TEXAS - MAINESCHMIDT

From Groom to Father

Today is Father’s Day. So today I’d like to do a “where are they now?” piece, highlighting three of my past clients who have recently become fathers or are expecting their first child in a few, short weeks. All three of these men were grooms from my most special weddings and all these people hold a very dear place in my heart. I reached out to them and asked them to answer three short questions about how their life has changed since going from groom to father. It was wonderful reconnecting with them and their responses to the questions were so heartwarming. They were all able to easily express how fatherhood makes them feel or how nervous they are about becoming a dad, but to actually write it down in words was very emotional and elicited some tearful responses on their part (ok, maybe that was me!). The three questions that I asked them were:

1. How has life changed for you?

2. How has the experience changed you personally?

3. What’s your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about being a dad?

All of them expressed being very honored to be asked these questions and they were happy to be included in this post. And to these dads and soon-to-be dad, I want to say thank you to YOU. Thank you for holding a special place in my life and for being such outstanding role models for your children and little ones on the way. 

Let me reintroduce former grooms, Gray, Ryan and Kit. Here, in their own words, their thoughts about their newest title, “dad.”

Photos of their cute kids courtesy of the client and their Facebook page ;)

 

Gray

Married in Maine in 2012. Husband to Sally. Dad to daughter, Elsa.

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Becoming a father has been the best part of life thus far. Fatherhood takes all those everyday things we might not notice otherwise and turns them into amazing experiences and memories. It shines the brightest light upon life. Like I always tell Sal, being a parent shifts your axis and points it towards the brightest star in the sky, your child!!

 

Being a father is extremely rewarding for a lot of reasons. The personal growth brings out things you never knew were in you. I think for me, being a dad has helped me place perspective on life like I have never experienced before. Specifically, it has helped me become more centered and more present. I can better discern what’s important in life versus the stuff that really doesn’t matter.

 

Favorite thing hands down is experiencing how Elsa sees the world and how she navigates it. 
Least favorite thing is how vulnerable you feel as a parent. Every little scratch or splinter they get, we feel it magnified by 10. We love our children so much and want nothing but love and safety for them, which ultimately creates this huge amount of vulnerability. It is a beautiful thing, but also something that scares the heck out of me. 

 

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Ryan

Married in Maine in 2013. Husband to Leah. Dad to daughter, Rose. 

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How has life changed… Time.  Time means something totally different when you don’t have children.  Time used to mean whatever I wanted to do, where I ever I wanted to go, whenever I wanted to do it.  Now time is “Rose Time” and that means nap time, lunch time, bed time, happy time, sleepy time, cute time, hugs time, and most importantly of all Daddy/Daughter time.  I cherish all these times and rearrange my schedule and my life to get more Rose Time.  

It’s changed me in that my career goals and personal goals have shifted.  I still am focused on those goals but the goals that I have for raising a child have taken the forefront.  I thankfully set a solid foundation for myself and my career which has allowed me to coast on that a bit and maintain while putting more energy into Rose.  The more you invest the more you get on your return, right now I’m investing less in me and all I have in Rose and I’m ready to do that.  

Favorite thing about being a Dad is nurturing our child and providing an environment free from distractions, free from media and full of nature and real honest personal interaction with friends and family. Being able to witness the week to week and day to day growth, physically, mentally and emtionally that Rose goes through is fascinating.  

Least favorite thing for me is that my job takes me away from home at times.  She is only going to be this tiny precious little girl for so long.  There will come a day that she doesn’t nap on Daddy’s chest,  there will come a day when I won’t be able to hold her in my arms, there will come a day that she won’t ask for my help, there will come a day that she will grow to be independent and go off and discover the world.  Everyday that I can spend with her now means a tremendous amount to me.  I want to be a part of everyday during these growing times.  
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Kit

Married in Massachusetts in 2014. Soon-to-be dad with wife, Anna. 

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I am thrilled for what lies ahead. This has been big year for me and I am looking forward to plunging into something brand new with Anna.  I often think how nice it would be to grow up in the Portland area.  Now I can share it with someone else helping them to make the most of this wonderful growing town we call home.
 
I do everything Anna tells me to do (half kidding).  We have some birthing classes in the coming weeks and at home we have been turning the guest room over to the babies room.  At work I spend a good amount of time strategizing how to free some more time up to be able to be around the first few weeks to help Anna and be there as much as possible. 
Excited-  Just to be a parent!  Anna and I have talked about growing up and what is was like with each of our parents. I am excited to do my best introducing someone to this world we live in.
 
Scared- Finding balance.  I don’t want want to be a sub par parent or a sub par business owner, I want to excel at both all while finding time to maintain the a strong loving relationship with my wife.  Seems like a tall order to me but I am going to give it everything I got and more.
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Anna’s baby shower. And yes, that is baby Rose with mom, Leah behind her. Anna and Leah are dear friends and were at each other’s weddings.

 

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Anne is based in Houston, Texas and spends summers in her home state of Maine.

She is available for weddings and portraits there and beyond.

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