Weddingbee Blog
This is an emotional post for me. I’ve dreaded writing it because every time I think about it, I start crying… I’m crying now. But it’s important for me to write because it was one of the most memorable moments from our wedding… an unplanned moment, even. And I really do want to share it with you.
My Papa (grandpa) was my hero. He was one of those guys that you instantly liked and respected. He had a no nonsense, selfless, and fun loving way about him that just drew people in. About 4 years ago, he was diagnosed with multiple types of cancer. By the time my wedding came around he had already had 2 brain surgeries and lost his ear to the cancer- but he was in a sort of remission. Because of his pride and goal to get better, he had refused to see anyone but our immediate family since getting sick. But he willingly pushed it aside for our wedding. And a few songs into the dance floor opening up, “American Girl” by Tom Petty came on and my Papa grabbed my hands and pulled me into the center of the dance floor.
Press Play:
My Papa and I hadn’t danced since I was a little girl
And here he was swinging me around the dance floor… and to Tom Petty, no less.
Everyone cleared from the dance floor and just gave us our moment. But I hadn’t even noticed until I got our pictures back. Because it was just us…
… laughing and dancing and having one of the absolute best moments of my life.
As the song drifted to an end… I hugged him with every ounce of love inside of me.
This was my Papa. The person I strive to be like. The man who did the artwork on all my birthday cakes and brought me bento boxes full of rice balls and Japanese food during my grade school lunches. He went to every soccer match and taught me how to drive his car. He called me Baby, Josie, George… none of which are my name. 
My Papa passed away last April. Shortly after the wedding, his cancer came back and attacked every part of his body from his legs to his brain again.
He fought it until the end, again providing an amazing example to me of what to do in that situation. I miss him so much—but am even more glad that he no longer has to suffer.
As he exited the dance floor he hugged my mom, something he hadn’t done since my parents were together some 20 years ago…
… and then embraced my dad.
I’m so blessed that our wedding was so full of love.
On our way to our honeymoon the next day, I sat in the airplane looking out the window, just playing that moment over and over again in my head. At one point Mr. Espresso grabbed my hand, and as I looked over at him, he started talking about how great that moment was… our minds were on the same page. Mr. E had become like another grandson to my Papa; and I always felt a sense of pride watching the two of them talk and connect on their views of working hard, life, and Wienerschnitzel.
When I visited my Grandma Chicken this last Christmas, she handed me a present my Papa had made for me while he was sick. He had taken a pine cone from our wedding and painted white on each tip to make it look like snow. He then placed a bow and wire on it and had turned it into an ornament for our tree.
This was the kind of man he was. I miss him. My entire family does. But now I have these pictures, this song, this post… to always help me remember this moment.
Embrace your wedding… your family…
Embrace what it’s really all about.
Thanks for letting me write about my Papa.
Miss something? Catch up here:
Weekend Mountain Wedding: And We Danced
Weekend Mountain Wedding: Cheers!
Weekend Mountain Wedding: Details, Details, and More Details
Weekend Mountain Wedding: an Abandoned House and an Open Field
Weekend Mountain Wedding: The Bridge, Part 2
Weekend Mountain Wedding: The Bridge, Part 1
Weekend Mountain Wedding: It’s All Relative
Weekend Mountain Wedding: A Whole Lot of Love
Weekend Mountain Wedding: We Say I Do!!!
Weekend Mountain Wedding: A Walk Beneath the Pines
Weekend Mountain Wedding: The Procession of Little Black Dresses
Weekend Mountain Wedding: The Clock Strikes Two
Weekend Mountain Wedding: The Dress Comes On
Weekend Mountain Wedding: Fancy Men at Dreamland
Weekend Mountain Wedding: Time to Get Beautified
Weekend Mountain Wedding: Morning Time
Weekend Mountain Wedding: Fancy vs. Not Fancy at the Rehearsal
Weekend Mountain Wedding: The Day Before
Weekend Mountain Wedding: Proof That It Did In Fact Happen
All photos by the amazingly talented Sandra Salisbury
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Weekend Mountain Wedding: A Dance with My Papa
Thank you so much for sharing this, Mrs. Espresso. What a beautiful post. I was trying to hold back my tears at work, but I couldn’t. You and your Papa’s love for each other really shows in these photos, and you’re so lucky to have them as a memento.
What a beautiful recap Espresso! I absolutely love it! You can just feel the love and joy radiating out of these photos. Your papa sounds like he was an amazing, thoughtful man.
That is a beautiful story and the pictures are priceless. I am so happy you got to share that moment with him…thank you for sharing it with us!
