My oldest daughter was married last week.
I know, I know, I am waaay too young to have a child old enough to get married! LOL Technically, she is my stepdaughter but when I met her 20 years ago, she was four years-old and she has been “mine” ever since.
She and her now-husband got engaged last June and the planning began. Well, it began, changed, changed again and finally six weeks ago she decided she didn’t want to wait until she could have a larger gathering and booked her very small but big day at a local brewery just over the Southwick line.
Growing up, she was a bit of a diva at times. Her mother and I were prepared from day one for full-on Bridezilla. Instead, she was the most laid-back bride I’ve ever seen. Maybe it was COVID, but she didn’t sweat the details. She just wanted to get married. Since dining was not yet an option when she decided in mid-May to get married at the end of June, she wanted an “I Do BBQ” complete with catering from a butcher in the city, hosted in my backyard.
We borrowed tables and chairs, were given gifts of burlap and silverware and china and had a sunflower theme for the rustic, simple event. Her friend baked the cake and friends and family pitched in to make it special. And it was. It was not the 150-guest party she had initially envisioned, but it was what she ultimately wanted – an intimate gathering of her closest family and very best friends in an old barn with her favorite flower and her soulmate.
In a word, it was perfect.
It got me thinking about how many people are continuing to pursue their dream in a different way right now. I have heard of many weddings being postponed, retirement parties canceled, baby showers via zoom and many other events typically celebrated with large gatherings morphed into something else. And while we would like to have these big celebrations, I am finding there is something just so special about really narrowing things down, enjoying the simple things and treasuring the small moments.
My daughter and son-in-law will forever remember that their small but big day was really about what was most important to them. I wish them – and everyone else getting married, having babies and otherwise showing hope for the future – the event of their dreams and memories to treasure.
