Once Upon a Time

It was around this time a year ago, that I was added to a group text with two of my oldest friends, Kate and Lisa. They had both recently become engaged and decided on their wedding dates, exactly two weeks away from each other. “Does that work for you?” they asked. Did it work for me? I’d cross oceans to be with these two fabulous women on their wedding days.

Lisa was married first in New Jersey, and then it was Kate’s turn in early August.

Kate (aka Baby Kate) and I first met in high school marching band. I remember our earliest conversation. We stood next to each other in a drill formation. Kate let out a sigh, turned to me, and let me know that my ex boyfriend was an asshole. She promptly turned back around and I’ve called her my friend since. We became sisters through GGBC and Greek sisters through Tau Beta Sigma at Indiana University.

She is one of my most fiercely loyal friends. When I moved to Florida and learned my boyfriend back home in Indiana was cheating on me, she drove over to my apartment that he was living in and sat outside my door in her car making sure his new girl wouldn’t step foot into my house.

Kate and I bonded over a love of books (among other things) over the years, so when I learned she and her husband-to-be, Jake, were getting married at the Indianapolis Public Library, I knew it’d be the perfect place for them.

The wedding weekend kicked off with a game-filled rehearsal dinner and a outrageous brunch at {RIZE} in Carmel, Indiana.

We were all dressed in blue at Kate’s wedding. I was blessed to reunite not only with high school friends, but also my insanely amazing, supportive, loving sorority sisters.

The wedding itself was gorgeous. There was an open bar and a giant baked brie that Lisa and I ate most of. Other lovely details included the music. In true musician’s heart fashion, every single song in the service made me cry.

Baby Kate, have I told you how lucky I am to have you in my life? To have your honest, loving voice in my head telling me what I need to hear? You were one of the first people in my life to tell me over and over (sometimes telling me with your scary loving eyes…You know the ones) that I don’t need to keep the hard things to myself, that I have people who love and support me and will keep doing so even when I fuck up.

I love you so very much and I’m so incredibly happy you have Jake and that Lisa and I (and therefore our current and future families) have you for life.

Thank you for letting me a part of your perfect day. Sorry it’s taken me a long-ass time to write this for you. Yes, you.