She leaned over whispered “I bet you think every wedding you go to is amazing.”

I looked back over my shoulder at Courtney and Jamie, their faces just mere inches apart, her hair curled between his fingers. Laughter was in the air and the wine seemed to flow from an endless reserve. There we were, deep in the heart of wine country, Sonoma, CA and as the cool wind blew in through the open french doors people exchanged stories and memories and seemed to hold each other closer than usual.

A younger gentleman clanked the edge of his wine glass with a fork signifying it was time for a speech. Someone yelled out “Oh, this should be good!”

The man raised his glass and the crowd leaned in with anticipation. “Don’t worry, this will be quick.” he said. “I’ve known Jamie for a long time. I knew him before he met Courtney. And I know him now. And trust me when I say he is so much fu**ing better now!”

The room erupted in applause and laughter and everyone raised their glasses in agreement.

Funny how love has a way of doing that to us. Make us better that is. When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth and when it falls from their lips you have no choice to but run towards the sound. This was a second marriage for them both but deep down I could feel that they really got it right this time. After all, love is like a Rubix Cube. There are countless numbers of wrong twists and turns, but when you get it right, it looks perfect no matter what way you look at it.

Courtney’s brother said it best earlier in the evening when he quoted a line from Margery Williams’ classic children’s story, “The Velveteen Rabbit.”

“It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

“I said, I bet you think every wedding is amazing don’t you?” the woman slurred again, this time tapping me on the shoulder.

I smiled. “Honestly…no. Not every wedding is amazing. But this one, now this one is simply…”