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the vows have been made, the cake has been eaten, and the dress is tucked away for a future generation. you’re curled up on the couch with your love, your favourite drink (maybe a latte? a glass of wine? ice cold water?) and your wedding album, reliving all of the tiny moments from that amazing day.
the “i can’t wait to see you” text that showed up on your phone while you sat all decked out in curlers under the dryer. the belly laughs you shared with your bridesmaids as they got you into your dress, and the way they all just stared after stepping back to see you in it for the first time. the time that you and the boys spent youtubing “how to tie a tie” in order to look presentable, and the nervous look on your face as you straightened yours one last time in the mirror before heading out the door to marry your girl.
the pride all but bursting out of your little niece as she led the way down the aisle, only slightly distracted by the butterfly she spotted along the way. the tear in your father’s eye as the two of you linked arms to walk down the aisle, and huge grin on the face of the person waiting for you at the end of it. your reassuring smile when her voice wavered, just slightly, as she read the vows she’d been preparing for months. the cheers of all of the people you love most in the world at the moment that you were officially declared husband and wife. and then, that moment of quiet just after you had walked back up the aisle, before being bombarded with love and hugs and congratulations, and soaked in the familiarity and the newness of your love.
that one groomsmen who could not for the life of him, suppress his smile in the “serious” photos, and the laughter from your bridesmaids as they walked through the grass in their stilettos, heels aerating the lawn as they went. your veil flying into the air with every gust of wind, and the four (four!) friends it took to figure out the bustle your dress. the joy written all over your faces, all day long.
the speeches. the laughter. the tears. the way your dad was so proud to welcome your new wife into his family, and the way your best friend simultaneously made everybody want to laugh and cry. his whispering the lyrics of the first song you ever danced to in your ear as you dance for the first time as man and wife. the way she holds you close all evening and introduces you as her husband. the tiny ring bearer asleep in a pile of jackets just to the left of the dance floor. your parents sitting back watching you together, beaming from their seats thinking back on every little milestone that got you all to such an amazing day.
all of those little moments, i see them. i want to give you the opportunity to see them too. i know just how much they mean now, and how much more valuable they will be in twenty years.
each of those fractions of a second that all come together to create a story. the story that you’ll relive over and over every time you flip through your album, every time you walk past the collection of images framed on your mantel, every time your screen saver pops up on your computer. the story that you will share with your children. and one day, they with theirs.
because when the day is done, the dances have been danced, and each and every bobby pin has been taken out of your hair, the story remains. your story. and i would love to be the one to tell it.
