Every mother dreams of the day her daughter gets married. She prays it’s to a man that will love her with all his heart. A man who will take on the role of head of her family with certainty and a little fear. Someone who desires to uplift and encourage her.
Today, I am overjoyed – and maybe a little overwhelmed. You are my daughter… loved and cherished since conception. I know this is the absolute happiest time for you, and in only a few minutes, you’ll walk down the aisle to the man of your dreams.
And my heart runneth over.
I knew just what I wanted to say. In fact, I wrote this speech weeks ago. I memorized it, and I practiced it. But right now, with you standing before me looking so radiant, I’m speechless. All I can think to say is ‘Alexander is one lucky guy.’
I watch him.
I watch him when you walk in the room, and he lights up. His eyes. His smile. His heart.
And I watch you, Elizabeth, when he walks in the room, and you light up. Your eyes and smile and heart.
And when the two of you walk into a room together, everyone around you lights up! It’s magic. Fairytale magic like the sparkly swirls you see whirling above Cinderella’s and Prince Charming’s head. And this magic, well, I noticed it between the two of you years ago. Some people live a life without it, but you two – you have it, and I know you’ll keep it for a lifetime.
So, my toast to you, my darling daughter, is to magic. May you keep it and savor it, endlessly and always. May you experience it in a million tiny ways.
To magic.
About Lisa Juliano
Lisa Juliano is originally from Rhode Island. Twenty-six years ago, she traded cannoli for cactus and resides now in Phoenix, Arizona. With more than a decade of marketing under her belt, she currently writes and edits for USA Today. Much of her writing aids local and national nonprofits.