G
ood
evening
,
everyone
—
and
thank
you
for
being
here
on
such
a
beautiful
day
.
For
those
I
haven
’
t
yet
met
,
I
’
m
Sarah
,
and
I
’
ve
had
the
extraordinary
luck
of
being
Emma
’
s
friend
for
fourteen
years
.
Emma
asked
me
to
keep
this
short
,
so
I
will
honor
her
wishes
roughly
the
way
she
honors
her
own
gym
membership
—
with
my
very
best
intentions
and
complete
creative
license
.
We
met
when
we
were
fourteen
,
two
nervous
freshmen
in
an
unfamiliar
high
school
,
thrown
together
for
the
same
group
project
.
Emma
arrived
with
color
-
coded
index
cards
and
a
level
of
organization
I
found
frankly
suspicious
.
We
have
been
best
friends
ever
since
.
She
taught
me
the
real
difference
between
planning
and
worrying
,
and
I
taught
her
that
a
group
project
can
,
in
fact
,
become
a
two
-
week
sleepover
with
sufficient
determination
.
Over
the
years
,
we
planned
her
wedding
a
hundred
times
over
.
We
redesigned
it
on
train
rides
,
in
her
college
dorm
,
and
over
carryout
dinners
in
tiny
apartments
.
There
were
themes
,
color
palettes
,
and
one
meticulously
maintained
Pinterest
board
.
But
through
every
version
,
a
single
detail
stayed
the
same
—
Emma
could
never
quite
decide
who
would
be
standing
across
from
her
.
Tonight
,
I
finally
understand
why
.
She
was
never
uncertain
,
and
she
was
never
stalled
.
She
was
simply
waiting
for
someone
worth
waiting
for
.
And
then
you
arrived
,
James
.
Emma
called
me
forty
-
five
minutes
after
your
first
date
—
I
remember
exactly
,
because
I
checked
the
time
,
and
because
she
was
using
that
particular
voice
she
reserves
for
something
wonderful
that
is
happening
.
You
make
her
laugh
in
that
easy
,
unguarded
way
the
rest
of
us
have
spent
years
trying
to
earn
.
You
are
patient
with
her
lists
and
brave
around
her
family
—
and
she
,
in
turn
,
has
become
more
fully
herself
with
you
than
I
have
ever
seen
her
.
That
is
the
truest
gift
one
person
can
give
another
:
the
space
to
be
exactly
who
they
are
.
So
James
—
on
behalf
of
everyone
in
this
room
who
loves
Emma
—
welcome
to
the
family
.
We
are
so
glad
you
are
here
.
And
Emma
,
my
dear
friend
:
you
chose
extraordinarily
well
.
He
is
wonderful
,
your
mother
adores
him
,
and
honestly
,
he
is
a
significant
upgrade
from
our
teenage
daydreams
.
Please
raise
your
glasses
with
me
.
To
Emma
&
James
.
May
your
marriage
hold
everything
you
so
carefully
planned
—
and
even
more
of
everything
you
never
knew
to
plan
for
.
May
your
disagreements
be
short
,
your
1 / 2
adventures
be
long
,
and
may
your
love
remain
precisely
what
it
is
tonight
:
easy
,
warm
,
and
entirely
your
own
.
2 / 2
