It looks like 2015 will be the year of the wedding.  All my travel plans this year center around weddings and anniversaries.  However, while the other events I had fair warning, this January wedding came as a bit of a surprise.  My father and mother, who have been separated for many years, had finally decided to make things legal and get a divorce.  Once that was done, I knew that my father would likely marry his long time girlfriend.  However, I did not expect to find out in December he planned to marry her…in January.

Seeing how the tickets were starting to get expensive, it broke our heart but we decided to let my husband sit this one out while I traveled alone with the kids to New Jersey to partake in the celebration.  With little vacation time, I packed up our formal clothing and took the kids to New Jersey the evening before the wedding, giving them little time to adjust.  

This was taken 5 minutes before the wedding was suppose to start...Thank goodness the bride was late!

Since my children play a special role in their lives, my father and stepmother felt it was only fitting to have them play a special role in the wedding

The ring bearer and flower girl

The wedding was a beautiful ceremony, celebrated in Spanish, where the two took their vows and symbolized their commitment with both rings and traditions that represented my stepmother’s Mexican culture.  

The happy couple

They asked their eldest daughters (me and my new stepsister) to perform the lasso ceremony

Once the ceremony was done, everyone went to a small restaurant known for it’s Latin cuisine for an intimate reception.  

The favors were all handmade by the bride

My father and his beautiful mother

Its not a Latin wedding unless there's dancing! My daughter just LOVED the Mariachi band.

Cutting the cake...Note the ring. Don't get used to it, my Dad hates jewelry and it was off before the night was over

While everyone had a good time, by the end of the night, my kids were at the end of their rope, operating on too little sleep and a three hour time difference.  

My tired bears didn't want to pose for any more pictures

As fitting a second wedding, this was a much smaller affair than the large 100+ guest weddings I’ll be attending later this year.  But I loved that the bride and groom didn’t make it feel like a second wedding.  They incorporated all the small details that made it special for them.  From the elegant gown, to the laso ceremony; from the mariachi band, to the cake cutting and bouquet toss, the couple included all they wanted that made this their wedding.  

As an adult (who grew up with her parents happily married, and then had to live through their split after I was “grown and settled”) it was difficult at first to wrap my head around watching my Dad marry someone else.  But I know that my dad has found a companion that he is happy with, and who loves me and my children.  I’m glad I got to participate in this life event, and see my father move forward with his late in life love.  No one wants to see their parents divorce, but I hope that all who do, get to see their parents find the happiness and companionship that both my parents have managed to find.

This post is a part of Friday Postcards on Walking On Travels