Hooray! My brother and sister-in-law are finally married. They tied the knot this past weekend during a beautiful ceremony at Trezzi Farm in Spokane. My dad hit it on the mark when he used the word “perseverance” to characterize Glen and Carrie’s relationship. After their dream wedding was delayed multiple times due to COVID, the newlyweds finally had their special day on the Fourth of July.

Glen and Carrie got married on July 4, 2021. This is a photo during the reception with Beau.

But Sunday was simply just the cherry on top of what was an entire weekend of wedding festivities. Leading up to the vows there was a rehearsal, a welcome dinner, a wedding eve party, and additional informal activities.

The night before the wedding, my mom and dad hosted a party in their back yard.

I bring up the #GlenGotCarriedAway itinerary to share this: Late Sunday night after the newlyweds and most of the bridal party had gone back to the hotel, I sat down inside a bar with one of Carrie’s bridesmaids and her fiancé. We started chatting about the weekend and what made it successful.

I listened as Kenze’s fiancé, Chace, eloquently explained that the true beauty of the #GlenGotCarriedAway experience was that different groups of people—Glen’s family, Carrie’s family, Glen’s friends, Carrie’s friends, etc.—were able to come together for a single purpose. With Glen and Carrie leading the way, these different factions of folks, who in many instances didn’t know each other before last Thursday, selflessly worked together to give the bride and groom what they deserved.

I was honored to serve as Glen’s best man. I drove him to the wedding venue on Sunday.

Over the past 36 hours I have thought about Chace’s words a lot and how they perfectly summarize #GlenGotCarriedAway. There was no such thing as ego. For the four days that we were all together it was about making sure that my brother and sister-in-law were taken care of. Problem solving, sacrificing, and collaborating were embraced by all. Differences relating to geography, religion, and MLB-team affiliation (thinking of the groomsmen) simply did not matter. What did matter was the happiness of Glen and Carrie.

So Sunday’s wedding wasn’t simply the grand finale of four days of events that culminated in “I do.” Rather, it was the pinnacle of different groups coming together as one to give two very loved people the best day of their lives.

There was no better example of people from “different sides” working together than my/Glen’s parents and Carrie’s parents. A true inspiration.

When I look back on #GlenGotCarriedAway I will surely remember the beauty of the wedding ceremony and the outrageously fun reception. But what will always stick with me the most is the camaraderie that was shared by those with different backgrounds but the same precious interests: Glen and Carrie.

Don’t Blink.