I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. A boy and girl meet,
they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say "I do."
I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely
different proposition. I know. I've just been through one. Not my
own. My daughter's. Annie Banks-MacKenzie. That's her married name.
MacKenzie. I'll be honest with you. When I bought this house
seventeen years ago, it cost me less than this blessed event in which
Annie Banks became Annie Banks-MacKenzie. I'm told that one day I'll
look back on all this with great affection and nostalgia. I hope so.
You fathers will understand. You have a little girl. An adorable
little girl who looks up to you and adores you in a way you could never
imagine. I remember how her little hand used to fit inside mine. How
she used to sit in my lap and lean her head against my chest. She said
that I was her hero. Then the day comes when she wants to get her ears
pierced and she wants you to drop her off a block before the movie
theater. Next thing you know she's wearing eye shadow and high heels.
From that moment on, you're in a constant state of panic. You worry
about her going out with the wrong kind of guys, the kind of guys who
only want one thing--and you know exactly what that one thing is
because it's the same thing you wanted when you were their age. Then
she gets a little older and you quite worrying about her meeting the
wrong guy and you worry about her meeting the right guy.