Wedding Fever.

We were invited to a wedding. It was the girls' first.
The excitement level was off the meter - especially for the seven year old.

I did something I have never done before and bought them matching dresses.
It was a cuteness fiesta.
We were staying overnight in the hotel where the wedding was so we went in our civilian clothes.
The dresses were packed reverently.

The seven year old needed the day's schedule repeated every twenty minutes or so just to make sure we hadn't forgotten to go to the wedding.
The two year old just simply said "Dress?" at regular intervals.

As I laid out the dresses, tights and matching cardigans they stood wide eyed and reverent.
When it was, eventually, time to get dressed the reverence continued.
The husband and I tried not to cry with the sweetness of it all.

I have never paid less attention to getting myself ready in my life. I could have just gone in jeans and a t-shirt and not noticed - such was my focus on my girls.

The walked off down the hotel corridor holding hands and feeling so pleased with themselves it was a heart bursting moment.
On seeing the bride and groom, the cake, the stunning venue with panoramic views of San Francisco they simply stood in awe.

Admittedly, I have somewhat shielded them from the whole 'I've been dreaming of my wedding since I was two' scenario.
We do not play brides and I had in the run up to this wedding talked about the couple and their friendship and adventures together - rather than focus on the fantasy of the dress and flowers etc.

We had a fantastic hour of father daughter dances, many photographs and general loveliness. Then the seven year old sidled up to the bride's nieces and they took off for the dance floor, where they stayed stealing the spotlight, for the rest of the evening.
The two year old seemed overwhelmed. Then hot. Then floopy.

We had a parent dilemma.

It's a wedding - a once in a lifetime event.
The seven year old is having the time of her life - especially since the dessert is a candy bar.
(I am also a fan of this new trend in dessert especially since there is an enormous bowl of peanut m&m's.)
The husband and I are having a great time - weddings don't come up for us so much anymore.
The two year old is sick.
Sigh.

So we did what any over worked, under assisted parents would do.
We retrieved her stroller from the room and set it in a corner of the venue - where she curled up and slept.

Don't judge me.