Someone In The Crowd [Paul Wesley]

121. IRL

Becky stood up and tapped her fork against her champagne glass, ready to make the first toast.

"Hello everyone, I'm Becky. For those who don't know me, I'm Cece's sister and I'm standing in for our dad today, which is why I walked her down the aisle. When I knew that I had to make a speech, my first thought was 'dad should be doing this'. And he would have loved it. Not being the centre of attention, but he would have loved to give Cece away and to welcome Paul into the family. But as he's not here, I'm more than happy to step in on his behalf, to say that he would have been so proud. Cece, you've grown into this incredible, independent, amazing woman. And somehow you've managed to find a guy who compliments you in every single way, who brings out the best in you. I'm so excited for you guys, and I can't wait to see the journey that you go on together. So I'd like to raise a glass, to my sister, and my new brother-in-law. I love you both."

Next stood Paul's father Tomasz.

"Hello, I'm Pawel's father Tomasz. I'll keep this short, but I just want to say that, from the moment we met Cece, she fit into the family, we all loved her. Paul's made some great choices in his life, but without a doubt, his best choice was choosing this girl, and making her a part of this family. These two individually are powerful. These two together are unstoppable. Congratulations both of you. Cece, welcome to the family."

Next came Ian.

"Hi everyone, I'm Ian, Paul's best man. Those were two tough speeches to follow, so I'm sorry that mine won't be as good. I want to take this opportunity, to draw attention to how beautiful the bridal party is. All the bridesmaids look absolutely stunning, second only to the blushing bride. Paul definitely made a good choice when he put a ring on it! I've known Paul for a while now, and I've never seen the guy so happy. Cece brings out something in him that I've never seen in him before, this intense satisfaction. Like he has everything that he needs from life. When you hear the term 'made for each other' it seems incredibly cliché. However, Paul and Cece are the dictionary definition of that term, because I've never seen a couple more suited to each other. So let's raise a glass to the happy couple, and wish them eternal happiness, light and love."

Claire stood up and cleared her throat.

"Hello, I'm Claire, the maid of honour and Cece's best friend. Cece and I have known each other for such a long time. We went through those awkward teen years together, we went through the toughness of the early twenties by each other's side. She's been there with me through every tough moment, so I thank her for letting me be here for the best ones. On behalf of myself and the bridesmaids, we thank you Cee, for allowing us to be such an integral part of your special day, we all really appreciate it. When I look at you sometimes, I see the 14 year old that I met on a beach in Australia who didn't know what she wanted out of life. So it's really weird to look over at you now, in that beautiful dress with an amazing guy by your side, and see that your life turned out more amazing than you ever expected it to. I also want to thank Paul. You're such an amazing guy, and you've made my best friend happier than I ever imagined she could be. Thank you for being the kind of guy that can sweep a girl off her feet, the kind of guy that strives for love and happiness and goodness. I've known these two separately and together, and I can only say that watching you two together is like witnessing real-life magic."

Last up, was Paul.

"Thanks for coming everyone. I'm Paul, the groom. If you know me well, you know that public speaking isn't my favorite thing in the world, but I'm gonna try not to forget anyone. First of all, I want to thank the beautiful bridesmaids, Nina and Kat. You guys look stunning, and I'm so happy that you could be a part of this day. Then there's Candice, our amazing bridesmaid and wedding planner. Without you, today wouldn't have been even half as amazing as it is. If you ever stop working for the CW, wedding planning is definitely the way to go! To Becky and Claire, you're both so important to my wife, and to me too. You've become part of my family and I'm so glad that you both support and love us as much as you do.

"To my groomsmen, Daniel Gillies, Malarkey, Trevino and the rest of the TVD and Originals guys, thanks for being here today, for helping with every inane task that I set for you, and for helping Candice to make today go off without a hitch. To the best man, my best friend Ian, thank you for helping me with every big decision I've ever made, from buying a dog, to the proposal, to today and everything in between.

"I want to thank my parents, for making me the man that I am today. I certainly would not be here without you. Thank you for supporting every decision I make, from moving to Atlanta to film a show about vampires, to falling in love with this talented, crazy beautiful Australian girl. Your support means the world to me and I wouldn't be able to do anything without it. I also want to take a moment to thank Cece's father who couldn't be here tonight. Whether they were apart or together, he managed to raise the woman of my dreams, and I can't thank him enough for that. He's a huge influence in both of our lives and I wish more than anything that he was here to share this day with us.

"Last but not least, to my gorgeous wife. Cece and I met when she got cast in 'The Vampire Diaries' a show that I'd already been doing for 4 years when she came in. I liked her instantly. She was fun, nice, sweet, she completely lit up any room that she was in, whether she was playing an evil witch or not! But when I was going through personal heartache, I got to see a different side of her. The side that cares so deeply about people, the side that would do anything for her friends. And in an instant, I started thinking of her as a little bit more than just a friend, and thankfully, she felt the same way. And from then, everything changed in the most amazing way. I had this person who I knew would be by my side no matter what. And a dog, a house and a couple of rings later, I feel the exact same way about her as I did then. I still want her with me, through thick and thin, for the rest of my life.

"So thank you Cece, first of all, for everything that you did to make today what it is, including showing up! Because there's no way that this day could have happened without you. But also, thank you for being you. Thank you for being the most beautiful, amazing, caring, selfless person in the world. I feel so incredibly lucky that I get to call myself your husband. So, for the last time tonight, I'd like you all to raise your glasses to my beautiful wife. To Cece!"

"To Cece," the crowd echoed back.

He leaned down and kissed his wife again, and neither of them could understand how they got so lucky.