My son, Kevin, and Leigh got married in Charleston,South Carolina, on September first. I've written about these two here before and I'm glad I was right about the connection I saw between them. Now they've made it official and my daughter, Kate, and I were there to be a part of it as was their Dad. So were Leigh's mother and stepfather. It was a perfect day.
Kevin was handsome in a black pinstripe suit and bow tie. Leigh wore a short lace dress, satin and lace band around her pinned-up hair, with a little veil over her face. She wore her mom's pearl bracelet and my earrings, and tucked my daughter's garter underneath her dress. She carried peach and purple calla lilies and Kevin wore a white one on his lapel. They dressed in an amazing historic home along the waterfront in Charleston and rode to the chapel in a limousine that Leigh's mother and stepfather rented for the occasion. And they took their vows - which they had written themselves - in a beautiful little church, St. Luke's Chapel. Sunlight streamed in through stained glass windows, candles glowed, a trio played Bach and Vivaldi and the love they feel for each other was so strong and clear you could touch it. My Marine son was composed and certain in the promises he made to his love. And Leigh, tears trickling down her cheeks, looked him straight in the eye as she said her vows. It was a precious moment, a life changing one for them, and I'm so grateful we were there to share it with them.
After pictures in the garden and back on the waterfront, we had dinner together in a private dining room at a wonderful hotel. Delicious food and wine, conversation, and then we moved on to the hotel's terrace for the kids cut their cake. I had the real treat of singing "The Way You Look Tonight" for them in that setting -- a spontaneous thing -- and they danced and cried as the classic Southern lanterns glowed between the palm trees and the stars twinkled overhead. There could not have been a more romantic setting than that terrace for a bride and groom to cut their cake, sway to a song and shut the door to the world. A perfect way to begin their life together. I will cherish the memories of this day forever.
My little boy, that blond, blue-eyed little guy who wound his way around my heart nearly thirty years ago, is a married man now. And I think he will be married to Leigh, the best friend he fell in love with, for the rest of his life. I'm so filled with appreciation for their luck in finding each other, trusting each other, committing to each other. In these times, such things are rare. So they are even more precious.
So now I'm leafing through my memories and biding my time until he has a son....just like him!
So Much
16 years ago
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