Wedding Bells

**WARNING*** SAPPY POST ALERT***

One of my best friends, Trish, got married over the weekend. Justin and I had intended on leaving Haydan in San Diego with my parents and going to the wedding by ourselves. Haydan was DEVASTATED that she was going to miss spending Mother’s Day with me because her class had prepared this big tea party with hand made gifts and the sort. I explained I couldn’t miss this because it was my best friends special day that had been planned months prior.

Last minute as Haydan was crying to Justin and I, I phoned Trish and asked her if she would mind if we brought Haydan with us to the wedding. That is probably the MOST annoying thing a person can do to a bride the day before her wedding. ‘Uh, hey, yeah, I know it is the day before your wedding but is it cool if we bring one more person?!? Got enough food to feed my kid too? What about a seat for her!?’ Yeah, I realize how annoying it is… but first off, if you have met Trish, you know she is only crazy about one thing: people stepping on her perfectly vacuumed carpet in her living room…other than that–she is pretty chill. Not to mention, has a heart the size of a tyrannosaurus rex.

Trish responded with ‘OF COURSE!!!’ which was really nice to hear. I had arranged last minute for Haydan to sit with another friend of mine, Kelli, seeing Justin and I were both in the wedding party. Haydan got to participate in all the ‘getting ready’ with hair and make up and play with all the flower girls in their beautiful dresses. Our plan was to send her to her seat with my friend Kelli just as the ceremony was to begin.

Just as we are about to walk out and get in line to walk down the aisle, Trina (the maid of honor and bride’s sister whose daughters were all flower girls) hands Haydan her youngest daughters flower basket filled with flowers and says ‘Haydan, do you think maybe you can throw these flowers down the aisle for Roxi? She is a little sleepy and I think that you should walk down and help us by throwing them!.” Trina was so overwhelmed, as we all were getting ready, and she had three flower girls to look after and mother. I couldn’t believe she would do something so incredibly kind and then say it in a way to Haydan that made her feel as though Haydan was ‘helping’ HER out….doing HER a favor. Wow. I looked at Trina, WTF? She is in a BRIGHT ORANGE dress and we are all in red and the flower girls are in WHITE! What is going on? You are so sweet but–You don’t need to do this! Trina gestured to Trish who looked at me and smiled and said ‘Ashley, had I known Haydan was going to be here, she would have been in this wedding. Either way, she is here now and guess what? She is now in the wedding. She is now a flower girl, I love her, end of story.” Trish walked over to Haydan, knelt down in her beautiful gown to Haydan’s eye level and told her how much she loved her and how special she is and that it would be an honor if Haydan would be one of her flower girls.

I was dumbfounded. Between Trina’s kind gesture and that Trish was 100% fine with this–and seemed to be included in this idea, well, it was just way too much for me. There was SO much going on. It was MINUTES before we were walking down the aisle and EVERYONE matched EVERYTHING. I am talking the jewelry to the shoes to the bouquets, the guys socks and shoes…EVERYTHING. And then there was my sweet Haydan. In an orange dress who was over the moon excited and glowing at this point. I am not sure of anything more special that could happen to such a small girl in such a quick moment.

I really didn’t have any words…what do you say?

Haydan walked the aisle and as we were taking pictures I started to ask Haydan to hop out of one of the professional photos so that Trish would have a shot with all her intended wedding party in their matching outfits that she had spent MONTHS putting together. She looked at me and said, ‘Absolutely not. Haydan stays. She is a flower girl and I don’t know why you are asking her to get out of the picture. She is IN THIS WEDDING ASHLEY.’

I cried. Not a crier–but I cried.

My mom always told me that I would always have a lot of friends through life–however, the good ones you would only be able to count on one hand. I never understood that until much later in life. It’s these things, these huge things that are really only important to you, yet, they truly define a persons character.

To take it a step further–Trish tried to give Haydan her wedding veil. I tried to give it back and then realized it was in my trunk when we arrived back to San Diego. HER WEDDING VEIL. Who does that?! I sent Trish a message letting her know I was shipping it back and she said ‘nope! it’s hers now!’

In the chaos of it all I was touched, but now seeing all these photos posted online of the wedding, I am even more moved. I am blessed. What a friend, WHAT A FRIEND. WOW.You can see Haydan here in the wedding party in the orange dress.

 

Thank-You Trish and RT for making my little girl feel like a princess that day. We are blessed to call you our friends.

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