Gavin Hall dot org

Over this last weekend Alex got married to Kat over in Melbourne. The wedding was fantastic and I even gave a speech. I got a few people asking for me to put it online since they couldn't hear all of it so I included it below. The theme of the wedding was "a+k".

And the picture above? Well the rehearsal dinner was "island casual". I saw one of these Spring Break 2008 shirts and just thought they were the best/worst things ever. I wore one to the party and it just seemed natural to buy a bunch to pass around. So I bought 8 of these ridiculous shirts for $5 dollars a pop and it is by far the best money I have ever spent in my life.

Good Afternoon my fellow citizens.

My name is Gavin Hall and I am the non-family obligated best man.

As someone who not married yet, ladies....I am sadly unable to share the wisdom that will guide our happy couple to wedding bliss. Instead my speech is directed to you, the family and guests, on how this perfect relationship came to be. A story that truly warms the cockles of my heart.

If Disney movies can be trusted at all...then when you find the person you are supposed to be with things change forever.

For Alex, this happened during freshmen orientation at UCF...when he met me.

You see Alex and I are from very different backgrounds. I grew up in Central South Florida, Alex grew up in South Central Florida. I went to an Private Episcopalian school named St. Marks, Alex to a Private Episcopalian school named Holy Trinity. Alex started with computers at 9, I was 8 and a half. Yet, besides our wildly different past we embraced and accepted each others differences.

It was a different era then that of today. Back then we wanted to unwind, we had to play the Playstation 2...not the Playstation 3. If you wanted to ask a girl out you had to MySpace her...not Facebook her. And our only option for raisins were raisins... the kids of today's have craisins. Things have defiantly changed but it was during that time when our friendship bloomed.

As we celebrated our first new year of being friends together there was a certain calm that came over us. Everyone knew we would all soon explode from Y2K, so I asked Alex what he loved more then anything.

"Taco Bell", he said

I feel with that response you can really get an insight on the true Alex. Born to a white women in Kansas and a Black man from Kenya, there was a youthful innocence to him that drew people in...and hunger for texmex that would silently but defiantly push people away.

We both continued on our paths during college and I was metaphorically there when he joined a fraternity, fought and won a tragic battle with hypoglycemia and brutally killed his first manatee.

As Alex and I took classes together our bond continued to grow. Soon we would move from Friends to Best Friends. And then Best Friends to BFF. Best Friends Forever.

When Alex moved to DC after graduation him and I stayed in close contact. He would tell me about his job and city life. About Museums, Metros and cab fare. Oh yes, and about girl.

I would hear stories of this incredibly intelligent, witty and beautiful girl he met who was from Ohio and neutral on horses. How she would tap dance in metro stations when she got bored and how she had never used a cursed word in her life.

Soon after Kat emailed me and it simply stated, "My name is Kathrin Stayzack (sp for google sake). I'm 100% polish and my dad is in a Polka Band".

Although Kathryn's father has since swore to me that it wasn't a Polka band..I think it is THAT statement that shows the true Kathryn. Someone who is always able to see the best in any situation.

As they progressed through their courting and the blossoming of their relationship, I was literally and awkward there.

I would see Kathryn talk passionately about her woobie, pirogi and politics...and as I drifted off, I would understand what people had to deal with when Alex and I talk about computers.

But from the start, it was that same passion when talked about each other...that made me know where this was headed.

When Alex told me he was going to propose to Kat, I think the same question went through everyone's mind.

How is this going to effect me?

Alex let me know that I wasn't losing my BFF but instead gaining a second BFF in Kathryn. Someone who soon would be contractually obligated to be nice to him...and ergo nice to me.

A + K + G

Please help me in toasting my very good friends Alex and Kathryn.

Tags: alexrudloff, brianrudloff, mikepropst, speech, springbreak, wedding