I love this post. And I’m crying. What a special person and how blessed are you to have known and been loved by him.
All of my great grand parents and all but one fo my grandparents died before I was 10 years old, and I always wish I could have had more time with them. You are a lucky girl!
What an amazing man your papa was! And you’re a very lucky girl to have had such a wonderful grandfather. I’m so glad you had this moment with him. I cried through the whole post, but really lost it when I got to the ornament. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Oh my goodness, what a touching post! I’m so glad you got to share that moment with your papa!
So sorry for your loss, Mrs. Espresso. Your post and the pictures are very telling of how much he meant to you and how much you meant to him.
Thank you so much for sharing! The pictures are wonderful. Had me balling like a bay the entire post because it reminded me of my Grams. That’s so wonderful that you got the ornament!
tears of happiness and joy are rolling down my face. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful and inspiration man in your life, with all of us.
Like everyone else…totally tearing up at work. What a wonderful story! I’m so glad you have these pictures to remember such an awesome moment.
I held back the tears until I got to the pine cone part. That’s so awesome.
Mrs. Espresso, this was such a touching post. Thank YOU for sharing the story and the beautiful, happy pictures.
Thank you for sharing such a special moment. I am now also in tears, but am so glad you got to share that last special dance!
Thank you so much for sharing, it was understandably difficult. I’m crying too. So much love - what an awesome moment.
Mrs. Espresso, you look so so cute dancing with your dad!! I’m not sure if you’ll read this, but do you mind telling me where you got your hair flower? I love love love it.
Thanks!
Martha
*tear* that was such a beautiful post. Thanks for sharing!
Thankfully I was working from home when I read this, cause I couldn’t hold back the tears. Thank you for sharing these touching pictures. Not having any or my grandparents alive, to be there for my wedding is one of the things that I will truly miss that day.
@Martha: i meant your papa. that’s what I call my dad! lol sorry for the confusion!!
I’m in tears reading this. Both my grandmother and grandfather passed away in September and December, respectively, and it pains me so much that they’ll never get to see me get married. Thank you for posting.
I cried through, and totally related to this post…i had a similar relationship with great-grandma.
Thank you for sharing this special intimate moment between you two!
That was really quite special to read. Thank you Mrs. Espresso.
oh espresso, this is a beautiful post. my heart is fluttering with the sweetness and sadness of it all. lucky, lucky you for having such a wonderful papa, and i am so glad that you two had that very special dance together at the wedding.
yep crying like a baby at work. my grandpa was my favorite person in the whole world. and i miss him everyday 
you are so lucky to have that moment, because I know for sure I would give the whole world for my grandpa and mima to see me walk down the aisle
I wish my Papa would have come to my wedding. It would have been the best gift but he just was too old to make it.
What a beautiful moment to have captured. So happy you have these.
What a beautiful post and a beautiful message about family…now i have to get back to crying…
Thank you for sharing this beautiful moment.
You have me in tears, dear.
I’m so glad that you got to share this with your grandfather, and also so glad that you have such wonderful photos (and memories!) to commemorate it.
Your post made me cry. Im so happy you had those moments. May they forever be in your heart. <3
You’re so lucky to have this memory :o)
My beloved grandfather died when I was three. My mom always says that he was a bitter and miserable old man until I was born. I became his whole life and my mom thinks I’m one of the only people that ever made him happy.
Oh gosh, I’m wiping tears right now. What a beautiful recap. I’m glad that you both shared that moment on your big day. I’m also sorry for your loss as well.
Thank you for sharing this special moment with all of us. This was a beautiful post!
Oh goodness. I’m crying. In my office. And not the watery-eye-dab-it-with-a-tissue-kind-of-cry. The full out tears-streaming-down-your-face-blow-your-nose-kind-of-cry.
This is such a beautiful post and a beautiful story. You are so lucky to have had a Papa like him, and so luck to have such a wonderful memory of him! 
That’s such a lovely story and I’m glad you have the pictures and song to remember always.
I’m yet another person who’s cried while at work over this post. I’m so glad you got to have that moment with your Papa. It makes me sad because my very own Papa (I love that we call them the same name) is currently battling Alzheimer’s, lung cancer, and a broken rib and bruised body from a recent fall on icy stairs. My heart breaks a little every day to see what is happening to one of the greatest men in the world - one who contributed so much more to my life than he could ever possibly realize. I’m so happy for you, and I celebrate that you got to have your moment! Thank you for this post!
Like others, I am also crying at work. Thank you so much for sharing that moment with us. What a beautiful post. I’m so happy you were able to have that moment with him and you have those amazing pictures to cherish forever.
you just make me cried so much… thanks so much for sharing this special moment with us…
Crying! At Work! Thanks for sharing. My gramps is one of my favorite people, and my FI reminds me of him in so many ways. It makes me smile.
