The Bunting Bash: Slowdances

I was nervous and excited for our first dance as newlyweds. Nervous, because neither Mr. Bunting nor I are very good at dancing. Excited, because our chosen song is awesome. At least to us. Maybe to you, too? Let’s put it on to set the mood:

The song speaks to us on multiple levels and never fails to make me feel incredibly alive and inspired. It’s not your typical first dance song, and it’s not even much of a traditional love song, but it is ours and it was perfect for beginning the next step of our adventure.

As a sidenote, I completely forgot to tell our DJ and photographers that I wanted soft, colored lights to set the mood and a spotlight on us during the first dance so our photos would look dreamy and surreal. Instead, we had the full lights of the venue on.. It was a slight mood-killer because really… how romantic is dancing in a fully-lit room? Not very. But I say it was only slight because we JUST GOT MARRIED! Not much can kill that ecstasy, as evident in our super-happy expressions.

Now, I mentioned that Mr. Bunting and I do not possess any moves like Jagger, so to help alleviate some of the ‘crap-all-we-know-is-how-to-turn-in-circles’ pressure, we asked the rest of our bridal party to join in on the floor during a particular crescendo of the song.

Saftey in numbers, right?

Yeah, I don’t think I even noticed. I had eyes only for Mr. Bunting.

After our first dance song came to an end, I paired up with Daddy Bunting for our daddy/daughter dance. I was never one to plan out my dream wedding as a little girl, but this was one of the very few moments that I had played through over and over in my head. My father and I have always been extremely close, and before I was even engaged I would get misty-eyed thinking about this dance. I love the tradition, but it made me feel incredibly sad to think of this as a last dance with my father. I remember dancing in the living room with him as a little girl, when I would put my feet over his and hold on for dear life as he twirled us both around. The implications of this dance had me believing that those days of being daddy’s little girl were officially over, and now I couldn’t belong to him because I belonged entirely to Mr. Bunting. I was both anticipating and dreading the daddy/daughter dance. I wasn’t ready to let go, yet I was still so excited to have this special moment with my father.

But then I realized that, even as a married woman, my relationship with my father didn’t have to change. I could still be my daddy’s little girl, and I always will be. Nothing can change that, no matter where life takes me or how much I grow.

We both got misty-eyed, but we both knew we would. Our song selection, bittersweet with nostalgia both in lyrics and personal meaning, certainly didn’t help. It was an easy choice deciding on this particular song. My father introduced me to the music of Collin Raye when I was little, who easily became my favorite musician. Now, when I think of my childhood and my father, Collin Raye’s music is one key element that always comes to mind.

And when I first heard his song, “Wish I Could”, in 1998, I knew right away that it would be the song I danced to with my father on my wedding day. And so it was.

When the song ended, I got a big old daddy bear hug. The best kind, in my opinion.