Today is my mother’s birthday (Hi Mom! Love you so much!) and in honor of that momentous occasion, I wanted to post the speech that I wrote and gave during the reception at our wedding. It’s hard to know how to appropriately thank your parents or your family during the wedding process. If you are comfortable, I highly recommend setting aside a time during speeches to really show them some love.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank my parents, Patti and Joe Janeczko, for planning, organizing, and paying for this beautiful evening. Their generosity is, as always, overwhelming and I am so blessed to be their daughter. 

You both have loved me, encouraged me, and guided me since my very first moments and you taught me how to be a person, a partner, and most importantly a parent. Thank you for always letting me know both in words and in actions how utterly loved I am. 

Mom, you are my best friend, my confidant, and the smartest person in the room. Thank you for reading me millions of bedtime stories, keeping me company all of those late homework nights, answering the phone when I call (no matter what time it is), being my truest and fiercest advocate, and for always, ALWAYS encouraging me to follow my heart and pursue my passions. You raised me to be tough, and to be kind, and to celebrate my failures as well as my victories, because, from a very early age, you told me that it does not matter if we fail, as long as we try – for that I am eternally grateful. 

Dad, you are my hero. We are so much alike in so many ways and there is no one who understands me quite like you. Thank you for playing Cinderella with me for hours on end, dragging me and Joe up the hill on the sled at Chestnut ridge, coaching every sports team I ever played on, driving me to every swim team practice, sleepover, girl scout meeting, and Odyssey of the Mind rehearsal, taking your vacation time to paint my entire house, and giving me the best example of what I could hope for in a husband. 

You both raised me and Joe in a home full of love and laughter and filled our childhoods with magic. Your unwavering support has given me the courage to pursue my passions and a solid foundation to build my life upon. You both gave me the best childhood, the best education, and now the best wedding I ever could have imagined. 

Thank you so much for giving me the tools I need to live fearlessly, thank you for giving me this amazing example of partnership and friendship, and thank you for accepting and loving Jordan as your son. We love you very, very much.