worth celebrating

well, as my readers will know by now, my sister got married on saturday.  here is the beautiful bride:

it was a whole family affair for us: i co-officiated the wedding with my Dad, Shannon was a bridesmaid, and both of our kids were ring bearers (or ring - smilers, as we called them, so that they would remember to smile and not be bears).  the ceremony was beautiful, in my unbiased opinion, and it went really well.  i don't have any pics of it, because, well, that would have been weird if i was snapping photos while asking them to declare their intention to marry one another.  so, you'll just have to trust me on that one.   it was cool for us all to get dressed up and attend a formal function together.  i personally thought our boys looked sa-weet!

that last one above is one of jackson modeling. for every serious picture we take of him, he negotiates to take a silly one.  this was one of the silly ones.  he does these crazy modeling poses.  i don't know where he gets this stuff from.  oh, wait...

yep.  that's me.  with both of my sisters.  at one point i was wearing a suit with a real tie and everything, but part of my whole wedding reception entertainment package is the wardrobe change.  it's like the big reveal: everyone is waiting to see what greg is going to be wearing.  and by everyone i mean mostly the people in my head, but still.  for this wedding i went with the t-shirt that says "i'm still semi-formal here folks: maybe i didn't want to wear the actual tie, but i care enough to at least wear a screen print of one (along with a sweet faux american eagle sweater cardigan thing). 

the best way to do a wedding reception (in my opinion) is to keep the entertainment coming in stages; you don't want to get it all out and over with during one song!  first i took off my jacket and white shirt during "i've gotta feeling" (i think).  then during the next song i busted out the sweat bands.  a little later came the sweat bands.  every once in a while during a high leg kick someone might get a glimpse of my orange stirrup socks.  the terrible towel made an appearance during the conga line.  oh yeah, and i shouldn't forget about the very popular fake vomit (just imagine something straight from the back page of a comic book - same place you probably once tried to buy the x-ray glasses) that i busted out during the YMCA.  pure awesomeness. 

all of these props are basically just to distract people from my lack of real dancing skill.  the formula is essentially this: 

1.  get on the dance floor

2.  look like an idiot

3.  use ridiculous props that make it look like you are trying to look like an idiot

4.  continue looking like an idiot

5.  flail limbs wildly

6.  lift up pant leg to reveal orange stirrup sock

7.  wait for appropriate time to use fake vomit

8.  look like an idiot

9.  repeat as necessary

10.  stand by the door at the end of the reception and receive everyone's wide-eyed admiration

this was me, possibly during 'thriller.'  i can't remember.  check out my sweet shoes, and the terrible towel dangling very carefully from my back pocket.  this is an art, people.  an art.  unfortunately, there is no video of the event, or at least none that i know of.  if you did take any video of the reception, please contact me and i will pay you handsomely to have it destroyed. 

no, in all seriousness, i love wedding receptions because, to me, there aren't many times more fit for celebrating.  as i mentioned in my prayer at the reception, the gospels tell us that Jesus attended a wedding in cana, in galilee, where he came from.  and, if you read and study that story, it certainly seems as though Jesus did his part in celebrating.  it's an incredible occasion: a deep and profound moment symbolizing the love, not only between two people, but also between God and us, between Christ and his bride.  it's a celebration of all that is right, all that is good, all that is...love.  and that is worth celebrating.  it's not about getting hammered with alcohol, or losing all your inhibitions.  it's about letting loose in the wild celebration of love, the love that reminds each of us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, no matter how silly we look on the dance floor.  congrats, matt and mary.  may you have a life of wonderful love together, and may you always look back at your wedding and smile.  and laugh.  at me.