I Feel Our Memories Fade With Time.

As summer came and went, both of us realized that we needed to plan our wedding, and have it. I had some ideas for dates, and I pondered on one idea for a while, but hesitated to tell Steph. It was something I had talked to my dad over as a birthday present to him. I wanted a small wedding, and had the idea to have it in his backyard on his birthday, and as a present to him, have him give Steph away. She never had a great relationship with her own father, and my dad was basically filling in that role, so that’s what sparked the idea.

The big day finally came, and I was nervous. This was a big step in both of our lives. I stared at myself in the mirror, fumbling with my hands. I could feel my heart racing.

“Hey, son.”

I looked up and saw my dad standing in the doorway. I almost had to double take. I still remembered the way he looked from when I was young. He had aged noticeably, but it wasn’t like he looked really old.

“Hey, dad.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Nervous.”

“I know. I felt the same way with Lisa, even though we didn’t have a big wedding.”

“Is it normal?”

“Perfectly normal. You’re excited. You and Stephanie are taking big steps in your lives.”

“You’re right.”

“Yep. It’s almost time. I’m gonna go get your soon-to-be wife.”

Soon-to-be wife? I thought. The words ran through my head, and a weird feeling rose in my stomach. I lightened up at the word ‘wife,’ because I knew I had loved Stephanie. The fact that I was marrying her made me feel amazing. I felt like the luckiest person ever.

“Tyler?’

I looked in the mirror to see who was at the door.

“Hey, Uncle Frank.”

“It’s time for you to get out there.”

“Thanks.”

I stood at the door, and after taking one last deep breath, I walked outside. Everyone stood and looked back at me. I smiled as I walked down to the makeshift altar in our backyard. Nothing special for guests, just our closest family and friends. No more than forty people. An eternity seemed to pass until the door opened again. Everyone turned, and people gasped. There she was. A simple white strapless gown flowed to the floor, trailing behind her as she went down the steps. The veil over her face. Her hair, dark, straight, fell just over her shoulders. I thought my jaw had dropped at the sight. She looked beautiful, even in just a simple gown. Once again, I felt like the luckiest person alive. There wasn’t much more that could be better than this moment. Cameras flashed as my father walked her down towards me. She took her spot, looking me directly in the eyes.

“You look amazing,” I whispered.

She just smiled, blushing slightly.

“We are gathered here today to join Stephanie and Tyler. Instead of doing our traditional words, they have each prepared their own words. Stephanie?”

“Tyler, I remember when we first met, in the seventh grade. I never thought I would make it moving here from Pennsylvania. Now we’re in college, living in California. I fell for you at first sight, and had a feeling that one day we would be standing here doing this. I love you so much, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. I know you‘ve been through a lot as a child, and I hope to make it better.” Her voice cracked just a little bit at the end. I watched a single tear fall down her cheek, around her smile.

“Stephanie, you are the best thing that has happened to my family, and myself. I have been through a lot when I was young. I know that with you around, it’s not a lot to worry about. Even without my mother, my life is still complete with you. I know if she was here today, she would be sitting out there with my dad, crying her eyes out. I knew you were my one and only ever since Kyle told me to go talk to you. I really do love you with all my heart and then some.” I watched a few more tears fall down her cheeks

“Stephanie, do you take Tyler to be your husband?”

“I do.”

“Tyler, do you take Stephanie to be your wife?”

“I do.”

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Tyler? You may kiss your bride.”

I lifted the veil, leaned and we shared possibly the most passionate kiss we ever shared. I had gotten the sense of accomplishment from her and myself. This moment had made our lives complete, and we were still so young. In that same instant, I heard my mother’s voice in my head.

I am so proud of you, Tyler. I love you so much.

I love you too, mom. Watch over us.
We broke the kiss, and I saw her laugh.

“What?” I asked.

She reached up wiped my cheeks. “Crybaby.”

I leaned down and kissed her again. “I don’t care.”

“I know you don’t.”

Once that was all said and done, it was time to kick back and relax with the family. It took an hour just for everyone to talk to us, take all the pictures they needed, and get settled down to eat. The whole reception, I was still feeling that high. Both Steph and I never stopped smiling. We didn’t ask for gifts, but still had gotten money and gift cards from a select few people. As the party winded down, my dad came to us.

“Thanks, dad. For making this the best wedding ever,” I said.

“Aw, it was nothing.”

“No, it really was something,” Steph said. “Thanks…dad. For everything. Walking me down, giving me away. It was absolutely perfect.”

“Okay, okay, kids. You’re making me blush. Now, I know you didn’t want gifts, but the guys and I put this together for you. You do live in a vacation spot, but you two still deserve a nice honeymoon,” he said as he handed an envelope to us.

We opened the envelope and in it were two plane tickets and a travel guide to Europe. My jaw dropped.

“Dad!? You guys shouldn’t have. Really? Europe!?”

“Europe!?” Steph exclaimed.

“You guys deserve it. Go, stay for a few weeks, enjoy the sights, have fun. Europe is a beautiful place.”

“Thank you so much, dad.” Steph and I both hugged him.

“Yeah, yeah. It was nothing,” he laughed. “You guys will have an amazing life together.”

The party ended, and we all cleaned up. Steph and I were getting ready to head to bed when Kyle and Katie ran up and nearly tackled us.

“Ahh, what an amazing wedding!!!” Katie said excitedly, pulling Stephanie away.

“Yeah, it really was great,” Kyle said. “So, where’s the honeymoon?”

“My dad got us a trip to Europe,” I said.

“Wow, great! So you guys going to try for a kid now?”

“Who knows, maybe. We haven’t decided yet. What about you and Katie? When’s the big day?”

“We’re still in the early stages of planning. So it won’t be for a while.”

“Cool, cool. So you guys staying over? In the guest room?”

“Sure.”

“We were about to go to bed. We’re both pretty exhausted now.”

“Ok, don’t be too loud.” Kyle grinned.

“Dude, not happening tonight,” I laughed.

Steph and I went up to bed. She instantly fell asleep, and I laid there for a moment, still relishing in the moment. I felt whole. Complete. Extremely lucky.

“I love you, Stephanie,” I whispered as I fell asleep.