Carol Wolfe (Mother of the bride):
It has been a joy over the last year to watch Anne and Tad making preparations for this wonderful day.
Their spirits shine through in today’s celebration and in the life they are building together.
I see two very creative, whimsical and intelligent people who know how to recognize and embrace what makes them happy. They are also both independent and courageous. I’ve watched them draw from rich family traditions while very thoughtfully establishing their own beliefs and values. And I’ve learned from them.
When I look at Anne and Tad, I also see two very affectionate people who care deeply about each other, their friends and family.
Anne and Tad, we thank you for sharing your joy and love with all of us.
We wish you much joy and love throughout the many years and adventures about to unfold.
To Anne and Tad!
Dani Moore (Bridesmaid):
Chris Edwards (Groomsman):
Hi, thank you all for being here. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Chris and I’ve known Tad for more than 20 years.
The things that drew me to him in middle school were that he was shy like me, and that he was always honest. We were so shy that even after we became friends, we would pass each other in the hallway and not even say hi to each other. He was more talkative in high school, but then he spoke in Klingon more than English. I had to get a Klingon dictionary of my own in order to understand half of the things he said. His favorite board game at the time was a Star Trek VCR game, with a Klingon warrior narrating, but he always had trouble getting people to play it with him. I’ll gloss over the fact that Tad’s complete Star Trek obsession eventually faded into the background, and he became more interested in linguistics.
Tad’s shyness, and mine, meant that it took us a long time to find love. It was worth the wait.
When Tad first met Anne I was out of town, so he sent me a lengthy email to tell me all about her. He said he had been embarrassed to admit going on a trip to Belgium just to speak Klingon, but her response was “Oh, did you ever play the Star Trek VCR game?” She still had her own copy of it. That wasn’t the only sign that they were meant for each other, but it was a big one.
After another date or two in quick succession, Tad told me that all he wanted to do was hang out with Anne every day, but she still seemed hesitant. I told him he had to keep it to himself. He had to pretend to be too busy to do anything with her. He had to give her a chance to miss him. He said he couldn’t do that because it would be dishonest. In fact, he immediately told Anne what my advice had been. Luckily, Anne had to do something for work that kept them apart for a few days, and afterwards she said “it’s true, I do miss you!” They’ve been inseparable ever since.
I’ll finish with a few words for the two of them:
DaH loDnal be’nal je tlhIH. Qapla’! [Now you are husband and wife. Success!]
