"At Every Table I'll Save You a Seat..." Lover/Taylor Swift

 

A few weekends ago, Micaela, my oldest, became engaged.  Her fiancé, Noah, is a man she has been dating for about three years.  The emotions around this event are those of pure, unadulterated joy.  Noah planned the entire surprise, inviting family and friends weeks before, challenging us all to keep the secret so the night could be as special as possible for Micaela.   Keeping the secret was no easy task but we all managed to honor Noah's wishes.  Micaela was completely blown away with the presence of so many people who loved her, Noah and them as a couple.  Somehow, we all made it to Greenville, SC (where they live) spent a couple days together enjoying a mini vacation, all the while Micaela was clueless, a mere 5 miles away.  

A picture is worth 1,000 words.....    

 One of the sweetest and most memorable parts   of the event, for me, is that Noah so routinely plans "surprise, let's get dressed up and go to a nice dinner" type nights for them, that Micaela didn't suspect a thing when he told her the week before to pick out her prettiest dress, because he  found a new fancy restaurant he wanted to  take her to, to celebrate a "bonus" he received on his paycheck.  Micaela thought nothing of it other than to wonder where he may be taking her.  She didn't ask any questions, because that is their way - planning surprises for one another, the joy of the planning as much fun as the surprise itself.  

Noah and his family    

Understandably, Noah had an anxious week - I received phone calls and texts filled with excitement, happiness and a bit of anxiety that the surprise wouldn't work out.  Anyone who knows her, knows Micaela is observant and curious so Noah had good reason to be worried.  But facts are, she didn't have a clue.  Her genuine surprise, expressions, tears of happiness are things I will never forget.  She said later it was the best night of her life and I think anyone who was there, would believe it.  

We celebrated and partied until the wee hours of the morning.  We danced, did shots, sang, and gave toasts.  It was one for the ages - mainly because the couple and their friends and loved ones were bursting with happiness.

I was honored to give a toast/speech at the engagement party, and I share that with you here in this blog post. 

Micaela and Noah being "toasted".

Two of the most wonderful people I have ever met are joining their lives, with the blessings and shared happiness of their families and friends.  I hope you can feel my love, admiration and happiness in the words I spoke that night.  

I wanted to thank you all for joining us today to celebrate this joyous occasion – the engagement of Micaela and Noah.  I know most of you travelled to get here and that extra effort, I am sure means the world to them.   As you can all imagine, I couldn't be prouder or happier to stand before you and share a few words on this special day.

From the moment she was born, my heart swelled with love and dreams for Micaela and her future. I watched her grow into a remarkable woman, filled with kindness, intelligence, and a zest for life. Today, as I look at her standing beside the man of her dreams, I see a radiant happiness that words simply cannot capture.

Noah, from the moment I met you that fateful Thanksgiving 2020 (if you know you know), it was clear that there was something special brewing between the two of you.  I am still not sure if you were actually a couple or dating then but I knew, by the way Micaela was with you, that you were different.  It was just a matter of time before she told me, a few months later, you were the one, you checked all the boxes.  Since then, as we have gotten to know you, we are sure that you are, indeed, the one. Your work ethic is beyond compare and your love of a good time embodies the work hard play hard philosophy that fits in so well with our family.  We love that you never meet a stranger and that you are willing to go to the mat to stick up for your family and friends, especially Micaela.  We could not have designed a more perfect partner for our daughter.

Micaela, I want you to know how incredibly proud I am of the woman you have become. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in your life, and I have no doubt that this journey will be filled with love, laughter, and countless cherished memories. Your compassion, positivity, and spirit have always inspired me, and I am confident that you will bring these qualities into your new role as Noah’s wife, just as you have in everything else you do. 

As a couple, your love and respect for one another is a testament to the strong foundation upon which your future together will be built. I have seen firsthand the way you support and encourage each other, and it fills my heart with joy to know that you two have found each other.  Steph and I have enjoyed getting to know Noah’s mom, Melissa and brother, Aaron.  We know they share our happiness in knowing these two are going to be tying the knot.  We look forward to many more shared times and happy memories as a family.

I have had the distinct honor of watching Micaela date the duds, bring them home for me to meet as I secretly hoped she would not think they were “the one”, they weren’t.  I remember when she and the last dud broke up, while many of her friends were getting engaged, moving in with their significant other and taking the next steps and Micaela said to me, “I just can’t imagine liking a boy enough to want to live with them and have their smelly stuff in my closet and spend every day with them…”  I wonder if she remembers my reply??? It was “You just haven’t met the right guy yet”.  Noah, trust me when I say that if she accepts your smelly boy stuff, wants to spend time with you each day and still likes you – you have conquered the mountain. 

When Noah came and asked Steph and I for Micaela’s hand in marriage, I was so moved by the innocence in which Noah spoke his truth about his life with Micaela….how she makes every day better, how he was in a dark place when they met and her outlook on life made him want to be the best man he could ever be…how he wanted to be her husband, how he cherished her and their life together.  As we all cried, I told Noah that nothing would make me happier than to have him join our family.  Once a family of 5 strong willed, independent, take no prisoners women –  tonight, we officially welcome the first smelly boy into our clan.

To everyone gathered here, thank you for being a part of this celebration. Your presence represents the love and support that surround Micaela and Noah, as they begin this incredible journey together.  Many of you may not know this but the ring Noah used to propose tonight is a family heirloom.  It is the same ring my dad proposed to my mom with back in 1959 – my parents were married for 60 years before my dad passed away in 2020.  And while my dad never met Noah, I have no doubt that Opa is smiling down on this celebration, holding up his shot of Jägermeister and beaming with joy. The ring represents the legacy of our family – and now it starts the legacy of the Noah and Micaela Coffey family.  When in doubt – look at that ring, remember the love that was shared by Oma and Opa was not a love that was easy or all roses – they struggled, I am sure there were times they didn’t like each other – but every single day they made the choice of each other and their family – every single day they chose love. I feel certain your marriage will honor the heritage of that ring.  

Let’s raise our glasses to Micaela and Noah – to a lifetime of more ups than downs, to adventures filled with laughter and love, to shared dreams, to keeping each other’s secrets, to innocent love, respect and honor, to a journey so sweet with joy that in 60 years you will look back and smile at the wonder of it all – to never forgetting why you fell in love in the first place.  I love you both so much!  Prost.

 

We are so lucky my mom could join us.

David, Nick and Molly are special cousins who made the trip.