You know… a common theory that my friends share about being in love is that when you’re in love… suddenly you’re almost physically incapable of doing anything…. your heart skips a beat, you lose your breath, you feel weak in the knees….

but I personally believe it’s the exact opposite…. being in love shouldn’t make you feel like a piece of you is being taken away… instead, I believe that being in love is like having pieces of someone else complete the puzzle that is your life…

when you’re in love… your senses are heightened… your heart beats faster… your breathing is more rapid… and every muscle in your body feels stronger and healthier and you can’t help but feel like the world can’t stop you…. and that’s exactly what I see when I look at Phoebe & Alan.

I may not know them for as long as some of you here… but I have had the honor of knowing both of them for almost 6 years now and if there’s one thing I know about them… it’s that their hearts are larger than they realize.  And with their large hearts…. they share an even greater abundance of love with everyone they come across…

Whether it is a family member, a church friend, or a friend in need of a place to live last minute… (Which is me! I’m definitely guilty of that! haha ) their arms are always wide open and welcoming.  Phoebe and I have always had this running joke between us since our 2nd year of college that we would one day be each other’s children’s godparents…. going as far as calling each other Mare (or Marz as a lot of you probably hear when you’re around us haha) but I now know that the truth is there’s nothing more I’d love to do than to be part of her and Alan’s future in any way I can.

Phoebe, you look absolutely gorgeous tonight… and I thank you and Alan for choosing me to be your Maid of Honor on this most important day of your lives. Alan, you better take care of her - she means the world to me. Keep her happy, make her laugh. Love her, always and forever. Enjoy the good and the bad, and be happy that you two will always have each other close by. I have never seen Phoebe so happy as when she is with you. Alan, you are handsome and generous with your love for Pheebz, and I could ask for nothing more.

Pheebz is the best friend anyone could hope for, and Alan is a great man.

My greatest wish for the two of you is that from now on, your love for each other will deepen and grow and that the grace of God continues to shine through you….

Everyone let us all raise our glasses and make a toast to Alan & Phoebe.

Here’s to good health, happiness, good luck and prosperity to Alan and Phoebe. Cheers!!!