BEST WEDDING EVER Top 10

The word on the street after our wedding last weekend was that it was the BEST WEDDING EVER. We certainly agree, and obviously so many of our family and friends can't be wrong. I put together a list of my Top 10 favorite moments from the day, even though it was nearly impossible to settle on just 10.

But quickly, before I get to the Top 10, I'd just like to say that the reason we had the BEST WEDDING EVER was because we really have the BEST FRIENDS AND FAMILY EVER. You can have a great band, and a cool view, and pretty flowers, but a wedding is only as great as the people who are there, and everyone had such great energy and was so happy and excited for us that it couldn't have turned out any differently. So a great big thanks to everyone who attended, for being the best ever and making the wedding the best ever. We love you guys!

10. The ceremony itself. I enjoyed this part a lot more than I expected to. Our ushers kept everything running smoothly, the readers did a fabulous job, and the priest gave an absolutely perfect homily that was funny, informative, thoughtful, and tailored to us. I sat there grinning the whole time.

9. When J-P had a waitress bring me THE LAST MINI BLT during the cocktail hour so I could try it. He knew that BLTs are very close to my heart, that I picked them out specifically, and that I would have been sorely disappointed if I had missed them.

8. The dance circle that formed when the band picked up the tempo about halfway through the reception. My dad started everything off with some…unique…moves of his own, and then J-P and his high school friends broke out their baddest break dancing moves. Mike did a mean snake, and J-P did his trademark backspin.

7. The space! The view! The sunset! The weather! Hearing all the positive comments from our family and friends about the location, and seeing people gather around the west-facing windows to get a picture of the sunset over Manhattan.

6. Our friends dancing: the Wagner kids doing pirouettes in an impromptu interpretive ballet, Linda and Elaine dancing with napkins and roses in their teeth, Karen cutting a rug, Ellie showing us all how to do the Hora, Jason trying to cha-cha with my mom while she tried to lead, and Gabriel starting the tunnel.

5. The beautiful toasts given by my dad, J-P’s dad, my sister, and J-P's brother. They all struck the perfect chord, and were funny and touching at the same time. We both have such great families, and it’s awesome that they complement each other so well!

4. My first martini of the night during the cocktail hour, and my last martini of the night during the after-party. Let’s face it, it’s not a party without martinis.

3. Walking down the aisle, with the church full, the candles lining the aisle, and all of our family and friends gathered around. I realized later that I didn’t even look at J-P as I was walking down the aisle, because I was so busy scanning the crowd.

2. Our first dance. The music (Come Fly With Me) was perfectly upbeat, and we twirled around the dance floor in perfect time, singing the words of the song to each other, seeing the faces of our families and friends flash by as the late afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows. This was one of those moments that I know I will be able to picture forever.

1. The Hora! We are forever in debt to our friend Javier for making this happen. He had been bugging us for weeks to have the Hora, but we had hesitated because most of our guests have never even seen a Hora, let alone participated in one. But I always secretly wanted to have the Hora at our wedding, and since everyone had been so energetic all night, we went for it. The band started to play, J-P and I went up in the chairs, someone handed us a napkin, people started to clap in a circle around us, and I’ll tell you it was the BEST HORA THAT A CATHOLIC AND LUTHERAN HAVE EVER HAD IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.