W
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N
A
Toast
from
the
Mother
of
the
Bride
A
simple
,
heartfelt
speech
—
about
two
minutes
,
read
slowly
.
Good evening, everyone, and thank you for being here. For those of you who don’t already know
me, I’m the mother of the bride — and tonight, that is the proudest title I have ever held.
When
Claire
was small, she married off her stuffed animals almost weekly — always to the same
threadbare teddy bear, and always ending the same way. She would stand back, admire her work,
and announce with total certainty, “And now they live happily ever after.”
Tonight, watching the way she looks at
Ethan
, I finally understand what she knew all along. Happily
ever after isn’t found — it’s built. And the two of you have been building yours with patience,
kindness, and laughter since the day you met.
Ethan
, thank you. Thank you for making her laugh, for steadying her on the hard days, and for
loving her exactly the way a mother hopes her daughter will be loved. And thank you for becoming
so naturally part of our family that we can hardly remember life without you.
My wish for you both is simple: be playful when you’re tired, be patient when the days are long,
and never end a single day without saying “I love you.” In our family, that is what happily ever after
looks like.
—
Raise
your
glass
and
look
at
the
couple
.
—
So
please
,
join
me
in
raising
your
glasses
.
To
Claire
and
Ethan
—
to
a
lifetime
of
love
,
laughter
,
and
a
happiness
that
only
grows
sweeter
with
each
passing
year
.
To
the
happy
couple
!
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