Sarah Beth~
Right after the wedding (as well as many, many pictures), the Reception began. It took place in the Brew, which had been rearragned to seat anyone who wanted to come. A long table was set up on the stage, forcing the piano to be moved over to the side. The round cafe tables had been dressed up with table clothes and center pieces, and some more were added.
I was seated in the middle of the table, to the right of Ashley. To the left of him was Paige, since he was the best man, then Cal, then Amy ,then Jeff. To my right was Elle and Draco, then Luna and Rolf. Infront of each of us was a wine glass, which contained either red wine (which was provided by the Malfoys, who, in the Wizarding World, were widely known for their expensive aged wine) or, in mine and Elle's case, grape juice, because I didn't drink and she couldn't.
We had been seated for a few minutes, while everyone was mingling. I smiled, looking around at the people around the room. As happy as I was, this was starting to get boaring. The festivities needed to happen soon...
Finally, Paige clanged his glass with a fork a few times until the room quiets down.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could hold your attention for a few moments... I am Paige Zaretsky, a friend of the groom since childhood and a friend of the bride since last year. I am, first of all, totally honored to be best man for these two wonderful human beings. Second of all, I have been excited to give this speech since I first found out what on Earth a best man even was. I had no clue beforehand. Now, best man speeches can be either very sentimental or very funny. I prefer to give both a try, because I can tell you two things about me: I am great at being sentimental, and I am slightly better at roasting. I do promise, however, to go light on you on this joyous day, Ashley.
"So I remember when Ashley and Sarah Beth started seeing each other, and my first experience with her was Ashley coming to the market after hours to get some ginger ale for Sarah Beth's Wimpy Bender bender. After that, I did not think that any girl would stay with him after a date like that. But she did. So my first thought was 'something is definitely wrong with her'. Turned out that everything was just fine, though. After getting to know Sarah Beth, I would not pick any other woman to be Ashley's wife. No other woman could possibly handle him. Interpret that as you will.
"But no, I really couldn't be happier for Ashley. He is my best friend, through and through. We have been friends since we were seven. My family had moved to Edinburgh from London when my father got a job as curator at the National Museum of Scotland. I really, really hated it there for the first few months. I was a Zaretsky in a sea of Lewises, McAllisters, and Douglases, if you get what I mean. One day, this nasty kid from school decided that he'd beat on me while I was walking home, and I had to run from him for about fifteen minutes before getting cornered in a schoolyard. This kid, we're talking three years older than me and a year below me, academically, was about to break my nose. He was hitting me that hard. Suddenly, this boy with a ginormous mop of black hair shouts at the bully 'Hey! Why don't you harass someone who's actually hurt you? Like your mum, for giving you that face?' It was Ashley Carter, making the stupidest decision of his life. Needless to say, the bully definitely turned his attention away from me. By the end of that day, the two of us had a bloody nose and two black eyes between us. And a new friendship. I still haven't properly returned the kindness you gave me that day, Ash, but I'm getting there. I wish that I could be as loyal and as hardworking as you are. I'm just so happy that you have found a beautiful woman, just as loyal and hardworking, to share your life with.
"Sarah Beth, you are and have always been brilliant with no intention to ever stop being brilliant. Since Ash met you, everything about him has been even more brilliant, too. So go out there and be so brilliant. Show the world what it means to love. Let every good thing that happens to you stay with you. Welcome happiness into your lives and may your days be filled with grand, new adventures. If anyone deserves this, it is you two. So I say mazel tov to you, and I quote Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist: 'When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.'
