Don’t Hug Your Children

The blessings began. All four of our parents were asked to join us at center stage. We felt we should give The MOB and The MG a little time in the spotlight, as this was their day too. Ask them, you’ll see. Jimmy asked each set of parents for their blessing and support of our union, now and in the future. We received an affirmative on each side, with no accompanying suggestions. I thought that was an excellent sign.

The parents lit their respective unity candles. It was during this lighting period that Christa asked again, “Is my mascara running?”

She verified the condition of her mascara and makeup three times during the ceremony. It was perfect, and I told her so. I don’t know if she was expecting to be able to run off to the powder room mid-ceremony. My fanny pack was only equipped for craft projects. I could have touched it up, but it would have been with a Sharpie.

As the parents returned from candle lighting, they all had a twinkle in their eyes. Love had not just overwhelmed them, oh no. They had something up their sleeves. They had decided to deviate from plan and hug their children before returning to their seats. We’ve all hugged before, this was nothing new. The MG and The MOB were exploiting the moment of shared glory we had given them to implement their own plans, one last time, without approval, and the dads were right there with them. So mocking, they even told us, “This wasn’t in the plan.” I had my laminated copy right there, and it mostly definitely was not.
- Drew Lloyd
From "Will You?" to "I Do.": A Groom's Tale of Survival