Funny…I don’t feel old enough to have a daughter who’s getting married.
And yet, I was already into my 2nd year of marriage at her age.
But despite my denial that everyone is getting older except me, I’m absolutely thrilled at being a Mother of the Bride.
Our oldest daughter is the bride in question and since she is very private, these columns will be more about my experiences than hers. She also lives 5 hours away and I don’t want to pretend to speak for her.
How It Started
The bride-to-be LOVES to travel and had a 3 week trip planned during February 2023. When we heard her fiance (then-boyfriend) was joining her for the last leg of the trip to London and Paris, I joked with my husband to be prepared for a ring. We both looked at each other with wide eyes, a cautionary chuckle, then wonderment at whether we were ready for this possible development.
We love her fiance and there was never any question that he’s great for her and they make a wonderful couple. You know…it’s that age thing again. How is it possible that our kids have grown up so fast?
About a week before I knew he was leaving to meet her in London, we received a text message from the fiance, asking us to call him during the week so he could go over plans with us for when they were away.
It was a somewhat cryptic and mysterious message but what else could it be, right?
So why did this cause a pit of anxiety for me?
It was an interesting feeling because we love him and I love weddings…why anxiety over hearing he wanted to propose?
The Phone Call
As we predicted, her fiance called to tell us his travel plans, when they would be in Paris, and if he had our blessing to propose. Of course, we said yes and that he would be a welcome addition to our family.
Immediately my anxiety lifted, a goofy smile was plastered to my face, and my husband and I started counting down until the Day of the Proposal.
Then I started figuring out the time difference between New York and Paris.
And then the big day came and went…without a single inkling that a proposal had taken place.
For a split second I worried that maybe she had said no but then realized that they were living in the moment. No need to call home right away.
The funny thing is that HE texted that all went well…as they were sitting in the airport awaiting their flight home two days later. Thankfully the bride-to-be called us the next morning, talking about her amazing travels to Puerto Rico, Italy, London & Paris. Saving the biggest news until the end of the call.
Keeping the Secret
As much as we loved getting the phone call ahead of time and being asked for a blessing, it made for a LONG 14 days of keeping this secret! I had to selectively choose who I could share this news with (prior to the actual proposal) because I didn’t want the news to travel through the grapevine and get to her too early.
And we were talking to our parents during those two weeks and boy, it was tough not to blurt it out! But the family couldn’t be more thrilled and I did have 2 friends I could share with because they’re not connected at all to my girl.
So…who’s got tips for this newbie on how stay stress-free and how to budget for this event?
P.S. The photo is Facebook approved, so I’m posting it here.