Courtesy of Paul and Kerry Daugherty

For most parents of a child with Down syndrome, life's possibilities can pose a lot of unknowns and worries. But Paul and Kerry Daugherty always believed their daughter, Jillian, would one day fall in love and even marry. And she did. On June 27, after a decade of dating, the 25-year-old college graduate and her fiancé, Ryan Mavriplis, said "I do" in an outdoor ceremony in front of 160 guests.

Jillian met Ryan nearly 11 years ago, while playing in a soccer league for kids with disabilities, her father wrote on his blog. And one day after practice, Ryan asked her to Homecoming dance, helping ease one of her parents' biggest fears — that she would miss out on certain fun and adolescent rites of passage.

For the occasion, her father wrote a beautiful letter to her on The Mighty that he hopes gives hope to other families facing a Down Syndrome diagnosis.

Dear Jillian,...You are upstairs now, making final preparations with your mom and bridesmaids. Your hair is coiled perfectly above your slender neck. Your bejeweled dress – "my bling," you called it — attracts every glimmer of late afternoon sunshine pouring through the window. Your makeup — that red lipstick! — somehow improves upon a beauty that has grown since the day you were born. Your smile is blooming and everlasting.

I am outside, beneath the window, staring up. We live for moments such as these, when hopes and dreams intersect at a sweet spot in time. When everything we've always imagined arrives and assumes a perfect clarity. Bliss is possible. I know this now, standing beneath that window.

Jillian Daugherty and Ryan Mavriplis on their wedding day. Courtesy of Paul and Kerry Daugherty

He continued by saying that social acceptance was the one thing that he and his wife, Kerry, couldn't make happen for her. But Jillian always exceeded their high hopes and expectations — and her wedding day was the culmination of their parents' greatest dream for her.

We all wish the same things for our children. Health, happiness, and a keen ability to engage and enjoy the world are not only the province of typical kids. Their pursuit is every child's birthright. I worried about your pursuit, Jillian. I shouldn't have ... Do you remember all the stuff they said you'd never do, Jills? You wouldn't ride a two-wheeler or play sports. You wouldn't go to college. You certainly wouldn't get married. Now … look at you.

Jill Daugherty and Ryan Mavriplis during their wedding ceremony. Courtesy of Paul and Kerry Daugherty

And then finally, like any father, he ends the letter with marriage advice for his daughter, admitting she is already "the nicest person I know."

I would tell you to give your fiancé, Ryan, your whole heart, but that would be stating the obvious. I would tell you to be kind to him and gentle with him. But you do that already, with everyone you know. I would wish for you a lifetime of friendship and mutual respect, but you two have been together a decade already, so the respect and friendship already are apparent... Now, you and Ryan are taking a different walk together. It's a new challenge, but it's no more daunting for you than anyone else. Given who you are, it might be less so. Happiness comes easily to you. As does your ability to make happiness for others. I see you now. The prep work has been done, the door swings open. My little girl, all in white, crossing the threshold of yet another conquered dream. I stand breathless and transfixed, utterly in the moment. "You look beautiful'' is the best I can do. Jillian thanks me. "I'll always be your little girl'' is what she says then."Yes, you will," I manage. Time to go, I say. We have a walk to make.

After the wedding, the happy newlyweds took a weeklong honeymoon to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. They spent a week in a resort. And their four parents rented a condo a half-mile down the beach — close enough to be accessible in an emergency, and far enough that the couple only saw them on their terms.

Jillian, Kerry, and Paul Daugherty at the wedding. Courtesy of Paul and Kerry Daugherty

[Via The Mighty

Paul Daugherty is a columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer and author of An Uncomplicated Life, a memoir of raising Jillian.

Asher Fogle Writer When she’s not hunting for compelling personal stories or justifying her love for dessert, Asher can likely be found watching early-2000s TV on Netflix with her husband.

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