The View From My Empty Nest: More on the wedding....

Some random wedding thoughts, now that I can think!

I couldn't cry all weekend, even though the mother of the groom cried non stop at every single event. Picked up the chairs for the ceremony, she cried; unloaded the chairs at the ceremony location, she cried; met the florist, she cried; saw K at the front of the aisle, she cried; etc. etc...it was sweet and touching, but I just didn't have any tears. I was too flipping busy to cry. People were asking me questions for two solid days, and I had so much to do, I really didn't even have time to think about crying! That is until I walked down the aisle and plopped my butt into the seat next to my Daddy (who was already tearful) and the music started and I saw K's reaction when he saw A at the top of the stairs for the first time in her wedding gown. Wow. What a beautiful moment. THEN I cried. Finally. Sweet tears of joy that my daughter found somebody who so obviously LOVES her socks off. What more can a Mom ask for?

We had everybody over for coffee and donuts the next morning, and the newlyweds came over and opened their wedding gifts from the night before. It was a great morning, very relaxed and fun, everybody was tired but in great spirits.

After everybody left, and the adrenalin wore off, exhaustion hit me like a freaking sledgehammer. Several other Mom's had warned me of this, but you can't imagine it until you feel it. I couldn't move I was so tired.

The weeks leading up to the wedding it felt like this: if you've had children, remember the moment when you went into labor and you realized that things were in motion that you couldn't control, and then at that moment, you realized that this was IT and your life was going to be completely, totally different from that moment on? That's what having my daughter get married felt like. Happiness and joy and business and planning for months, then, WOW this is IT! No turning back...here it goes....and then....we had a new son. Life is definitely a journey...

A couple more pics...some from the rehearsal dinner (we did the groom's cake at the rehearsal dinner so people would actually eat it) and more from the wedding: