My baby is married.

It was the most perfect of days on Saturday. Amazingly wonderful in every way. And when I say it was perfect, that doesn't mean that EVERYTHING was perfect (though it pretty much was). It means that my daughter was joined in holy matrimony to a man who loves her unconditionally and whom she loves unconditionally. I love that Sally's mindset was to stay focused on the fact that no matter what happened on her wedding day, the only thing that mattered was that at the end of the day, she and Matt would be husband and wife. The name "Matthew" means gift from God and that is exactly what he is. Matt has reminded us that the Germanic meaning of his name is farm servant. I love his dry sense of humor!
We are still riding the high of this weekend. We were given the feedback several times that the "vibe" of Sally and Matt's wedding was so positive. That same expression, "positive vibe" was used independently by the wedding ministers at church, the venue coordinator, and the DJs. These are people who deal with many weddings over the course of a year and they all said how special Matt and Sally's wedding was.
As my faithful readers know, I had been feeling very emotional about the wedding these past few weeks. But by Friday, I felt nothing but calm and happiness. I was in a zone. It was "all dood" (rhymes with all good), as one of my favorite students used to say before his speech got fixed :).
It helped that Sally was calm, cool, collected and glowing. It helped that as she got ready, Sally was surrounded by wonderful bridesmaids who supported and loved her in every possible way.

It helped that we were surrounded by people who love and support us as a family. Because the reception venue was small, there were a limited number of invitations to extend and the fact that it was Matt and Sally's wedding, not mine and Jack's, meant that they got to choose who was invited.  And Sally made good decisions for her list.  No obligatory invites. Just lots of people who love and value her and our family, no matter what. I must add that there were some folks who I would have loved to have there with us, but who were not invited because of the space constraints. They know who they are and understand.

It helped that the priest, Father Ted, presided over a faith-filled ceremony and gave the most awesome homily, quoting letters from Matt and Sally. Father Ted made Christ the center of the day.

It helped that weather cooperated and that we did not have to deal with torrential downpours or tornadoes.

It helped that we had the most awesome vendors. Almost all small businesses... Ashley's Custom Stationery, The English Garden Flower Shop, Matthew Kuehl photography, Kirschbaum's Bakery, A Joyful Occasion Bridal Salon, DJs ( I forgot his name!) All beyond amazing.

Tonight our newlyweds are in San Sebastian, Spain on their honeymoon.
And I find myself, once again, thanking God for all He has done, but more importantly, for who He is.
Keep checking back because I have lots to say about our wonderful day!