Say Yes to the Dress

I've heard of that TV program that showcases wedding dresses.  And I've heard of the prices of some of the dresses.  Twenty thousand dollars for a wedding dress????  I have trouble paying for ANYTHING with that many zero's on the price tag.  Especially a one time shot at wearing a dress!  Fortunately Ally was much more sensible than that.  Although I've never spent as much as I did on one article of clothing.  When I got the call from Binnie when they were trying on the dresses (the call where everyone was crying) I didn't know what to expect.  But I could tell from the tone of the call that they found "the one".  And it was more or less what I expected. (It was priced toward the higher end of my limit...whatever that limit was...I still don't know! But it wasn't NEAR...even close... to $20K!!))  But they found "the one".  So I couldn't say no.  And they put the deposit on the dress.  A non-refundable deposit.....which is important to the rest of this post.  Everyone was happy.....I didn't expect them to find "the one" so quickly but they did.  About a week later Binnie and Ally found the perfect shoes for the dress.  Very reasonably priced, I might add.  And still everyone was happy.......until.....I recieved an e-mail from Ally about the dress.  She didn't want to talk to me in person about it......which may have been a good thing.  She was having second thoughts....not about getting married....but about the dress.  The same dress with the non-refundable deposit.  Yep....non-refundable.  I remained calm because that was all I could do.  The other dress she was considering was half the price.....but Binnie and I didn't even want to think about giving someone else all that deposit money for nothing.  I could tell Ally was having a hard time with it as well.  She was feeling terrible about having a change of mind about the dress.  I figured the best thing was to just let it settle in to both of our minds.  Give it a few days.  Ally went to try "the other dress" on again.  I'm not sure of her feelings about it.  But a couple of days later... sure enough....like a snap of the fingers....Ally told me, calm as can be, that she had decided to stick with the original.  Crisis averted....           

That Josh Boy

That's what I refer to him as at times.  "That Josh Boy".  I guess it gives me some sense of control, even though I don't have any.  Afterall, I can't let him know how I really feel about him.  He's getting ready to marry my daughter!!  I have to make sure his guard is up at all times!  I can't let him know that I don't think Ally could have picked a better guy.  I can't let him know how proud we are that Ally is marrying someone who is living to serve God.  I can't let him know how much it means that he is so involved in Young Life.  I can't let him know how much we have grown to love him.  No way!!  He can't know that!  I'm The Father of the Bride!  I can't let him know that I know Ally couldn't be in better hands.  And I can't be happier for both of them.  Yeah.....that Josh boy.....he's OK with me.  But I can't let him know that.
     

Initial Feelings

Alright.....I knew it was coming.  You could see it.....we knew they would eventually get married.  Ally was looking at wedding dresses before the question was even popped.  It was just a matter of time.  Ally was away in New York, at Young Life camp, being a lifegaurd, of all things. (That's another story.) Josh was visiting his parents in Belgium.  He would be coming home before her.  When he returned from Belgium, we got a call from Josh.  He wanted to speak to us.  Binnie and I just looked at each other....Binnie with a little smirky smile.  Could this be it?  We knew Josh was traditional enough that he would ask permission before asking Ally to marry him.  (Not that I emphasized that point to Ally or anything!!)  Binnie did a little dance.....we were excited!  But the next couple of days were anxious ones.  I didn't want to get too excited.....we weren't 100% sure that is why he wanted to speak to us.  Friday night came and so did Josh.  He was carrying a box of chocolates from Belgium for Binnie.  We sat and talked for a while....seemed like an eternity.  I began to think he wanted to deliver the chocolates before they spoiled.  He finally got down to business.  We were, needless to say, very happy.  When Josh left we high fived.  We were very excited.  He was going to ask Ally at the appropriate time and place.  He said he wanted to take her to Nags Head and propose to her there.  So we couldn't say a word to anyone!!  ARRGGHH!!  We wanted to tell the world!  But being good parents we would keep our secret to ourselves.  Only one problem....if you know Ally she has a very busy schedule.  The next opportunity would be a couple of weeks away.  We reluctantly waited....and then THAT weekend became booked for her.  Figures!!  So Josh decided to do it when he could at the beach in Va Beach.  And when he did, we got the call.  Finally!!  We could tell the world!!  But nooooooo.......we had to wait until Josh told his family....which was only fair.  In this age of modern technology one word to anyone and it would be all over Facebook and whatever other social networks are out there.  So we waited......and after Josh told his family we could spread the news! Thus began the journey for them....and the father of the bride.       

Equal time

Hey....I'm the father of the bride.  The one that pays for the wedding.  I deserve some equal time!  I'm THE father of the bride.  No one else can lay claim to that.  I pay for the reception, flowers, wedding dress, shoes, caterer, invitations, announcements......every thing associated with the wedding day.  And you know what?  That's OK......this is one of the happiest times of her life.  And I get to help her with that!  After all, I, along with her Mother, of course, raised her.  It wasn't easy....both of us being career Navy people....but that made it more special. I remember the deployments, the homecomings....Ally getting used to that man that goes by the name of Daddy.  I remember dressing her for day care and school.  I remember trying to french braid her hair by reading an instruction manual.  I remember the Saturday movies while her Mom was deployed.  I remember watching her in her dance recitals.  I remember her singing in chorus in middle school and high school.  I remember her sitting at Fenway Park and becoming a member of The Red Sox Nation.  I remember seeing how beautiful she looked in her prom dresses.  I remember seeing a young girl bloosom into a young lady.  And now she is on the road to being a beautiful woman.  I am proud of her.  I am THE Father of the Bride.  How lucky can I be?