written by John Reardon | Photos by Hannah Lux Photography
Hello my Foodie Friends!
There are only a few moments in life when time slows down enough to let you take it all in. The day our daughter Aubrey was married was one of those days. A wedding is one of those major moments in a parent’s journey. As you watch your child get married, you realize that your mission as a parent continues and changes. During the day of the wedding, I knew our daughter was ready for this and I was proud of her. I knew our relationship would continue to grow and develop as the years continued and I will always be thankful for being a “girl Dad” to Aubrey Kate Reardon.
The relationship between a father and daughter comes with a cartload of emotional gravity. This love is often written in books, songs, and it lives as examples in our everyday lives. My father-daughter bond included times of watching baseball games and rattling off stats about the players, and the endless fun of quoting favorite songs and movies, making my fatherhood a thousand times more special with my daughter. It meant sometimes as a dad, attending a tea party or watching a kid’s show repeatedly or attending Gymnastics competitions all over the U.S.A. From the time I first combed her hair to the time I helped her solve a math problem, to when her future spouse walked up to me for permission to marry my daughter, our father-daughter relationship has become a tapestry studded by gems of memories. And when it comes to the wedding of your daughter, you better hold on since emotions definitely run high.
So here it was, the day of the wedding. I recall whispering to myself, “This is really it!” My wife had her role in being by Aubrey’s side the entire morning with the plethora of events and preparation. My job was to get ready -and be ready on time- which is something of a challenge for this Dad.
One of the first events I needed to be prepared for was the “First look with the father of the bride.” Aubrey had planned a private first look before we headed to the wedding. I had dreamt of this day since she was born. I was able to share this special moment of the “first look” with my son John. There is something special and magical about the first moment when a father sees his daughter as a bride. This is a time that continues to celebrate that bond that has been shaped for a lifetime, becoming a moment that provides an emotional anchor before walking down the aisle. As I turned, my jaw dropped and I gasped “You look beautiful!” Aubrey asked if I liked her dress and I responded with tears “You look incredible.” As I turned to look at my son, he was crying with emotion at seeing his sister. All I could think of at that moment was flashing back to when they were very little and I had both of them in front of a big mirror in our bathroom. I had put shaving cream on the three of us and gave them “play” shavers with me having a real one. Aubrey watched me intently and tried the hardest to shave her face. As I watched my daughter, Aubrey had to make sure she did a twirl for her dad. I knew she spent months and a life-time dreaming of her wedding dress and it was a spotlight stealer for sure! As she gave an eyeful bridal look, she twirled to show off her dress.
