First of all, CONGRATS!!
I know it's a big deal. I may be 35 years old now but I remember when I was 15 and got mine off..... the best day in the world!! Question for you.... you said it took a while to get them off? How long did it take? My 12 year old daughter is getting hers off in a couple weeks and I wanted to try to plan the afternoon. She is SO excited too! It's been a little over a year and a half for her but it really did fly by. I think it helped that she really looked good with them on. Sometimes kids can look a bit awkward with them but it was almost like hers weren't that noticeable.
Again, Congrats!!