Wedding Day

Reflection from my Daughters wedding

If the shedding of tears is a token of emotional currency, then I gave all I had. The weekend caused me to withdraw those tokens, with my daughter's wedding being the merchant asking for the payment.

Saturday: Wedding Day

We opened our eyes to the morning sun, illuminating the opening paragraphs of a new chapter in our lives. In a very short time, the ladies all headed to the church, where they started a marathon session of getting ready. My son and I followed along a couple hours later, as our God-given beauty was only enhanced by our attire.

The day progressed as expected, the sun’s brightness unhindered by any clouds in the sky. The church was beautifully adorned, having undergone its own uplifting enhancement. It was so nice to be having a church wedding. One reason was that it was the middle of August, and secondly, it was only fitting that these two, who love God so dearly, would honor Him here, using their union as a call to salvation, a call to worship, and a reminder of the vows others have made.

Lunch was served.

Having now eaten, it was time for the men in the wedding party to finish getting dressed. It wasn’t long before the photographer was on the scene. Along with the event coordinator, the two of them began what would be a whirlwind of various photo opportunities. The most notable photo shoots were the first looks: the mother of the groom and the father of the bride. There were shots with bridesmaids and groomsmen, not to mention all the shots after the ceremony.

First Look

I will say that the largest withdrawal from my emotional currency supply was during the first look. An overwhelming emotional experience that I had written about already.

First Look

It was from this moment on that I felt more strength for the day, a step towards acceptance.

Now that the first look was out of the way, I was able to freely move around the church. I got to see all the hustle and bustle of our friends and family who were working behind the scenes to make this event so special. My wife and I walked around and watched some of the photo shoots with the bridal parties. We were able to greet some of the early arrivals.

Showtime

The wedding party was in position, and I was now with the bride. This was my daughter, the first-born, the one who caused us to grow on the fly, and taught her mother and me to be parents. I was within minutes of handing her over. There was no time for words; our life together had spoken them. Right then, it was just, "You’re so beautiful," and "I love you."

The double doors in the back of the church swung open, revealing a corridor of people, funneling us to the stage where the groom now stood. The sight and experience of it all was all-consuming; her emotions overtook her, and all that she had tried to hold back was now freely flowing. I remember in that moment when I thought it would be I who was the emotional wreck, but I was now made of steel, my mind racing, trying to comfort, make her laugh, and catch her breath. We slowly made our way down the aisle, with each step, the sobs of joy breaking through a smile. Standing there waiting for my role to end in all of this, I reminded her I would be giving her a hug before I placed her hand in his.

Her Mother and I

With these words, they punctuated like a full stop, ending the first paragraph. Now two prominent characters will step back into lesser roles as the new paragraphs began to write themselves. (Oh, don’t worry, they’ll have big parts again in the coming books; this time they’ll be known by different names.) The ceremony went off smoothly, and where joy-induced sobs had started the show, their radiant smiles now projected the inner glow of their love for one another.

There were a couple more moments that had me withdraw what little reserves I had left. Let’s skip ahead a few sentences, past the photos and the mingling with guests. The wedding party was now at the reception, and the bride and groom were enjoying their first dance; they were so adorable together.

The father-daughter dance was announced, and as I proceeded to take her in my arms, we realized we had never discussed how we should hold each other. We laughed about it as we tried to find the right position. I didn’t recognize the song; I was too distracted by the young woman who now stood before me. I became emotional again. I wrapped my arms around her as I had so many other times, but this time was different. We went back to awkward holding positions until the sound faded out.

The next scene was when the bride surprised her mother and thanked her for all her hard work. She then proceeded to give her a mother-daughter dance—such a touching moment between her and her mother. The reception was filled with sweets, dancing, food, and mingling.

The happy couple departed, and the real work began. This applied to all of us who had to break down the wedding for church the next day, and for the bride and groom as they begin to build a life of their own.

Send a congratulations to the couple. Hannah Coonley