“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit.  “You become. It takes a long time.  That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.  Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.  But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

During the ceremony, Cassie’s triplet sister read from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. This is a story that was read to the three sisters by their mother when they were children. The reading was very sweet.

Cassie’s sisters are the two girls on the end. One has her arm around their beautiful mother and the other is on the opposite end.

As soon as John and Cassie walked up the aisle, they headed directly to the water for a private first toast together.