Nani's and Michael's toast

As I did for Sara's and Jeff's wedding, I'm publishing the written version of my toast from the wedding.  Per usual, the version I delivered was slightly altered and adlibbed, so that I could be in the moment instead of my head.

As I said on Saturday night, I love, adore, and treasure you both, Michael and Nina.

Be well and tremendous love,

Nish 

Good evening, everyone.  For those who don’t know me, I’m Manisha, Nina’s oldest sister.  Except, Nina is not what typically I call her.  I call her Naniben.  Nani - baby.  Ben - sister.  Naniben. Baby sister.

 

Tonight, I see her sitting there, a grown person who just married her best friend a couple of hours ago, a strong, smart, sassy, gorgeous woman, but even still, the fact remains, she’ll always be my baby sister.  

 

Nina and I have a solid sisterhood, and very close friendship.  We have always confided in each other and asked for advice.  So, I knew something in Nina’s world had shifted very shortly after she came home from her first break in college.  She had a long distance suitor at the time, but all of her stories revolved strangely around this boy from Long Island, a charming, funny, bookworm with the surname: Mogavero.  Sara and I teased our 18 year old sister about her “boyfriend Michael.”  “My best friend,” she would quickly correct.  Sara and I would glance at each other as if to say “yeah right, just a friend.” 

 

Except now, all these years later, it’s clear to me that in those moments, all three of us were all right.  Michael is her best friend, yes, but never “just a friend.”  As I’ve watched these two come into their own, I see a steady partnership has emerged - a strong, responsible, and steadfast partnership.

 

You know what else  I see when I watch them, though?  I see a funny, solid, fulfilling friendship. Michael and Nina live for adventure, and know how to find, make, and have fun.  They are playful together, often affectionally and gently teasing the other.  They make each other laugh all the time.  They listen, and take each other’s concerns seriously.  Every chance they have, they find things to do together  - and most importantly, they enjoy each other while they do it - kayaking, spearfishing, traveling.  As any pair of good friends should, the two of them continuously remember, explore, and identify with the things that made them even like each other in the first place.   

 

To Nina - Nani, I love, adore and treasure you.  I look up to you as much as I look out for you, and I am so happy to see you married to your best friend.

 

To Michael - Brother, I love, adore and treasure you.  If I could have designed a partner for Nina, it would have been you.  

 

To both of them - Michael and Nina, love, adore and treasure each other.  Protect each other from the world, but protect your friendship above all us.

 

So now, if everyone could please raise their glasses, a toast - to Nina and Michael.  May you remain fabulous friends forever.  Congratulations.

 

 

C'est fini

If you're friends with me on facebook, you haven't escaped knowing that, over the last year, I've worked on an ocean themed ceramic set to be displayed at Nani's and Michael's wedding.  The wedding came and all twelve pieces made it unscathed!  :)  The set up turned out phenomenonly. 

A thirteenth last minute item, a write up about the project and me (written by me), was printed and framed to be displayed with the pieces.

For anyone who is interested in that writing:

​The dusty, messy, unmanageable earth has an unlimited capacity to fascinate me.  In my life, I’ve felt perpetually compelled to touch muck: silt at the bottom of a pond, broken shells mixed into wet sand on the shoreline, or mud that forms in the divots of front yards after summer rain.  It’s not surprising then, that my love affair with ceramics is unrelenting.

 

​I returned to the studio about eighteen months ago; six months into my return, Michael and Nina were engaged.  Shortly after their engagement was announced, they asked me to incorporate my work into their wedding reception.   At the time of the request, Michael and Nina had few specifications, and any time I asked them for guidance, they assured me: “We trust your vision.  Do it how you see it, and it will be exactly what we want.”

 

        How’s that for pressure? 

 

​After considering the options, I set out to design a new series for them that would encompass a celebration of the love affair these two have with each other and life; a love affair, it seems, that is not unlike mine with the earth. In preparation, I spent several months thinking about the two of them, and not about the series.  What do I know about them?  What do they love about each other?  How do they live their lives?  After searching, I realized the answer was always the same; they adore adventure.  

 

​Their newest adventure before the engagement was a recent relocation to Miami, and the most consistent part of their lives after that move was a tremendous amount of time spent on the water.  It seemed my baby sister and Her Love found peace kayaking, sailing, spearfishing, and snorkeling; the two were clearly drawn to the ocean.  

 

​Therefore, this series came into existence as a nod to their seafaring; it is twelve structures depicting a coral reef, complete with the fish that swim through them.  The vagueness of form is intentional, a gentle acknowledgment of the ocean rather than a realistic replica of their Miami sea.   As we celebrate the beginning of Michael’s and Nina’s new life, their willingness to take risks, and their ability to move through the world on their own terms, I invite you to explore these pieces as you wish; please find the wonders of the ocean as they emerge from the muck.

 

​Michael and Nina, I thank you for trusting me with this project.  Congratulations, and may the Gods and Goddesses of the sea always bless you.

 

With tremendous love,

Manisha

Congrats, Nina and Michael!