is near.
After the ceremony we got out of the temple and waited around Temple Square for the big reveal. Ray and I passed the time by talking with this awesome Sister missionary from France. Outside of the Temple the realization of how chaotic weddings in the Salt Lake City Temple are set in. There are SOOO many people there for so many different weddings that they have to have an intercom system to announce when each couple is exiting the Temple. haha. When they finally announced the "George Wedding" we rushed over to the doors and more happiness ensued.
Allison's big brother and his family had a pretty intense emergency just before they were planning on leaving Canada for the wedding. Last minute were not able to make it. Allison and her sister-in-law, Chelsea are super close so it was really hard on both of them to not be able to share this day together. We made sure we documented the bridal shower, wedding and reception as much as we could via Instagram so that Chelsea could be as much a part of that day as possible.
The reception itself was incredible. I really appreciated that it was shortly after the wedding. It's always awkward trying to figure out what to do when there are several hours between the wedding and reception. Anyways... It was in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and there was quite the view.
The Salt Lake City Temple is such a beautiful place. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that it took 40 years to build with bare hands and no big machinery. It was finished in 1893. Every detail was carved into granite by people with incredible talent and a chisel. This Temple stands as a testament to the faith of those who built it. Every time I go there, I am filled with awe and a deep sense of gratitude for the sacrifice that it took to make this Temple a reality. Temples that are built today are still beautiful and still full of intricate details, but the fact that this one was done completely by hand, makes it a bit more special for me.
Back to the reception. Perfection. Delicious food. Classy cake and decorations. And butter balls for the rolls. haha.
As we ate, Allison's Mom did her final preparations for the Toast to the Bride.
Chelsea wrote the Toast. She was supposed to give it, but since she wasn't able to, Allison's Mom read it for her. She did such a good job. Before reading Chelsea's toast, she mentioned how she looked through Allison's baby book before they left for the wedding. She had written in it that if Allison were a boy her middle name would have been George because it is a significant name in their family history. Now that Allison's married name is George, it's a great tender mercy and another testament to how perfect this marriage really is. I thought that was incredible.
As for Chelsea's toast. I can't even begin to sum that up. It had everyone in tears and was one of the most touching things I have ever heard. So you can read it. Chelsea blogged it.
Here's my favorite part, and what got everyone in the room misty eyed.
Life with Alli truly is full of her gift of excitement and enthusiasm
But life isn't always a party.
In fact, when I first began thinking about giving this toast the first phrase that came to mind was for Curtis---and it was "I'm sorry"
I'm sorry Curtis that you had to wait so long. I'm sorry you had to wait because The Lord just knew I needed her.
Chelsea has a gift with words that I can only wish for. Even though I haven't really spent much time with her, I still really look up to her and appreciate her stories and her perspective that she so generously posts on her blog. No wonder why Allison loves her so much.
Another tear-filled toast for the groom, and it was time to cut the cake. Seriously I can't get over how cute this couple is.
Allison tossed the bouquet. The cutest bouquet toss ever, I might add. The way Allison looked behind her to see who would catch it was adorable. haha. Allison's joy translated into every move she made, and every word she said. I have seen her happy before, but this was just a new level of happy Allison. I loved it.
As things wound down, people were taking final pictures. This one cracks me up.
Allison was saying as this picture was being taken "Send this picture to my brothers on missions!!! HEHE!!!" I love her mischievous laugh. Really... I just love this girl. What a great day this was. Not just to be a part of the wedding, but it was also an amazing experience for Ray and I together. Weddings remind us of how awesome our marriage is and how thankful we are to be together. Ray enjoyed the wedding too. He didn't feel left out because it was my friend getting married. There was absolutely no flaw to this weekend. haha. And I had purple hair. haha.
So Allison, thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being such a wonderful part of my life. You have been there for me when I needed you and I hope I have done the same for you. I'm so glad you found Curtis and that your life together began with so much joy. You deserve this happiness. I love you so much!!!!!
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