when we hear this phrase it tends to bring to mind one of the big and famous soirees we hear about in world news. something royal and well-appointed. a much awaited event. something which holds us captive to our screens, our news feeds and our little girl dreams.
i mean, who isn't enthralled with all that pageantry and princess stuff?
but not if it's your daughter getting married. i assure you, the renowned royal weddings are easily replaced.
enthralled or not, none of that comes close to the feeling a parent has watching her own daughter walk down the aisle.
we aren't anywhere in the ballpark of royalty, but that doesn't mean our girl didn't look exactly like a princess on that unbelievable day. and as mother-of-the bride, it was definitely the closest i'd ever felt to something like a queen.
what an absolutely amazing thing to witness the wedding of one's own child.
especially when she and her guy both love Jesus. i can't imagine anything better. it's what we long for ... hope for ... pray for.
we had a wonderful photographer and plenty of paparazzi, but i do wish, however, someone else had been there to cover the event and put words to it all. even afterwards--surprising as it might be--i've felt a little bit speechless.
so, yes, this post is a wee bit overdue. i couldn't agree more. i've had a few friends ask "when are you going to write about emily's wedding?" i've stepped around that question best i could. i've attempted weak answers. but those of you mamas that have already walked in my mother-of-the-bride shoes. well ... you know. you understand.
we celebrated the wedding of emily and austin last summer--july 28th--and here it is the following march--eight months and a new calendar year-- and i have yet to share pictures or a post on this blog.heck, i helped emily plan her wedding in (way) less time than it has taken me to string together my words about her wedding. due to some tricky scheduling with austin's officer training and flight school, we had about eighty-some days to pull it all off. 80 days sounds like a long time when you are 6 years old and waiting for christmas morning, but when it comes to wedding plans, not so much. the details might have had to come together fast, but the memory will be one i cherish forever.
i suppose i can try to blame the whirlwind wedding itself for why it has taken me this long to write a simple blog post (clearly, i'm still recovering) ...
or ...
MAYBE it's because watching your first born (or any born, i suppose) walk down the aisle just isn't simple.
MAYBE it's because our amazing photographer (christina pugh) took well over a thousand pictures and i don't know how to choose just a few. i love them all. christina's talent is truly unreal and she was a dream to work with.
MAYBE it's because the talented floral designer, martha mcintosh, created so much beauty with the bouquets and table arrangements that every time i try to decide on which pictures to include i find myself overwhelmed with her stunning work.
MAYBE it's because i have a million things to say about the wedding weekend, but can't quite find exactly the right words. i'm not entirely sure they exist.
MAYBE it's because watching your little girl grow up and get married is like no other event you've ever had to capture in a picture or contain to a post. it just pounds away at your heart in an unbelievably precious way.
it's just too big.
too beautiful.
too wonderful.
too everything.
i guess that's it.i guess that's the reason it's march 25th and i'm only now able share with y'all a little bit of emily and austin's day.
perhaps at some point i will update this post with some profound thoughts about watching a daughter say "i do," but in the meantime, i'm going to go ahead and just share with y'all a few (or fifty) of my favorite photos. and in a very non-blogger way, limit my words.
they say photos are worth a thousand words anyway. let's go with that.
emily and austin, even 8 months later, we couldn't be more excited for you two as you begin your life together. what a celebration it was. what a love you've been given. what a future you have. we have been blessed to walk with you and, though with new roles in place, we are so grateful for the chance to continue.
we love you both so much.
"therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,
and they shall become one." ~ genesis 2:24
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| that bouquet! @martha mcintosh |
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| a big shout out to emily's new mother-in-law, lynne! what a gem she is. i couldn't be more thankful for this woman and how she loves emily as her own daughter. |
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| perimeter church. so special for emily to get married where she's grown up going to church and school. i am truly thankful for our fantastic wedding coordinators, jan and suzanne, who made sure everything went smoothly. |
recently a friend asked what was the best part of throwing a wedding. after the joy of the actual event, it was the people---the friends and the family who came to help us celebrate. i mean we spent a lot of time and effort deliberating over the colors and the flowers and the food, but it was seeing the people in the church and at the reception which truly took this mother-of-the-bride's breath away. with my extended family scattered across the country, this event brought us all together and it truly was sort of the cherry on top of all the wedding joy. this picture above of my sons escorting me to my seat captures the emotion i felt when i walked into the church and saw all of those faces we love so dearly.
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| the atlanta athletic club orchestrated a reception which captured emily and austin's (though mostly emily's - haha) vision completely! coordinators lisa, kelsey and julia were an unbelievable team. they made everything about the planning feel easy and fun. we can't say enough about these exceptional ladies and how great it was to work with them. |
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