I will never know how many hours my mother poured into our wedding.
Every time I came home to visit my parents she was knee-deep in another wedding-related project. When I asked her how long it took her to remove the intricate beading on a back up veil she purchased in case the veil I ordered didn’t come in on time, she said, "No time at all! It’s not a big deal, really."
I assure you it took her hours.
When I asked her how long it took her to tie flip flops together and stamp decorative numbers on feminine labels to note their sizes, she replied, "Just a little while. I had a movie on, so it went by quickly!" 
(The flip flops served as "dancing shoes" for the women to wear to dance at our reception.)
She went wedding dress shopping with me… many times.
She helped me and my sister tie together programs and menus and secretly finished the majority herself after we went to bed.
She bought me numerous pairs of wedding shoes when I was in a frantic hunt and was convinced I would never find the blush pink pumps I wanted.
She helped convince my dad that chiavari chairs were a very important thing.
She calmed me down during my first dress fitting when I tried on my dress two weeks before the wedding and it was several sizes too big.
She told me it was okay to cry when we were sitting in the emergency care clinic the day before the wedding. 
She was a best friend, a mother, a confidant.
I know I touched on it briefly in a previous post, but I was blow away by the way my mother looked on our wedding day.
I was stressing out over my make up when I walked into the hall with my sister.
My mom was hurrying down the hall, back to our suite, after a brief stop at home to change into her dress and check on my dad.
My sister and I gasped when we saw her.
She looked incredible. 
She looked healthy, strong, alive and… happy.
For a woman who had been battling breast cancer for the past two years, seeing her look so radiant literally took my breath away.
Tears began to flow. I looked over at my sister who was wiping tears from her eyes.
“You look amazing,” we told her.
She was clearly surprised by our tears.
So were we.
I never expected to be so moved at seeing my mother on my wedding day. I assumed she would look beautiful, but I didn’t think how she looked would affect me so deeply.
I think seeing her look so vibrant made me realize just how far she had come in her journey against such a terrible disease. It made me realize just how lucky I was to be able to share this day with her… to have her zip me into my dress. 
She was beaming the whole weekend.
She was happy.
She was perfect.
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Such a beautiful lady! and a sweet post 🙂
Your mother is beautiful. I admire her so much for battling breast cancer. My aunt also battled breast cancer but has survived. I saw a whole new perspective to breast cancer once I watched someone I love battle it. What an amazing post!
it really does rock you to the core. i am so, so grateful for my mom. i’m so happy your aunt is a survivor as well. such strong women.
How sweet!!! I honestly teared up reading this!!!!
Moms are the best! I hope to have that same special bond with miss M when she gets older. Holy heck, one day I will have to throw a wedding!!!
Your mom is Amazing! I am glad that you get to have her as your mother! 🙂
That might just be the nicest, sweetest, most beautiful post I have ever read. Thank you for sharing. You both looked absolutely radiant! 🙂
another julie wedding post that brought me tears haha 🙂
my mom passed away when i was 14 and my wedding day (someday) will probably be one of the moments i miss her most. but may god bless you & your mother! im so happy she is a survivor!!
she will absolutely be with you on your special day. 🙂
Your mother reminds me of mine: beautiful, strong, and always giving. You both look beautiful in all of your pictures together, and you’re right: she’s absolutely RADIANT.
Now I’ve got tears in my eyes. 🙂
Wow, this made me cry!
Your mother is so beautiful! Also, I love the dress that she wore… so lovely!
Julie,
I loved reading this post about your Mom…as well as your post about your Dad. I am very close with my family as well so these were very deep and touching stories for me to read. Your mom is very beautiful and I am so happy that she was there to zip you in your wedding dress. I love the picture of your Mom and Dad where she is laughing.
My Aunt passed away at the end of November after being diagnosed with breast cancer almost two years ago. It is a horrible disease and I am so glad that your Mom is a survivor.
Aww, such a beautiful post!!
this post is absolutely incredible. beautifully written tribute to a beautiful and strong woman!
awww mothers are so self-less. your mama is gorgeous 🙂 may God bless her with a long, happy and healthy life ahead of her!
This is a beautiful post, Julie. It was very moving and I called my mom immediately after <3
Such a beautiful post. I feel the same way about my mom and know she will be just as helpful on my wedding day. she is also my best friend. moms are just such an important part of our lives!
this was such a sweet post! it even made me tear up…u both are amazing people!
Awwww this is too cute. My mom walked downstairs as I was finishing this post and my eyes teared up. Very touching!
(Oh, and I LOVE the flip-flop idea! So creative, and I may be stealing it for my wedding- whenever that is!)
definitely do the flip flops! everyone loved it & stayed on the dance floor the whole night!
You’ve made me cry not once but twice today. Such beautiful posts about your father and mother. Simply beautiful!
Your mother radiates!
