Jeffrey and Carson
Jeffrey and Carson were married on October 12th in Denton, NC. It was a gorgeous day, filled with lots of joyous, beautiful moments!!! The weather was perfect, they were surrounded by their friends and loved ones, and it was definitely a day for celebration! …and although it was the happiest days of their lives, it was also filled with heartache because Carson’s Daddy wasn’t there. He passed away unexpectedly when Carson was in the 5th grade. In an effort to keep his memory alive, Carson included lots of sentimental touches throughout her wedding day in his memory. To make sure everything was explained correctly, I asked Carson to answer a few questions about the sentimental touches she included throughout her day!
Can you share about the “Rainbow” and it’s significance to your family?
“A week before my dad passed he wrote a poem called Raindrops to Rainbow to my mom. In it he talks about how before he met my mom it was filled with rain and then this beautiful light shone through the clouds ( my mom) and another and another (my brother and I) and he was not alone. “I cannot change the raindrops or my cloudy days, but I know I’ve got a rainbow that will be with me always”. Anytime we see a rainbow we know it’s him. That is his sign to us that he is always with us. When I went to pick out my wedding dress, there was no chance of rain that day but he sent rain and then a rainbow after. He has his ways of being here still.”
You have a “Life is good tattoo,” what’s the significance of the quote?
“My dad had epilepsy so when he had his seizures he would not feel his best afterwards. No matter how he felt though, he always said “Life is good”. That was his motto and I have it tattooed on my wrist so even at my lowest points in life, I will always remember that my dad said “life is good”. A blue heart was also stitched into the wedding dress, my something blue.”
While Carson was finishing getting ready, her mom handed her a note. It was one that Carson had written and included was a dime. Here Carson shares about the significance of that moment.
“I once heard when you find a dime, someone is thinking about you in heaven. Ever since I have heard that, I will find dimes everywhere. I once found a dime cleaning. Dad loved to have the house nice and clean so it was only fitting to find a dime while doing this. What made it more clear it was him, was the dime was beside of a picture of my mom and dad. I decided to to write my mom a note telling her how strong of a woman she is because she was raising two kids by herself. At the end of the note I taped the dime and the picture to it. She also knows finding dimes are a sign from heaven. She kept this note and gave this dime to me on my wedding date and I taped it to the bottom of my shoe.”
You talk about your love for Jeffrey, and him being the perfect man for you! You also credit your Daddy for placing him in your life! Why do you feel so strongly about this?
“I was always daddy’s little girl, and we would occasionally talk about finding my Prince Charming one day. He said he would always be there to make sure they didn’t hurt me and would make me happy. When he passed, I was unsure if he would still make that happen. Then Jeffrey came into my life, when I wasn’t really even looking. He has so many characteristics of my dad. His kind heartedness, his generosity, the way he sings to me in the car, but above all he puts me before him. Dad would have loved that because dad did that. It’s amazing how even when he isn’t here, he still looks out for his little girl.”
On Carson’s bouquet, were two lockets with two different pictures in memory of her daddy.
“The first picture I chose was a picture by himself. He is so happy in this picture, and this is how I like to remember him. The second picture I chose is us dancing. This was the last summer vacation we spent together as a family and we loved to dance together. I can still remember that night and how we stayed at Margaritaville until about midnight dancing and singing all night. He was the best dad.”
Carson had “first looks” with her brother and her grandfather! …and had a special surprise in the church for Pawpaw!
“My papaw and brother were always my biggest fans. Corbin, my brother, was very protective. He is younger than me, but if someone did something to me he was always there backing me up. He is someone I can always go to advice for and know I have a best friend for life. My papaw was the one picking me up from school and taking me to ball practice, all the while helping me with homework. He made sure Corbin and I were fed before my mom got home and that we always had everything we needed. He taught me how to shoot a basketball, how to mow the lawn, and how to be just a genuine person. He is my hero and I was honored to have him walk me down the aisle.”
At the front of the church, beside the first pew, was a chair lovingly labeled “Daddy” with a sweater nicely folded in it.
“My dad was a huge part in my life and I wanted to include him as much as possible in the biggest day of my life. I had this chair just for him because he was so important to me. On the chair was a sweater. This sweater was the last thing he wore before he died. We took a family picture 12 hours before he died and in that picture he is wearing that.”
After the ceremony, I took Carson and Jeffrey beside the church for some pictures of just the two of them! I had just told Carson to hug Jeffrey from behind and she had some tears in her eyes? What’s wrong?? “I just saw a butterfly!!”
Carson, what’s the significance of the butterfly? Why was that an emotional moment?
“When I see a butterfly, I know that’s another one of his signs that he is close around. When I was little he would piggy back me up the stairs to my bedroom and lay me down and say “you ready princess?” He would sing Butterfly Kisses to me almost every night. He had the most soothing voice and I loved to listen to him sing. I knew I would not be able to have the special father/daughter dance at my wedding, but I wanted to include him. I had a slideshow of the two of us together over the years playing to Butterfly Kisses. As it played, all I could think about was him piggy backing me up the stairs, laying me down and singing it to me. His voice is something I miss everyday.”
First Dance with her brother, Corbin followed by a picture slideshow video playing “Butterfly Kisses”.
