The whole wedding was for my mom.

I’m not a wedding person. I don’t even like going to them. So when DudeDad and I decided to tie the knot, I was all for a beach weekend with a few friends and immediate family. We had a toddler and I was about to start grad school. We’d just purchased a townhouse and we weren’t in a position to pay for much more than the food in our cabinets so having a wedding wasn’t a thing for me.

But it was for her. She wanted me to have all the frilly things...