It's taken me over a month(!)...that seriously felt like it went by on warp speed...but I'm finally ready to share about Sarah's wedding day.:) It's very surreal that another one of our children has gotten married and started a life of their own!
How do you begin to sum up a day that is so much more than just the "play by play" moments. The road to giving our daughter away at the alter felt very different than either of our sons' weddings. It was a different level of emotion for both of us...but especially for Jay. All of our girls have always been very attached to Jay. "Daddy's little girl" is certainly a living phrase at our house. Sarah was the first to have her daddy wrapped around her little finger from the moment he saw her for the first time. Letting go has not been easy.
Sarah and Mike's wedding day was sunny, clear and VERY hot! It was right in the middle of those couple of weeks of extreme heat we had at the end of July/beginning of August. I made sure to get up early and get all the AC's in the house going strong to keep everyone comfortable!
Our day started early with the make-up artist arriving before 7am followed shortly after by the two hair stylists. The day had a real deja vu feeling for me....in the last 3 years both Liz and Marisa got ready for their weddings at our house.
Having those two experiences certainly helped with the timing of the day. As I kept an eye on keeping girls jumping into hair or make up chairs as soon as they were vacated, Jay helped to make a special breakfast to make sure no one got "hangry". (Especially the bride..it's a Hamel trait!) Breakfast consisted of fresh bagels made by Sarah's favorite local restaurant, Jay's special breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, linguica, apple chicken sausage, and fresh fruit.
Everything moved smoothly and before we knew it, everyone's hair and make up was done and wedding time was approaching. After a quick lunch/snack of sandwiches and fruit, it was time for everyone to get dressed and get ready to head to the church. Ellie and I helped Sarah to get dressed. It seems like just yesterday that the two of them would play dress up and hold pretend weddings with their Barbie dolls. I'm not exactly sure how we actually found ourselves with a daughter old enough to get married, but here we are.
While Sarah was getting dressed, Jay was helping get a cooler together with ice water for after the wedding.(because it was SO hot!) Sarah did not want to leave my bedroom until she was sure that Jay was in the living room so he would see her in her wedding dress first. All she cared about was his reaction. For one last moment, her Daddy was the only man Sarah had eyes for. As she walked out of the bedroom, her gaze locked with Jay's and she headed right towards him even as her whole bridal party ooh'd and aah'd. It’s definitely a moment engrained in my heart. #passthetissues
We all piled in the cars, headed to church, and it was "go" time! Jay did a very good job handing Sarah over to Mike after walking her down the aisle. I saw only a minor hesitation. (Which was a big improvement from the rehearsal the day before when Jay walked Sarah up the aisle and clearly paused when Fr. Ryan said to give Sarah's hand to Mike....I could see Jay fighting himself in his head! One of the bridesmaids whispered, "Mr. Hamel, you could always just pick Sarah up and run back down the aisle and out the door!" To which I answered, "Edilia, don't give him any ideas! He just might!")
The wedding itself went beautifully. The bride and groom were all smiles...and those smiles didn't leave their faces for the rest of the day. And just like that, we had a new Mr. and Mrs. in the family....but this time with a different last name.
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| While everyone watches the bride walk down the aisle, I like to watch the groom's face. And we were sitting in the perfect spot for a good shot:) |
The reception was lots of fun. Lots of beautiful pictures. Lots of dancing with family and friends. The bride and groom certainly have lots of amazing memories to last a lifetime!
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| me and my girls |
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| Mike's Mom and Dad |
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| Daddy/daughter dance: They danced to Steven Curtis Chapman's "Dancing with Cinderella" Sarah and Ellie used to play this song when they were younger to make Jay tear up! If you need a good cathartic cry, click here after you finish perusing the rest of the pictures:) |
