The depth of parental love is some­thing that defies time, dis­tance, and even the chal­lenges that come with grow­ing up and drift­ing apart. There is an unde­ni­able con­nec­tion, an unshak­able bond that per­sists despite the inevitable changes that life brings. As par­ents watch their child tran­si­tion from the inno­cence of child­hood to the mile­stone moments of adult­hood, such as becom­ing “The Bride”, the immense pride and affec­tion they hold are often accom­pa­nied by bit­ter­sweet emo­tions. The qui­et, ever-present fear of los­ing them—whether to time, to life’s uncer­tain­ties, or to the embrace of another—remains. No mat­ter how much they grow, suc­ceed, or move for­ward in life, a part of them remains inter­twined with the heart of the one who raised them. As a par­ent, you watch them take their first steps, nav­i­gate childhood’s joys and tri­als, and then even­tu­al­ly step into adult­hood, where they begin writ­ing their own sto­ry.

As I watch Jules today, stand­ing before fam­i­ly and friends, radi­ant in love and con­fi­dence, I see not just the daugh­ter I raised but a woman who has carved out her own remark­able path. She has built a life filled with ambi­tion and pur­pose, a tes­ta­ment to her strength and deter­mi­na­tion. But above all her suc­cess­es, the great­est achieve­ment I see is her abil­i­ty to love and to be loved in return. In Will, she has found some­one who doesn’t just admire her from afar but stands beside her, a part­ner will­ing to share in her dreams and walk through life’s uncer­tain­ties with her. Love is not just about grand ges­tures or fleet­ing moments of passion—it is about find­ing some­one who will stand by your side when the world feels over­whelm­ing, who will remind you of your worth even in your weak­est moments. Today, as I look at my daugh­ter, I am remind­ed that she has found that kind of love, the kind that endures and strength­ens with time.

The way they look at each oth­er speaks volumes—an under­stand­ing, a trust, an unspo­ken lan­guage built on years of shared moments and unwa­ver­ing com­mit­ment. This is not just a union of two indi­vid­u­als; it is a merg­ing of lives, dreams, and fam­i­lies. And while she may no longer need my guid­ance in the way she once did, the pride I feel for her today sur­pass­es even the love I have car­ried for her since the day she was born. She has cho­sen well, and in Will, she has found some­one deserv­ing of her heart. As par­ents, we can only hope that our chil­dren find a love that mir­rors the uncon­di­tion­al sup­port we have tried to give them. See­ing them embark on this jour­ney togeth­er, hand in hand, reas­sures me that she has found some­one who will cher­ish and uplift her.

So, to my daugh­ter on her wed­ding day: While you may no longer seek my advice as you once did, know that my love for you is unwa­ver­ing, my pride in you immea­sur­able. And to Will, wel­come to our fam­i­ly. You have won the love of the most incred­i­ble per­son I know, and with that comes the great respon­si­bil­i­ty of cher­ish­ing her, sup­port­ing her, and ensur­ing her hap­pi­ness. Togeth­er, I have no doubt that you will weath­er life’s storms and embrace its joys with the same strength that brought you togeth­er. Mar­riage is not about per­fec­tion but about per­se­ver­ance, about choos­ing each oth­er every sin­gle day, in the small moments and the grand ones. It is about fac­ing life’s uncer­tain­ties with the unwa­ver­ing belief that, no mat­ter what comes, you will find your way through it togeth­er.

I raise my glass to both of you, to a future that is bright and filled with laugh­ter, love, and resilience. As the applause erupts around us, fill­ing the space with warmth and cel­e­bra­tion, for a moment, all doubts, ten­sions, and com­plex­i­ties fade away. In this fleet­ing instant, we are bound by some­thing greater than ourselves—the endur­ing pow­er of love, the tri­umph of con­nec­tion, and the promise of new begin­nings. And though the flick­er­ing elec­tric­i­ty reminds us of life’s unpre­dictabil­i­ty, it is the bonds we share that tru­ly illu­mi­nate the room, remind­ing us all of what mat­ters most. Love, at its core, is about find­ing home in anoth­er per­son, and today, we cel­e­brate the beau­ti­ful home Jules and Will have built togeth­er.