Let the happily ever after begin

It was all glow and glitter, tears, cheers and love. It was a celebration, a beginning. I love weddings.

I don’t know what exactly it is about a wedding that makes me so emotional. I spent the entire day with my daughter, I watched her get her hair done and her makeup applied. It shouldn’t have been a shock to see the finished product and yet I was moved to tears when she stepped out in her dress. Brides are beautiful, they glow, and this one was no exception. She took my breath away.

I pulled myself together and dabbed mascara streaks off my cheeks only to lose it again when our handsome groom got his first look. He glowed as well. And then again when she appeared on her father’s arm and cameras flashed and people sighed. By the time she took her intended’s hands I hit the messy, sniffing part of a good cry, I was overwhelmed.

The vows were perfect, heartfelt and in keeping with a couple who have loved each other for a long time. Who have grown up and evolved within eyeshot of each other. Who were brave enough to take a step past friendship and toward something deeper. And who found in that step a love that had perhaps been there the entire time; a patient love, a mature love. And in that love a commitment they could make to each other based upon their history; because of it, not in spite of it.

I wasn’t the only person moved to tears. White tissues fluttered around the room. It seems I’m not the only one who loves a love story.

The cheering that erupted when the officiant presented the couple as husband and wife was deafening. There was applause for a union that has been a long time in the making, but which so many people admitted, was not a surprise. The sentiment that this couple was destined for this day was unanimous. Their happily ever after had begun.

Happily ever after is a delightful sentiment, a worthy goal, a challenge – it’s a shot at the stars. It is hopeful. And a wedding day makes it feel totally doable. I believe in happily ever afters with all my heart, but I’m a realist too.

There is no story without conflict, no journey without detours – it’s the overcoming of the obstacles that makes the story interesting and makes the journey worthwhile. We toasted our happy couple, raised our glasses and celebrated their commitment to each other, their love and their promise to stay the course together. It was magic. And the party began in the same fashion as their marriage, with smiles and tears and enough love to light a room.