Today is June 26th. Historically, this day never really meant much to me. However, that changed 4 years ago when I got married. Today is my 4th wedding anniversary. It was a spectacular event…much more than I even imagined. The event also presented a couple of rare moments for me. That brings me to this week’s moment in the Flashback Friday series: the wedding altar cry.
How I first came across this moment? Of course, I first came across the moment on June 26, 2016. It was shortly after 6pm EDT. When Mercedes and her mother came walking down that aisle, I lost my composure.
What it meant to me then? In the moment, I was overcome with emotions. The entire experience of going through the Lost Decade of Dating left me in a bad place. Seeing Mercedes walk down that aisle in her wedding dress was a moment I had dreamed about on many occasions, going back as far as 2004. It was more than enough to make me cry. I felt relief at the moment because I had finally reached the place that had long eluded me. Everything I had discussed with Mama Sanders and Lisandra came to bear. The hundreds of entries I wrote in Triumphs & Tribulations about wanting to get married came to bear. All of that was captured in those tears streaming down my face with the Georgia sun shining on me. I also felt a bit of embarrassment as I found myself crying in public…something that all of those in attendance and everyone watching on YouTube via Google Hangouts saw. It was counter to my stone-faced, stoic, and nonchalant demeanor, which was a trademark of my public persona.
What it means to me now? Of course, I still get ribbing about it from my friends. They made memes about it and everything. But 4 years later, I actually feel proud of the moment. That’s totally counter to the embarrassment I felt in 2016 but that’s because of what Mercedes did when she saw me crying. She wiped the tears off my face. Looking back on it, that singular moment embodied everything I liked about the wedding walkout.
