Priscilla and my grandson Sebastian

There’s a reason the wedding invitation simply announces, “At last,” followed by the names of the bride and groom and the date, time, and place. It’s been a mere fourteen years since my younger son fell madly in love with his long-time partner Priscilla, a vivacious, feisty young woman. Three children later (one from my son’s previous relationship and two they share together), lots of bumps on their journey, and the world’s longest engagement, these two are finally making the leap to matrimony.

            If it had been up to my son, they would have gotten married years ago. But Priscilla was hesitant. After all, the men in her life growing up hadn’t been… well, let’s just say, they weren’t the most reliable bunch. And she’s always been fiercely independent. In fact, when I asked her why she’d finally decided they could set a date, she said simply: “The idea of marriage has always made me nervous, but he’s the only person I would ever want to be with.”

            These two have literally grown up together, and it’s wonderful to witness their commitment to one another for the long haul. Besides, there’s something exciting about all of these rituals and traditions. This past week, I got to go wedding dress shopping with Priscilla. She found a beautiful dress. It brought back such happy memories of wedding dress shopping with my older son’s bride Lauren and her mom. Talk about vicarious pleasure!

            Of course, I have to admit the teensiest bit of anxiety. Weren’t Brad and Angelina doing fine until they got married? What if this changes something for this lovely young couple? Don’t lots of us know couples who lived together for years, but whose marriages went kaput?

            But when I think about my son and his bride, I realize how unlikely that scenario is. They have gone through so many tough times, and it has only made their devotion to one another stronger.

            Recently, Priscilla thanked my husband and me “for the gift of our son.” It was a beautiful sentiment, but truthfully, he was the one who gave himself and his love to her.

            Fortunately, it’s been mutual. And once again, I can hardly wait for the wedding day when I get to be the thrilled “mother of the groom.”