After Ryan proposed on October 3, 2009, he surprised me by having both of our families waiting for us to enjoy dinner on a private dock at one of our favorite restaurants. It was that evening where I first got a little glimpse into how my father would handle our upcoming wedding.
On the night of our engagement, he was excited, emotional, loving and beyond supportive. These characteristics remained with him through our wedding day.
On the outside my dad is a tough businessman.
He works long hours, and has a seemingly intense personality, but his tough-guy exterior immediately begins to fade when he talks about me, my mom and my sister … "His girls."
As my dad’s oldest daughter, I was the one who had to break ground on the whole "boyfriend" thing.
I remember the first Homecoming dance I attended with my good friend, Steve.
"Is he your boyfriend?" my dad asked.
"No. He’s just a friend."
"Does he like you?"
"No. Seriously, he’s just a friend."
"Do you like him?"
"Daddy! No." (I did a little, actually. 😉 )
We arrived at my friend Steve’s house for pictures and my dad pulled me aside, loudly whispering, "Julie! He has an earring!"
Great start.
The second memorable boy-related conversation I had with my father occurred during the beginning of my sophomore year in high school. One night at the dinner table, I broke the news to my family that I had a boyfriend. My first real boyfriend. The conversation didn’t get too involved and we continued eating our meal.
About an hour later, I was upstairs in my bedroom, working on geography homework when I heard a knock on my door. My dad entered and sat down at the foot of my bed.
"What does this mean?" He asked me. "What do you mean you have a ‘boyfriend?’"
"It’s nothing really, Daddy." I said, treading with caution.
"So why are you calling this guy your boyfriend? What do you mean by that?"
"He’s just a guy I like. It’s not a big deal."
"You’ve never called anyone your boyfriend before."
"Yeah, well, it’s a little different."
"What? What’s different?"
This went on and on as I tried to assure him I wasn’t running off to get married at the age of 15.
At the age of 25, things were a little different.
I was in love with a guy he liked and respected.
Hearing the way my dad talks about Ryan warms my heart in the most intense way. Hearing the way he talks about me and Ryan together shows me how much he believes in our relationship.
Throughout the wedding-planning process, my dad was so generous and supportive. It was so clear that he wanted our wedding to be the wedding of our dreams.
It was.
He even let me get the chiavari chairs.
And he gave me these adorable sneakers, reminiscent of Father of the Bride, our family’s favorite movie.
During the rehearsal, and on our wedding day, I think my dad was the most emotional of everyone.
He had a calm, happy smile on his face but tears in his eyes throughout the whole weekend.
As he prepared to walk me down the aisle, I remember him taking a deep breath. His exhalation was shaky and his smile was a little timid, but very pure.
He walked me down the aisle and placed my hands in the palms of my future husband.
As the ceremony progressed, my dad watched me exchange rings with Ryan and listened to us as we said our vows.
Our photographer managed to capture this magical moment in perhaps my favorite of all of our wedding photos.
When I first saw this picture, my eyes welled up with tears.
The emotion on my dad’s face is so apparent and breathtaking. The look of love has never been more pronounced.
To be continued…
(All photos courtesy of Gina Leigh.)
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What a sweet story!!!!
Wow Julie. You are such a fantastic writer. I can’t say it enough. There was just SO much emotion through out this post. I am sitting here all teary eyed @ work just thinking about HOW special that day is…and how special it is to have your dad give you away. That is an awesome picture that she captured. He looks FULL of joy for the two of you..and you can honestly see that he just seems to be thinking about all of the time you & your dad have shared through all of the years. Absolutely beautiful post, cannot wait for the rest!
Tears welled up in my eyes when I read this! Such a sweet story!
So wonderful, Julie! I’m the oldest, too…. never grow out of being Daddy’s little girl 🙂
so, so true.
Awwww, this is so sweet. The only time I almost cried on my wedding day was right before and during my dad walking me down the aisle. It’s such an emotional thing for a father and daughter who are close!
