My little sister got married this weekend, y’all! And I couldn’t have been more happy for her and my new brother-in-law! A lot of you knew I was struggling to come up with my maid of honor speech last week, and some of you actually wanted to know what I said, so I figured I’d share it here. Something that I found that made an emotional impact for me and the people who heard my speech is showing my sister’s new husband in a different light.

I can talk about my sister and our relationship for days because she’s my best friend, but it was actually empowering to honor the person I knew less in their relationship, especially because I felt like a part of me was letting her go to another important person in her life.

Anyways, I’ll leave my speech below, I hope you all like it.

Y’all have probably always known that Ruth and Miguel were gonna end up getting married early on in their relationship. Not me. For me, this realization was rather more personal.

2016 and 2017 were my hardest, darkest, most toxic years of my life. Even though they didn’t know exactly what was going on internally, they let me tag along on their “dates” and be their third wheel…without feeling like one.

That, for me, meant everything because it was one of maybe 2 things that gave me comfort and hope at the time. And it showed me what kind of man Miguel was. And that was selfless. Most guys would get fed up and find a way to make it known that I was invading their space. But he showed me that he didn’t just care for Ruth, but he also cared about the people that were important to her.

And it’s funny because I used to keep a strike log with him, and honestly, I don’t even remember what those 2 strikes were anymore.

It makes me so happy that you’re my brother-in-law. Opposite of Tita Mina, I’ve always wanted a brother. I actually asked my mom and dad for a brother and got Ruth instead, but I’m glad God made me wait.

Photo Credit: Tyler Nix

All jokes aside, I’ve seen you guys grow up over the years and how you make each other better people. Your foundation of friendship is one of the things I dream of in a relationship. I actually look up to you guys so much in the relationship department, so I’m honored to even be providing you wisdom because I’m definitely no expert. I mean, c’mon, I’m the single one.

One of the biggest hopes that I have for the both of you is that you guys really be in relentless pursuit of Jesus. It’s one thing to believe in God, but it’s another to really make God a huge part of your relationship.

You’re human and you’re bound to disappoint and fail each other, but God never will. Marriage is God’s creation and you should use it as your act of worship to honor Him. So I hope that this start of a new chapter is not just to live, but to live with purpose and to find it together.

And marriage is never the end goal. You’ll be put in difficult trials in your marriage, and depending on your relationship with God, you’ll either be each other’s asset or liability. I hope you guys know you’re already anointed apart, but even more impactful together, so keep pushing each other to grow better every day, and don’t be afraid to fall forward. I heard a wise man once say… instead of pray for blessings, pray to be a blessing. And I hope that’s your prayer as well.

Photo Credit: Tyler Nix