Justin and I went back and forth for a while with whether or not to have bridesmaids and groomsmen. Because this is my second marriage, I didn’t want to burden my sisters or good friends with the expense and responsibilities that can often go along with being in a wedding. I also didn’t want a lot of fanfare and a big display {I know, it’s hard to tell}. I have two sisters and two best friends, so having just one of them stand up for me would have been too hard a choice. Justin has a solid group of guy friends who would all be easy picks, and we weren’t at all bothered by having an uneven number of attendants, but we just couldn’t decide.
I thought about it for a long time, and finally decided that what felt most right was to have my three children walk with me on my wedding day. For me, this ceremony is about all of us… coming together as a family. The kids and Justin share a strong bond and affection, and I want them to be part of our day in a big way. My ten-year-old daughter, Winona, is my Maid-of-Honor, and my two boys, Calvin {8} and Jack {5} will hold my hands down the aisle and give me away. They have become the “men of the house” since my divorce, so I thought it would be a sweet gesture for them to officially welcome Justin into our family. Calvin is particularly amped on having a “speaking part” during the ceremony. Justin chose his childhood friend, Parrish, to be his Best Man. He got special gifts for his other close friends to honor them at the wedding.
Of all the decisions we’ve made about the ceremony/wedding/weekend, this has been the one that I haven’t had to second-guess once. I’m so thrilled that my kids are happy for me and excited about this wedding. And I’m so glad that they will have places of honor in our ceremony.
An excerpt from our ceremony program:
Thank you to Winona, Calvin, and Jack
for filling our lives with immeasurable joy
and endless laughter,
and for making this day even more special
with your blessings and your love.
Today, our family is growing bigger,
and our hearts bigger yet!
Because they don’t read this anyway, I can show you the kids’ special surprise gifts that we plan to present to them on the morning of the wedding. Hopefully, they’ll treasure them as keepsakes to remind them of our happy day.
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