The Ring Thrower

We spent this past weekend in Columbia to celebrate the wedding of our cousin Paul and his new wife Melanie!  I remember being so excited for Paul to come visit back when he was a toddler and I was 8 or 9 or so.  He's all grown up now and we were honored when he asked Owen to be the ring bearer and Kaila to be the flower girl in his wedding.  It has special meaning because Paul's Grandmother was the flower girl in my Grandma Flo's wedding, and Paul's Mom, Sue, was the flower girl in my Mother's wedding. 

Owen and Kaila with Liz, Paul's Sister

Owen was excited, but also very nervous as the big day approached.  He was in school back when he was first told he was going to be the ring bearer, and his teacher told me after school one day that he proudly told her he was going to be "the ring thrower" in a wedding.  As the day got closer he'd ask lots of questions about what exactly he had to do and expressed concern that he would mess up, or people would laugh at him.  He told me multiple times that he "felt shy" about it and I could tell he was very tense.

At the rehearsal, he was very nervous but was doing his best to cooperate.  He was very interested in Paul (he had met him a time or two before but didn't remember) and always wanted to be near him.  The day of the wedding arrived and we had to be at the church early for pictures.  At one point Paul sat down with him in between pictures and started talking all things Lego.  After that, Owen was as happy as could be.  I don't know what all Paul said to him during their short conversation, but it certainly made a huge impact on Owen.  He totally adored Paul and was so happy.  He was super excited to be a part of the pictures and even asked if he could do more.

His big moment came and he walked down the aisle like a pro!  He even seemed disappointed when his time on the stage was over!

Here comes the beautiful bride!

They did it!

After the wedding, the bride and groom dismissed us by rows (Owen was sitting with me in the 2nd row by then) and Paul gave Owen the biggest bear hug and lifted him off the ground.  I could tell Owen was so happy.  He even later went back in the church and sat in the back row so that he could get another hug from Paul!  We headed to the reception next, and Sydney had a blast on the dance floor with Kaila while everyone was eating.

When the real dancing started, as Ben described it, Owen was like a wind up toy.  At first he flat out refused to dance and hid under his chair, then as songs he knew and loved started playing, he'd got up and started clapping...soon enough he was out on the dance floor dancing like no one was watching!  I was so happy to see him come out of his shell this weekend!  I don't have any pictures of him on the dance floor because I was out there with him at that time :)

Congrats to Paul and Melanie!!  We look forward to many more happy times with you in the future!