Sealed with a Kiss

As I rounded the corner into the waiting area, I listened for that one cue I had prepared for.

Wait, where's the music? In my mind, I knew that people were about to walk down the aisle and "Goin' to the Chapel" was supposed to be playing. What is this? I started to panic. Then, it occurred to me. The mismatched music that was blaring in the room was coming from the television sitting just feet away. Well, great. I missed it. Thus, I stood quietly with my daddy as I patiently awaited the surprise I had put together for my groom.

Cue: Wouldn't Change a Thing.
-Grandparents
-Parents

Cue: Canon in D.
-Bridal Party
-Flowergirls

Wait for it...

Silence.

"January 24, 2009..."

There it was. After two years of dating this blue-eyed boy, I finally shared the secrets I had written. Numerous journal entries, carefully selected, were sounding from the speakers as I kept hidden. Weeks prior I met with my DJ in a recording studio to put together an audio collection for my wedding day. It was the little things that made me slowly open up to him, that made me ultimately fall in love with him.

The emotions came to life as I couldn't help but cry at my own words. The memories of each special moment in our relationship that brought us to this place-to this point in our lives.

As my daddy heard my voice for the first time, he looked down out me. "Did you?" he rounded the corner to avoid crying. Choked up with tears in his eyes, he reached for a Gatorade and gulped it as I waited for that one word.

"He's crying," my cousin told me as she waited outside of the door watching what I longed to see.
Then, after what seemed like an eternity, it came.

"May 21, 2011...Dear Lord," and thus I read a prayer that I had prayed over and over in my lifetime. I thanked God for the heartaches along this road called life. I prayed to bless our lives, our marriage, and to use us. I prayed for His blessing. Then, "Amen."

As my daddy started to walk forward, I squeezed his arm to hold him back.

"Not yet," I whispered.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Then, as the soloist sang out the words of the song that enveloped everything I wish I could have explained, I rounded the corner to see the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world. I saw the blue eyes that spoke a thousand words to my heart without saying a single word. I saw the tears streaming down the soft cheeks of a kind hearted man that felt exactly the same way I did. I saw just how much love was felt within.

With each step of the ceremony, I grew deeper and deeper in love with my groom. It's hard to say exactly what happened. I know that we read our vows, but I couldn't tell you exactly how they sounded or where I messed up. We exchanged our rings, but I don't fully remember how the rings got our fingers. Each person placed a single roses symbolizing each life that helped shape us in to the people we were. We tied together my bridal bouquet, took the Lord's Supper with our families, and the preacher said the words I could never have prepared myself for.

"You may now kiss your bride."

For a split second, the world stopped. No movie, photograph, or story could capture the feeling that came in that moment in time. My hand reached up and touched his face as I couldn't help but smile. This man, was my husband.