A Wedding Day

We were at a wedding on Saturday.  James was the ring bearer.  He looked downright handsome in his suit.  I just love him that lilac tie. 

My niece, Cora, was the flower girl.  She was absolutely beautiful.
Of course I have a bias, but together, they nearly stole the show.
I love weddings.  Everything is so beautiful.  Every where you look some lovely thing looks back at you.  The flowers, the favors, the thoughtful details that make each wedding day unique.
And then there is the bride; she is the embodiment of loveliness.

But aside from these things, and even the people, that make up a wedding, it is the emotion, the love and the joy that make weddings so beautiful.  There are a lot of tears at weddings.  There are sweet tears, like the father of the bride wiping his daughter's cheeks and then his own.  There are happy tears, like the groom who is overcome by the sight of his bride walking down the aisle and smiles, with his eyes glistening.  There are many moments in a wedding that are so loaded with emotion it seems they should be private.  Instead, they are shared.  And we are all touched in some real way by being a part of it.

Like every other, there were many such moments at this wedding.  Here are a few of my favorites.

The toasts.   2 of the toasts at this wedding were 2 of the sweetest toasts I have ever heard. They were delivered by these fellows, brothers to the bride and groom.

In these toasts, things were said, that as a parent, you dream your children will say about one another.  The kinds of things  you hope your sibling will say about you.  There was talk of looking up to an older brother, of learning from him.  Talk of a sister who is a best friend, and some joking that a big brother must do at his little sister's expense. The best thing about the toasts is that they were real.  Not rehearsed or staged, but full of real love and real emotion, shared from hearts overflowing with joy for their siblings.  

The Father daughter dance.  I can't ever make it through a wedding without catching some glimpse of the bride and her dad and my eyes filling with tears.  I remember my own wedding day; my dad whispering, "slow down," as we walked down the aisle.  I imagine my own daughter and her Daddy, walking down that aisle together.  It is the knowledge of a relationship that has reached it's fulfillment, and the beauty of that.  

I loved Nicole and Hal's father daughter dance.  They danced to "Once Upon a Dream" of Sleeping Beauty fame.  Their dancing was beautiful and the song was just right.  It fit perfectly. After all, shouldn't her Daddy be a girl's first prince? 

The Surprise.  As the evening and the dancing went on, the groom had a surprise for his bride. With his groomsmen gathered behind him, Matt sang to Nicole.  He sang, "I'm Gonna Be" by the Proclaimers.  Everyone loved it.  Everyone loved Matt for singing it to Nicole.  The groomsmen provided background vocals.  They were great.  It isn't very often that the groom can sing to the bride and do a good job of it.  But Matt did.  It was funny and dear and charming. It was very sweet.  I think Nicole is a very lucky girl.  She has a man who can make her laugh.

Congratulations Matt and Nicole.  Blessings to you both.