This was especially meaningful to me today… I can’t wait until the day that I don’t have to hold back enthusiasm. (:
Their dancing photo may just be the cutest thing ever! 🙂
Beautiful post – it’s obvious that you and your mom have an incredibly close and loving relationship. She does look so happy and lovely in these photos 🙂
These wedding posts keep getting better and better!
What a beautiful post. Your mom looks beautiful.
What an awesome post! 🙂
All of these posts about your close family really inspires me to be like that for my children. Close and always there for them.
Your mom is – in a word – stunning. In these pictures on this memorable day of yours, she exudes not only beauty and grace, but strength and joyfulness. What an inspiring woman!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ….. you just made me CRY! You are just the most amazing blogger and I check your site daily. Keep up the good work. And wow …. what a great daughter you are … so appreciative and kind. Awesome. 🙂
Your mom is so beautiful!:) I love her smile/laugh its so pretty!
This is so beautiful! A nice tribute to your mom. Thanks for sharing!
Aw this brings tears to my eyes. Both you and your mama looked so beautiful- you’re lucky to have a best friend in your mother!!
This post brought tears to my eyes. Such a sweet family. She sure seems like one special lady 🙂
So moving. My mom had breast cancer when I was 12 (14 years ago) and went through all the treatment. 3 months later she was Bat Mitzvahed. I remember being so mad at my mom because she was sick and I had to miss out on things. Now that I am older and have had my own scare I am amazed looking back at what my mother went through and how graceful she dealt with it. Glad your mom is doing better and glad she was able to be there for your day.
isn’t it amazing? mom’s are already so wonderful, but raising a family, being strong and positive while battling cancer… truly amazing.
Wow, Julie. Amazing post. It literally brought me to tears. This is why life is so special…you remind us readers of that on a daily basis.
thank you for such a beautiful comment, heather. 🙂
This is an incredible post. Your mom is beautiful! You are so lucky to have a best friend in your mom. You can just tell how much love there is in your family from all of your wedding day pictures. 🙂
Amazing post, Julie. I got married this past July – and I can truly relate to this post, and the post about your father. I cried reading both of them.
This brought tears to my eyes. Your mom is beautiful and I’m so happy that she’s a Breast Cancer survivor . I love hearing successful stories on Breast Cancer and this was just icing on the cake !!! After walking in the Tampa Bay Breast Cancer 3 Day in October….it makes me so happy to see that another person has fight this disease and was there for her daughter’s wedding !!! All of your wedding posts have been so amazing !! Enjoy every second of your new life…it’s amazing to be married !!
thank you for doing the walk! i remember seeing everyone walking through st. pete the year my mom was diagnosed. it was SO inspiring to see so many people united by such a horrible disease. seeing the women with “survivor” shirts on gave me and my family hope for my mother. so amazing.
So sweet! Your mom is beautiful! What a great post about your Mom! You have a great family!
The dancing shoes are the cutest idea i’ve ever seen! Where did you come up with that?
a colleague of ryan’s had them at her wedding. i LOVED the idea and it was such a relief not to have to dance in heels!
Great tribute! Isn’t it crazy the older we get, we realize how really truly amazing our parents are?
This really was beautiful. Thank you for sharing. After I dried my tears I called my own mom just to say I love her and to thank her for all she does. A mother’s love really is priceless.
Great post Julie. I got a little teary-eyed from reading it. There is nothing stronger than a mother-daughter bond as my mom always reminds me. 🙂
I, too, got teary eyed. Beautiful.
What a touching tribute to your mom! I know I love mine! She is my best friend and I love and appreciate her so much and for everything she does and is, especially when I was getting married!
I appreciate her SO much more knowing that other people I know (like my mister unfortunately!) don’t have a mom who is as caring, selfless, generous and ah-mazing to her children as mine is to both me and my sister.
Great moms are precious gems, national treasures, gifts from God!
Love you Julie!! Another beautiful post, your writing is so lovely and pure. I’m priviledged everyday I can call you my friend, you are just so appreciative of everything, and such a sweetheart!
<3 <3 <3
Mer
I think this is a sign – you need to be a momma soon! 😉 Just kidding I know how annoying it is when you are dating and people ask when the engagement is, then you get married and they ask about babies. We will do it on our own schedule, thanks!
Great post, and a true testament to how special and rewarding it is to be a loving, nurturing parent!
Your mother is stunningly beautiful! She has the kind of beauty that radiates out. What an amazing woman!
Was Ryan very supportive when your mom was going through her cancer treatment etc?
Just looking at your mom makes me smile. She is incredible! I am SO happy that she is doing well!
Barbara
Lovely post.
The flip flops for dancing at the reception was a brilliant idea! I need to remember that…
Absolutely touching!!!! I’m teary eyed again! You have an amazing mother!!!
What a beautiful post! My favorite wedding recap so far. It definitely brought tears to my eyes. In a good way of course.