So, Dorothy made her debut as a flower girl this weekend.
It went something like this:
That, my friends, is the look of a mother who has been defeated by a one-and-a-half year old… before the wedding even started.
*sigh*
Despite our daughter’s antics pre-ceremony, it was a beautiful wedding for two great people. I’m so thrilled for my cousin, Kayla, and just as happy to welcome a new cousin-in-law to the family. So, while I want to share some of my photos in recap of the big day, I’m also going to bestow a little advice for all other parents of flower girls/ring bearers…
…because it’s a lot harder than it looks. Oi.
This would be the one photo Dorothy took with the bride.
Flower Girls Sarah & Dorothy, and Junior Bridesmaid Emily
1. Expect nothing.
You may think this flower girl gig is a piece of cake, but it is most certainly not. You may think your kid will stand for wedding party photos (the whole reason you had to wake said kid up from her nap, and arrive at the venue three hours prior to the ceremony) but in my case, you would be wrong.
Do not get your hopes up. Your toddler will crush them. Instead of taking photos, you will be stranded in the bridal suite watching Disney movies on the iPad.
2. Miracles do happen.
My daughter is a bit shy. She tends to get bashful and start crying when large numbers of people are looking at her. In fact, she was sent into a full teary-eyed fit as soon as we entered the bridal suite because a handful bridesmaids were looking at her. Things did not look good for walking down the aisle in front of 300 people.
BUT SHE DID IT. AND SHE SMILED.
If that’s not miraculous enough for you, here’s another: SHE WORE A HEADBAND. My daughter. The princess of crazy hairs who will not stand for me to even pull her bangs out of her face. She wore an accessory without even noticing. Jaw, meet floor.
3. Bribery is the answer.
What was the secret to getting my kid down the aisle?
Food.
I packed half our pantry in the diaper bag, just so we would have plenty of snacks. In fact, I was feeding her chocolate-covered popcorn from the buffet up until the moment she had to walk. I strategically placed my dad at the end of the aisle, and he was brandishing Curious George fruit snacks. It worked, somehow.
4. The perks might just outweigh the pain.
Sure, Courtny and I had to chase our toddler in the 90* heat for hours on end because heaven forbid she stay in one area. But, we got a free steak dinner at the rehearsal (kid-free, thanks to my mom!). It was practically date night, if you exclude the fact that we were in charge of my 89-year-old grandpa… which is very similar to being in charge of a one-year-old. 😉
Rehearsal dinner at Boulder Creek
Oh, and the keg of Sun King at the wedding reserved for the bridal party only? We got in on that too. Bonus.
5. Enlist the grandparents.
My parents volunteered to leave the wedding early to take our darling home to bed. THANK GOD. If you’re lucky enough to have people who offer to help you out so that you can grab a piece of cake and join in on a slow dance… do it.
With that, I leave you with a few more photos from the reception that we only managed to take because Dorothy had gone home with grandma and papaw. PS: Thank you, thank you, thank you to my parents.
Sisters: Me, Jessica & Grace
Oh look! My sister’s boyfriend caught the garter!
The girl cousins: Grace, Kayla, Jessica, Me & Tiffany
The newlyweds!
Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Kight! The best is yet to come, I promise. 🙂
I have a feeling this will be in my future. I will then revert to this post 🙂 Awesome photos.
I really enjoyed reading this !
I laughed at the picture and the blog. The groomsmen in the back come across as looking judgmental. But I know (since the good looking one in the middle is my hubby) one is looking with relief that our kids arent doing the same thing at that moment. We, as you preached so well, used Grandma and Grandad to save us.
Keep preaching!