What a beautiful post. I loved it! I’m daddy’s little girl and I can’t even imagine what he will be like when I get married!
You really are such a beautiful writer! I love your wedding recaps and the way you talk about your special day nearly has me in tears every time!! Can’t wait to see pics from the reception–those are usually my favorite ones because people really let loose 😉
This was a beautiful post, Julie! I’m sitting here at work trying to hold back tears. This was beautifully written and just shows how amazing of a relationship you have with your father. You are lucky!
I am so envious of the relationship that you have with your father. You can truly tell from everything that you wrote about him down to the pictures just how much he cares deeply about you. I long for that relationship with my dad. I have a very rocky relationship with him and I pray one day that I can have a relationship with mine like you have with yours. 🙂
i feel very, very blessed. i think the fact that you WANT a wonderful relationship with your dad is a beautiful thing. i very much hope that it will work out for you. you deserve it!
awwwww! you look like your dad (and your sis looks just like your mom!) 🙂
THIS is why i shouldn’t stealth blog read at work! i’m sitting at my desk trying not to let the tears fall! such a sweet and touching post! i’m all teary eyed!!!!
you’re lucky to have such an amazing family!
Aren’t Dads wonderful? My Dad was very emotional on my Wedding day too! Thanks for posting a very special tribute to your Dad! Love the pictures!
Julie, I absolutely love reading about your wedding and how special it was to you and your family. I’m currently planning my April 30th, 2011 wedding and I get so much inspiration and joy from reading your posts. I’m also the oldest of daddies 3 girls and I know what a special moment that will be for us both. I know tears will be flowing! 🙂
Also, I agree with everyone above – you are a fabulous writer and you are making me cry at work! 😉
congratulations! tears will definitely flow. i would recommend getting your dad a handkerchief as a wedding day gift! 🙂
thank you for making me cry 😉 your relationship with your dad is beautiful!
I love this post, it’s beautiful and my dad is the same exact way. Tough exterior but very emotional and loving when it comes to his family. Gotta love our daddies.
Such a great post. This reminds me a lot of my father. He’s very intense and hard-working, but when some of that emotion comes out of him, it really gets to me.
I love how you are breaking the posts up. This was a great one, I totally got a little teary eyed! I can’t wait for my wedding next September 🙂
eee congrats!!! i love weddings! 😀
What an absolutely beautiful post! That is just so adorable how your father cares for you. I wish you all the luck in the world to you and your husband 🙂
Very well written Julie :*) I have tears in my eyes. A father/daughter relationship can be so strong. It’s apparent that you and your dad have a great one. My father passed away when I was 13, so you would think this kind of story I wouldn’t be interested in hearing, but instead it makes me happy, and realize how special this is for you.
P.s. My husband proposed to me on October 2nd 2008 🙂 close to your date
thank you so much, laura. and i’m excited we’re almost proposal twins! 😉
And.. now I’m crying…again! My dad used to say “if a guy honks his horn, he better be dropping something off, because he definitely isn’t picking anything up!” LOL, I always used to say…ooohhh dad, but it taught me guys should treat women with respect. Wonderful story Julie (and pictures!) 🙂
LOL! i think i may love your dad.
I love that your dad said that! So funny!
This was always my dad’s pet peeve too! He got two daughters, so he kind of had to be the overprotective dad 🙂
This post is so emotional and wonderful. I’ve lost my father two and a half years ago, and it breaks my heart that he won’t be there to walk me down the aisle. But I know that he will be there watching over me.
he will definitely be with you on your special day.
Julie, I love reading your blog. It made me laugh because I think I had a similar reaction when my daughter first told me she had a boyfriend.
And my dad has a special place in my heart so I can truly relate.
Just too beautiful for words! *tear 😉
Hi Julie!
I need to stop reading your wedding recaps because I always end up crying. I also want to let your know how much I love your mothers dress!