Wow, this made me cry. Thanks for sharing - the photos are amazing.
beautiful…
thanks for sharing with us.
oh! and i only just noticed your lovely hair flower in this post. can i ask where it’s from?
omg I cried reading this…that is such a beautiful tribute to your Papa
Phew! Managed to just barely keep the tears welling my eyes from rolling down my face here at work. I hope all of us in the hive get to have a dance or share a hug with someone as special as your Papa at our weddings. I can’t get over how wonderful it is that you got to have this moment with your grandpa. And I’m so sorry he’s passed on.
Thanks for sharing. I don’t know why but I started to cry reading this blog. I guess I know that I’m going to be lucky to have both my grandfathers at my wedding. One is 95 years old and one has had cancer for some time. Thanks for reminding us Brides-to-be to Embracing everything.
Add me to the list of those shedding tears at work. Thank you for sharing this wonderful moment with us. I’m sorry for your loss.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to your Papa. I’m so sorry for your loss, but I am so happy for you that you have that song and these gorgeous pictures along with all your memories of him to comfort you.
Another cryer here, and this is officially the first post on WB to make me do so. I lost my granddad about 5 years ago, and we weren’t even that close and it was (and still is) so hard. I can only imagine how much harder it is for you, having been so close. Beautiful post and pictures, my dear! And yeah, if I hadn’t been crying before, the ornament would’ve gotten me at the end anyway…
This was a beautiful post, I definitely teared up… I’m so glad you got to share that moment with your grandfather before he passed away…
What a wonderful way to remember a man who was so important to you - this post was beautiful, Espresso. Your Papa looked so proud of you and happy to be sharing the day with you!
Mrs Espresso, Thank you for this post.
I think it’s officially the first time tears have rolled down my streaks while reading weddingbee… but this is such a beautiful post about someone so obviously very special… and how moments, and the memories they form, are priceless… and will live on forever.
To me, this post is what weddings are about.
The opportunity to bring families together, to give each one of us these moments, as an opportunity to remember our loved ones as they shared joy and celebrated.
Wonderful story and wonderful advice. Thank you so much for posting this and sharing your family with us.
Yep crying just like everyone else. This is a beautiful post. I don’t have any grandparents left, and it makes me so sad. I would love to be able to dance with my Papa (mine was Papa too!) at my wedding.
What a wonderful moment thank you for sharing this. My heart goes out to you. I know how hard it is to lose a parent. I am glad you have these memories, and these wonderful pictures to remind you.
I am really glad you got to experience this with your grandfather. All of my grandparents died before I was born or when I was a baby. The last of Mr. Swan’s gps died several years ago. I would have loved to have had them there. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, thanks so much for sharing this, Espresso! I was crying all throughout your post because I, too, lost my grandfather to cancer very recently. He and I were very close so I can imagine how you’re feeling. You are so lucky that you got to share that special dance with him, and the photos are so beautiful. What a great post!
What a magical memory. Thanks for sharing. It’s good to be reminded what it’s all about.
Add me to the list of people tearing up at work! What a beautiful post, Espresso. What a blessing to share that moment with him at your wedding.
I’m lucky to be home now because you’ve got me all choked up and teary now too! I’m sorry that you lost him but happy that you got to love such a special man and that he could share your wedding with you!
I’m crying too. I lost my Grandpa after my wedding as well…and in April. While he wasn’t able to dance, I do have a fantastic candid photo of him & I at my wedding that I will always cherish. I’m happy you got to have this very memorable and touching moment with yours.
i think the tears are contagious. i need a tissue.
thank you for sharing this wonderful moment! he had a lot of moxie to get up and dance to such a fast paced song!
wow that is beautiful and I am so crying. what an amazing moment you will remember forever. I am so sorry for what your grandpa had to go through. He clearly loved and adored you and you have some pictures to look back on to see that love clearly
I am also crying, what a beautiful moment. Your Papa sounds like an amazing man, thank you so much for sharing this with us.
What a wonderful post–a loving tribute to an amazing grandfather. I’m so glad that you had that special moment with him and have that memory to cherish forever.
Mrs. Espresso, I’m sitting hear sobbing. I was also very close with my grandfather, and he also died from cancer taking over his body. This post really reminded me how much I would have loved to dance with him at my wedding…I’m so glad you had the opportunity to cherish this moment.
Thank you so much for sharing this. You can see the love he had for you in those pictures. This post made me cry (a total first) — what a beautiful moment.
