Entry #1

Hello, everyone, I’m Lucy, the maid of honor and Mary’s best friend. When Mary asked me to be her maid of honor I jumped at the chance. To say it is an “honor” is quite right, and I felt like it was finally my chance to do something for her since she’s always doing everything for everyone else.

Mary is what they call a “giver.” When we met 15 years ago, we lived next door to each other, and even then, she was always looking out for me. Mary knew I lived a sad existence with a mother who was a strict health nut, and she shared her chocolate chip cookies with me at lunch every day and made a point to invite me over when her mother was baking. In 7th grade, she gently pushed me to join the drama club, refusing to acknowledge my stage fright, thereby igniting my lifelong love of the theater and performing. She tutored me in math and science all throughout high school, sometimes even prioritizing my tests and assignments before hers, and without her I probably wouldn’t have graduated. It made perfect sense to me that she went into the pharmaceutical industry. She loves to help people, and she gets to do that every day.

As we all know, Mary is an accomplished horsewoman. She’s been a devoted rider since was 4 years old. As Winston Churchill once said, and I think Mary completely takes this to heart, “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.”

And so this relationship, which seemed to be doomed from the start, must be the real deal.

When Mary met John, it was not love at first sight. Mary was competing in an equestrian event in Middleburg, and John was there to film a documentary on animal shows. As usual, Mary was completely in control, not to mention adorable in her jodhpurs and black riding boots. And John was a blathering mess. You see, once John got to Middleburg, he found out he was allergic to horses. He was furiously popping Benadryl to make it through each day, but it made him groggy and loopy. When he tried to do his job without the drugs, he was sneezing, coughing and constantly blowing his nose.

John later said that, in between the streaming tears and tissues full of snot, he was taken by Mary’s poise and confidence. Mary later said that she thought he was pathetic. Even so, when he called her three weeks later to follow up on some details about the show, they ended up talking for over an hour. She liked his sense of humor, and he had a relaxed, easy-going vibe that she missed being around pharmaceutical students and stuffy horse riders all the time.

They continued talking on the phone regularly for months, and then they finally arranged to see each other when he was passing through DC on an assignment. It wasn’t until their first date – when she took him horseback riding, no less! – that he admitted he was allergic. She was horrified. She couldn’t imagine being with someone who didn’t live and breathe horses the way she did. It wasn’t that he didn’t have an interest – he literally couldn’t breathe around them!

But, when two personalities are a match the way Mary and John’s are, not even an allergy to horses can keep them apart. And, I don’t think it’s any small coincidence that she is in the drug industry, after all. Mary, in all her supreme organization and efficiency, can be…uh, a bit of a drill sergeant. And I say that in the nicest way possible. But John is always kind, patient and tolerant. He reminds her to slow down and let up, be more accepting of herself, to stop and smell the honeysuckle. And she, in turn, encourages him to always be on top of his game.

Now, John knows Mary pretty well. But there is some wisdom I can impart from spending the better part of the past 15 years with her that may prevent unnecessary frustration down the line. She functions best on eight hours of sleep, two cups of coffee and positive feedback. You can usually get her out of a bad mood with Reese’s Pieces. If she asks you your honest opinion on something, realize that half the time she wants it, and the other half she wants you to lie – so hone your skills at figuring out which is which. And, make sure that no matter how full and busy your lives get, that she always has time to ride her horses.

I just want to say in closing that I’m so happy for Mary. She’s been such a loyal friend to me and so many of us in this room. She deserves all the happiness in the world, and I’m thankful to John for providing that for her.

So, here’s to this wonderful couple, Mary and John – may their future be paved with happiness, lots of laughter, mutual respect and good fortune.