I’m excited to try the apples and pork recipe you posted. So far I’ve made the barbecue meat loaf and the beef stew. Both were delicious. Who knew I could cook?
Also No More Rack (online sample sales) is having a promo for the next 48 hours. If you refer friends you can earn an ipod or ipad. Plus you get a $10 gift card for signing up. No purchase necessary. From what I can tell it seem legitimate. http://t.co/QIJQce1
just signed up!
This is absolutely adorable and breathtaking. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙂
i love this post, julie! there’s pure joy in your father’s eyes on your wedding day. 🙂 so awesome.
merry christmas!
Thanks for sharing that story! tears welled up in my eyes as I was reading….what a sweet family you have!
Very cute post!
Also, one of the first debates I had (with myself because it didn’t bother anyone else haha) after booking my wedding venue was whether or not to rent Chiavari chairs. I still haven’t decided. People might not notice the detail, but it makes the room as a whole look better in most cases.
i LOVED my chairs. 😀
Awww, I just did a Dad post last week! What is it about these guys that makes everything so emotional when you think abotu how great they are? 🙂
i’m totally sobbing at work right now…i remember my dad was super protective of me but he loves Nate so much. yay for daddies 🙂
So sweet! Just reading about what you had to say about your father made tears come to my eyes.
You are very lucky to have such a great relationship with your dad!
The photos are magnificant!
This is a beautiful post. All of the pictures came out fabulous. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your special day with us!
Aw Geez!
All of your wedding posts bring tears to my eyes! 🙂
This makes ME cry! I can only imagine how amazing you and your father’s bond is. Beautiful!
You made me cry too. You are a very luck lady to have a daddy who loves you so much.
Beautiful post Julie. Thank you for sharing your stories with your dad with us. He sounds like a great man.
I loved this post about your dad- very sweet 🙂
And I still do!
Brings back some good memories. Thanks Julie.
All these posts are making me tear up a little bit 🙂 I can’t help but think that I’ll be a teensy bit sad on my wedding day, because for the first time in my life my daddy won’t be my main man anymore. Of course it’s not really like that and we’ll never have to choose between the two, but I can’t imagine how both hard and exciting it must be for a dad to “give away” his daughter. It sounds like the two of you have such a wonderful relationship!
This is why I should not read your blog at work. Crying.
Father of the Bride is my favorite wedding movie – so sweet of what he did.
Daddy loved this Jul! He just got home and he’s beaming 🙂
Now I’m crying!!! Seriously Julie, all recaps are so touching and precious, they make me well up with tears!!!
I have to say – anytime I’d look over and see my dad during my wedding day I’d get emotional and start to tear a little – I’ll always be daddy’s little girl 🙂
Absolutely beautiful post! I’m the only girl, i have three older brothers and this just makes me so excited for that special day my dad gets to walk me down the aisle (i’m only 18 and already dreaming lol, but my dad and family means the world to me!)
Loved this Julie!
I love this post! It brought a smile to my face as I thought about my own father and how he will be when I get married someday.
What a beautiful story. I definitely teared up!
I wish my dad had wanted to walk me down the aisle; I wish I had wanted him to! I was very blessed that my mom’s father (my amazing unconditional love-giving Grandpa) was there for me on such a special day.
What a touching post!
Nope couldn’t finish reading this post…tears started flowing immediately. Thats the 2nd time one of your wedding recaps have made me tear up. :o) I’m such a sap when it comes to weddings.
This reminds me of my wedding and the relationship I have with my sweet Dad, right down to the chairs 🙂
The photographer definitely did an amazing job capturing your dad and his emotions. What a handsome man, very old-Hollywood gentlemanly.
Gaahhhh!! The wedding posts.. Tears! I always feel so silly sitting at my desk crying! Every, darn time!
Lol..like everyone else I have tears running down my cheeks. I’m such a Daddy’s Girl. I loved this post 🙂