A
G
R
A
N
D
M
O
T
H
E
R
’
S
T
O
A
S
T
—
E
M
M
A
&
N
O
A
H
The
Wedding
of
Emma
&
Noah
Emma
Sullivan
&
Noah
Bennett
J U
N
E
2 1 , 2 0 2 6 ·
OA
K
W OOD
E S T A T
E
,
H
U
D S ON
V A
L
L
E Y
A
Grandmother
’
s
Toast
by
Ruth
·
Grandmother
of
the
Bride
It
was
a
little
after
two
in
the
morning
,
at
the
end
of
a
hot
July
,
twenty
-
seven
years
ago
,
and
I
was
holding
a
very
small
,
very
furious
baby
who
had
decided
she
was
finished
with
sleeping
.
Her
mother
apologised
for
the
hour
.
I
told
her
not
to
.
That
girl
has
known
what
she
wanted
since
the
moment
she
arrived
—
and
she
has
always
had
the
heart
to
go
and
get
it
.
The
same
girl
grew
up
,
and
somewhere
along
the
way
she
found
Noah
.
I
have
watched
him
from
across
our
table
for
three
years
now
—
at
Sunday
suppers
,
at
holidays
,
in
the
kitchen
doorway
when
he
thinks
no
one
is
looking
—
and
I
have
seen
exactly
what
I
hoped
I
would
live
long
enough
to
see
.
Someone
who
looks
at
her
the
way
her
grandfather
still
looks
at
me
.
Noah
,
you
won
us
all
the
afternoon
you
asked
for
the
shortbread
recipe
.
Now
,
after
fifty
-
two
years
of
marriage
to
that
man
over
there
,
I
’
ve
earned
the
right
to
offer
a
little
advice
.
Marriage
is
not
fifty
-
fifty
.
Some
seasons
it
is
ninety
-
ten
,
and
you
will
each
take
your
turn
being
the
ninety
.
Be
quick
to
apologise
and
slow
to
keep
score
.
If
you
must
argue
,
do
it
before
midnight
.
And
every
single
night
,
say
goodnight
like
you
mean
it
—
because
one
day
it
will
be
the
sweetest
memory
you
have
.
And
Emma
,
my
darling
girl
—
you
have
always
held
my
whole
heart
,
and
after
today
you
will
share
it
with
Noah
.
I
could
not
be
prouder
of
the
woman
you
have
become
,
or
more
certain
that
you
have
found
the
right
man
to
become
it
beside
.
1 / 2
W I L L
Y O U
A L L
S TA N D
A N D
R A I S E
Y O U R
G L A S S E S
W I T H
M E
?
To
Emma
&
Noah
—
may
your
home
be
warm
,
your
table
be
full
,
your
arguments
be
short
,
and
your
love
be
long
.
With
all
my
love
,
Ruth
G R A N D M O
T H E R
O
F
T H E
B R I D E
2 / 2
