What a lovely evening we had tonight! I attended the engagement party for my sister, Margaret, and her fiance, Jamie, hosted by his closest family friends. I'd heard so many wonderful stories about them and knew they were his neighbors during childhood.

The hosts and their kids -- who are Jamie's contemporaries -- are like family to him and have been there through his joys and pains. They are particularly special people who love Jamie and his sister dearly. If a bride or groom doesn't come from a large family, it's often the close friends and neighbors who know and share the most "history."

Loved ones like them remind me a story I've been told about my sister. When she and I were young kids, we'd spend the occasional afternoon with a dear friend and neighbor, Mrs. Ola Craig -- but we just called her "Miss Ola." She was like a third grandmother to us and we always had lots of fun playing at her home while our Mom ran errands.

One day, when my sister was eight, she asked our mother how we were related to Miss Ola. Mom replied, "Honey, we're not related to Miss Ola." But my sister was persistent and stated, "Yes, we are." At this point, my Mom decided to get to the bottom of this and asked, "OK, Miss Smarty Pants, how are we related?" Margaret said, "We're related by love."

Weddings offer a beautiful opportunity to bring together all the folks who are special to the bride and groom. And while relatives have the obvious place of importance, it's also enjoyable to get to know the people who've made the choice to become "family" -- the people to whom the bride and groom are "related by love."