A Father's Tribute to his Daughter
on her Wedding Day

When I first heard the song Butterfly Kisses, back around 1997, it really struck a chord with me. Even though Julie was only about 11 years old at the time, I knew that time would fly by fast and the day that I would 'give her away' would arrive before I knew it. And it did! The song was written by Bob Carlisle for his daughter, Brooke, just prior to her 16th birthday. He said that he "was struck late one night with the reality that my baby girl had grown up and that she would not be under my roof for too much longer. The joy of so many happy memories and the burden of missed opportunities collided in my heart and the song just poured out." While listening to the words of the song (see below), they evoked the same feelings inside of me. Each time I heard the song, a "video" of Julie's growing up played in my mind's eye culminating on her wedding day. I knew that I had to eventually put together such a video to help express how I felt and what better time to debut it than on that special day. Being the procrastinator that I tend to be, I didn't start earnest work on the video until about two months before the wedding. I started out by viewing and capturing nearly 30 hours of home video, and looking through 20 years of photos, scanning those I thought I might be able to use. I ended up using Windows Movie Maker to create the video, but I had to spend time learning how to use it, first. There were many times I felt like there would be no way I could finish the video before the wedding, but I couldn't stand the thought of just letting it go. There was another potential problem. I wanted the video to be a surprise for Julie, and I didn't know if she would even want it to be a part of her wedding. Not to mention, part of the song required wedding photos that I didn't have, yet. So, I ended up having to tell Julie that I was working on a slide show project for her wedding and talked her into some posed photos that I would need for the video. The process of making the video actually turned out to be quite therapeutic in helping me to deal with the reality of the upcoming wedding and the flood of emotions leading up to and especially on that day. I was finally able to complete the video with a couple of days to spare. Now, the time came to let Julie preview it. As she watched it, I didn't know exactly what to expect afterwards. With as picky as she had been about how certain things would be done, or not done, at her wedding, I was preparing myself for her to tell me that she didn't want it to be shown at the start of her wedding ceremony, or even not at all. Her reaction to the video made it well worth the long hours of hard work and anguish that I had put into it, even if she didn't want it to be shown at her wedding. I will never forget that moment. When it was over, she teared up and came over to me and gave me a big hug and told me that it was just beautiful. Needless to say, she wasn't the only one tearing up. With her stamp of approval, the rest is history. The video was shown just before I walked her down the isle. To watch the video, just click on little Julie's photo at the top of the page. Dialup user's will have to download it to your PC first. Just right click on the photo and then select 'Save Target as...' and then enter the location on your PC where you want to save it. The file is 6Mb in size, so it may take several minutes to download. Unfortunately, I only had enough webspace for a low quality version of the video, but it will give you good idea of what it is like. If you have any problems, or questions, just drop me an email. Julie's Dad

Butterfly Kisses
(written by Bob Carlisle and Randy Thomas)

There's two things I know for sure.
She was sent here from heaven,
and she's daddy's little girl.
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night,
she talks to Jesus, and I close my eyes.
And I thank God for all of the joy in my life,
But most of all, for...

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer.
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair.
"Walk beside the pony daddy, it's my first ride."
"I know the cake looks funny, daddy, but I sure tried."
Oh, with all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right
To deserve a hug every morning, and butterfly kisses at night.

Sweet sixteen today,
She's looking like her momma a little more everyday.
One part woman, the other part girl.
To perfume and makeup, from ribbons and curls.
Trying her wings out in a great big world.
But I remember...

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer.
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair.
"You know how much I love you daddy, but if you don't mind,
I'm only going to kiss you on the cheek this time."
With all that I've done wrong I must have done something right.
To deserve her love every morning, and butterfly kisses at night.

All the precious time ... Like the wind, the years go by
Precious butterfly ... Spread your wings and fly

She'll change her name today.
She'll make a promise, and I'll give her away.
Standing in the bride room just staring at her,
she asked me what I'm thinking, and I said "I'm not sure,
I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl."
Then she leaned over....and gave me....

Butterfly kisses, with her mama there
Sticking little flowers all up in her hair
"Walk me down the aisle, daddy, it's just about time"
"Does my wedding gown look pretty, daddy?" "Daddy, don't cry."
With all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right
To deserve her love every morning, and butterfly kisses
I couldn't ask God for more, man, this is what love is
I know I've gotta let her go, but I'll always remember
Every hug in the morning, and butterfly kisses...

1996 Diadem Music Publishing/SESAC
All rights reserved.
From the album "Shades of Grace" by Bob Carlisle.

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