Over Labor Day weekend, we were blessed to witness the marriage of my sister Erin to Ryan Watts.  The festivities took place at The Chateau in Bloomington, IL.  We were impressed with the low-stress style of Erin and Ryan's wedding prep, and the joyous and relaxed vibe surrounding the entire weekend was the culmination of this anti-bridezilla mentality. 

As my dad so sincerely and impressively covered in his wedding toast, we cannot be more proud of Erin or more happy with her choice of Ryan (I mean, just his name is a good sign, right?).  It didn't take long for us to realize that this Ryan guy was a different story for Erin.  It started with Erin informing us of how much we will like him because of his sports fandom.  She then proceeded to slowly break us in to the sobering news of to which teams he held allegiance:  Bulls. Pacers.  Bears.  Colts.  Cubs.  Cardinals (ouch!).  Ok, Ok.  Notre Dame?  Michigan!  (uh-oh).  On this note, Erin's wedding present to Ryan was a pair of tickets to the Notre Dame-Michigan game.  What a gift!  Poor Ryan had to sit in a driving rain storm while his Wolverines were dominated by the Irish.  I felt really, really sorry for him.

So I think it says a lot about Ryan for him to win over not only Erin's heart, but her family's unflinching approval... in spite of his numerous heretical sports loyalties.  My sister Megan shocked us all with a brief but beautiful surprise toast when she explained how Erin was the fulfillment of her prayers for a baby sister, and she could not imagine a better man for her answered prayers.  Megan spoke for us all.  As I told Ryan, he doesn't have a sister to know what this day was like for me, but I'm glad it's him.

Both Sarah and I were honored to be a part of the ceremony.  Watching the event unfold was quite emotional, as this seminal moment brought countless memories flashing through my mind.  Erin has always been one of my best friends despite being separated for most of our lives - whether it be by 7 miles or 2,000.  From rocking her to sleep to "Nan-nan" (as she called me) pretending to be Mr. T (why, I have no clue) while persuading her to eat her food - from dozens of gamedays in the holy land or away game road trips to midnight IM chats while she was a freshmen at ISU and I was in grad school at ND...  While I fought back the clouds in my eyes, recalling the memories brought a hint of pain in my cheeks.  Because whenever we connect there is one thing for certain - there will be laughter.... of the cheek-numbing, doubled-over, catch-your-breath variety.

The wedding festivities were no exception, as I'm sure the video will catch plenty of candid smiles and laughter.  A special thanks goes to our volunteer camera crew.  Todd Reffett and Michelle Jacob generously offered, er, accepted the request of their services.  We'll see if I can do their skills justice with the edited finished product. 

It was comical to watch the photographer and minister struggle with the names of the bridal party, which included two Megans and three Ryans.  While directing traffic, further clarification was needed.  It became "Ryan the groom." And Ryan's best friend became "Ryan the Best Man."  So at first, I was "Ryan the worst man."  While that may have been true, I welcomed the change to "Ryan the bride's brother."  On this day, that was a title I could not have been more proud to carry. 

Congratulations Erin and Ryan!  As you live out this holy covenant, we wish you a lifetime of growth, joy, fulfillment... and countless vacations to beautiful Colorado.

Here are a few photos from the wedding.  We also set up a Snapfish room (add your own!) at:
http://oconnorwattswedding.snapfish.com/snapfish


Best of all, click here to see a beautiful slide show from their photographer.





All smiles.







It was also great to spend precious quality time with dear friends The Jacobs and Reffetts.



... which always brings out the best in us!