Love Under the Moon: Parent Dances

As soon as our first dance was over Mr. Coyote led me to Poppa Coyote and we went straight into the parent dances. Poppa Coyote had chosen "I Loved Her First" by Heartland and in the days leading up to the wedding, every single time I heard the song I cried. After all of the crying I did on our wedding day I was actually shocked that I did not shed a tear during my dance with my father. 

I know that we talked a lot, but for the life of me I can't remember what was said! At one point Poppa Coyote messed up one of our twirls so I did take some time to mock him mercilessly. (Sorry Dad, that's just how I roll when I'm nervous!)

Because this song is a bit long, we chose to shorten it and had our DJ fade out after the second chorus.

"Look at the two of you dancing that way,
Lost in the moment and each others' face.
So much in love, you're alone in this place,
Like there's nobody else in the world.
I was enough for her not long ago,
I was her number one, she told me so.
And she still means the world to me, just so you know,
So be careful when you hold my girl.

 

"Time changes everything, life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way.
But I loved her first, I held her first,
And a place in my heart will always be hers.
From the first breath she breathed,
When she first smiled at me,
I knew the love of a father runs deep.
And I prayed that she'd find you someday,
But it's still hard to give her away.
I loved her first.

"And I knew the first time I saw you with her,
It was only a matter of time.
I loved her first, I held her first,
And a place in my heart will always be hers.
From the first breath she breathed,
When she first smiled at me,
I knew the love of a father runs deep.
And I prayed that she'd find you someday,
But it's still hard to give her away.
I loved her first."

I absolutely loved my dad's song choice and even though I didn't cry I pretty sure I saw a few guests wiping their tears. Too soon our song ended and it was time for Mr. Coyote and his momma to take to the floor.

Mr. Coyote chose "Rainbow Connection" for the mother-son dance because Mr. Coyote is a Muppet and this song always reminds MIL Coyote of her son. When Mr. Coyote informed her of his song choice none of us were quite sure if she would make it through the whole song without crying. And just as I was surprised that I kept it together for my father-daughter dance, MIL surprised us all by not shedding a tear during her special dance with her son. Instead, she sang to Mr. Coyote while they danced which I swear, almost made me shed a tear. (Which would not have been surprising!)

 
We later found out that Mr. Coyote's momma listened to the song on repeat the week of the wedding in order to get all the tears out of her system. Apparently it worked! (MIL Coyote is a smart cookie.) Again this is a super long song so we chose to fade out after the second chorus.

"Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it.
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.
 

"Who said that every wish would be heard
And answered when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that and someone believed it.
Look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me."

The special dances were over and it was time to take our seats for the speeches and dinner. 

*All photos are by the fabulous Upstate Photographers unless otherwise noted.*

Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.
• Our ceremony begins with the family and bridesmaid processional and continues with the bridal processional.
• I share the full text of our ceremony.
• We recess and my father gives us a very special wedding gift.
• Our friends and family gathered for some formal (and not so formal) portraits. Then Mr. Coyote and I spent a few moments alone before heading out to join the rest of our guests for our cocktail hour.
• The reception begins with a rockin’ introduction. Followed by our first dance.