I am so sorry for your loss, but am glad that you had this amazing moment with him and can remember by looking at these wonderful photos. *hugs*
You just made everyone cry with this post. I’m no exception. How beautiful, meaningful, and bittersweet. Your Papa was a lovely and incredible man. I’m glad you had these moments, really happy moments, to remember him by and to make your wedding all the more magical.
What a sweet post… I wasn’t planning to cry tonight, though, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! :-p
So happy you got to have such a sweet moment with your grandfather at your wedding!
As I’m wiping the tears away, that was a beautiful post and I’m so happy you had that moment with your grandpa frozen in time in your wedding photos and memories.
Yep totally crying. :’) It’s so sweet that you got to have this moment with him. I used to dance with my uncle (my favorite person ever) as a child and had hoped to be able to do so at my own wedding someday, but he passed away last year. Thanks for sharing, Mrs. Espresso. This was lovely.
wow… crying like everyone else . beautiful post !!
What a wonderfully special moment and post. I am crying like everyone else. I had very special relationships with my grandparents and all four of them are gone before my upcoming wedding. Two of them died in 2009 since I’ve been engaged. What precious pictures and memories for you to treasure forever.
You have me crying as well. How special that dance was for you two!
Wow! The tears are rolling and I love this post even more because of ‘em! The love and connection between you and your papa is so beautiful! We can only hope for those moments of utter love and connection on our day- that’s what having a wedding is really about right?
I’d just like to say that you’re a beautiful writer and I’ve really enjoyed reading your re-caps. I’m so pleased that you were able to share this with us. Thank-you!
What an beautiful story. Thanks for sharing it. I must say, I think I’ll think of this whenever I hear that song too. I am so happy for you to have had this moment and that it was captured in photographs and in a song.
That was beautiful, thanks for letting us know about this moment.
Espresso, I’m crying at work and I didn’t even know your Papa. It shows how much you loved him that you were able to express such emotion through your narrative and photos. You are so lucky to have had him through much of your life, and I know you will treasure your pine cone always
What an absolutely beautiful post Mrs. Espresso! You are so fortunate to have had such a wonderful grandparent in your life, and how great is it that you were able to share those moments (and now have the photos to remember them by) with him! My grandpa on my mom’s side passed away from Alzheimer’s in fall 08, right around the time that I met Mr. Buttons. I really wish that they would have been able to meet one another; I know he would have loved him.
And yes, I am a crying little baby here…I’m glad I’m at home right now so no one sees my ugly cry face!
I read through your comments all throughout yesterday and today. It’s a blessing to be a part of such a supportive and kind community. Thank- you from the bottom of my heart for everything you said.
For those of you who opened up and are going through or have gone through a similar experience- I am so sorry for your pain. You are always more than welcome to pm me if you need to talk
@Martha: and @BVsmurfette: thanks for the compliment on my hair flower- my sister and I made it. Feel free to pm me as well for a link to my Etsy shop
I’m crying reading this as well. My Papa passed away shortly before my high school graduation, but I know he’s been with me at every momentous occasion in my life. Mr. Shortstop never had a chance to meet my Papa, but I’m sure they would have made some trouble together. I’m so happy you had such a precious moment with your Papa at your wedding. I will think of your moment on my big day, envisioning myself dancing with my Papa like I know we would if he were still here.
I couldn’t read this without sobbing. You are so lucky to have such a special moment with your grandpa. Next week will be the anniversary of my grandpa’s death and your post just makes me think of him and how I would have given anything for him to be at my wedding. Beautiful post, seriously love it!
Great post! I’m so glad you were able to share this special moment with him. I started to tear reading this post and I don’t cry easily.
I love how the pictures capture each moment as well.
Oh my gosh! its moments like this that really let you know what life is about. your story had me teary eyed! i cant wait to dance with my grandpa (i also call my grandpa papa) at my wedding! im sorry to hear that he passed away but you’ll always have this wonderful moment to remember him by.
Oh my. I started tearing up at this post. I’m not a crying type, but this made me tear up. I lost both my grandfathers, one who died before I was born and one who I was very close to. I love that you got this moment with your grandfather, even if I will never have one. Congratulations, your wedding has been beautiful.
I’m not quite sure what I could add to this that hasn’t already been written but I really feel the need to write something. This is such a beautiful post and I admit I cried a little. Its a good reminder of why my job as a photographer is so important.
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Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big Bear Age and Occupation: 23, Community Services Specialist Fiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance Technician Engagement Date: December 21, 2007 Wedding Date: October, 2008 Blogging Since: June 25, 2008 Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear Lake About Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
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