My Little Girl

My daughter is married.

In my mind? I still see that little chubby baby face with the huge grin and eyes that light up a room. She shouldn't be married; she should be running in the house with chubby legs and dimpled hands filled with flowers she picked from the yard.

She should be singing songs at the top of her lungs, the fan her microphone.

She should be playing Maid with Darian: she is the princess, Darian is the maid.

She should be telling me stories in that grown up voice though she is only 5 years old.

She should be doing lots of things. But walking down the aisle? Taking the last name Williams?

How did that happen?

I remember when the girls were little and my life consisted of dishes and lunch and scattered toys and vacuuming and monkey bars and swing sets and fruit on the porch so it wouldn't drip on the carpet and swimming pools and car seats and 3 year old fights, and I thought,

...when these girls are 6 and 8? My life will be easy.

And then I blinked...

Turned around twice.

Savana's wedding day was perfection.

We all got up early, showered, took extra time getting ready. It was a beautiful day--the sun was shining brightly--as we headed to the Williams' property for pictures. The First Look was scheduled for 10:15 as they were taking pictures before the wedding rather than afterwards, and that moment was so precious, magical. Guerin stood with his back to Savana and as she finally reached him, walking through the dew-covered grass, she tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see her, couldn't hold his composure, and just held her in an  embrace for what seemed forever.

It was a beautiful thing.

At 1:40 (the service started at 2:00 in a field by our house), Roy, Savana and I were in the house when it began to rain--a hard rain falling in sheets from the sky.

"It will stop," Savana said matter of factly, as though she would control the weather by sheer determination.

And it did.

The wedding started shortly after 2:00 as there was a reprieve in the pounding rain. A crew dried chairs and hustled the guests out to the field that had been transformed by white roses and greenery-laden arches into a little piece of paradise.

The wedding party walked in to the theme song from Forrest Gump and then, Roy drove Savana up in his '81 Firebird--waxed to perfection the night before.

She looked stunning.

The service was magical--it was so fitting and whimsical and representative of Sav and G and who they are as people and as a couple. Eddie told their story; their vows made us all cry; Justin sang the acoustic version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and I wanted to listen to it again and again and again; the flower girl and the ring bearers? Ah--my heart. I thought it might burst.

And then? They were married and they whooped it up from the front and made their way to the back.

And about that time, the sky opened up again and the rain began. We all flew into gear, moving the reception into the All-Purpose Room in the little elementary school. And though the reception wasn't quite what Savana planned, it was joy-filled and beautiful and perfect, all the same.

Because really...it's all about the couple. The un-decorated walls lined with school supplies? That's just stuff. Being surrounded by our family and friends? That's what matters. And clearly none of them cared about the pounding rain that pummeled the photo-lined tables covered in white linen.

Savana Jalei Seals is now Savana Jalei Williams.

She's married to her soulmate--to the love of her life.

And what a beautiful couple these two make.

But in my mind? Well...

...she'll always be my little girl.

She'll always be that adorable baby with a big grin, dimpled hands, and eyes that light up a room.