Photo Credit: Jullie Brown

Last weekend I had the privilege of being the wedding coordinator for one of my best friend’s daughter’s wedding.  It was a wedding like none other I have ever done.  You see Janelle’s idea of a wedding was one involving the whole church – children and all.  And since children LOVE to play she wanted bounce houses and rock climbing walls at her reception.  It was a lot to coordinate, but oh the results!

The wedding was beautiful! 

A garden setting with lots of natural plants and even mulch.  The center aisle was a winding path leading to a working water fountain positioned center stage.  There was worship acknowledging from the start the central place Christ would hold in their relationship.  There were incredible vows written by the Bride and Groom incorporating 1 Corinthians 13 – simply beautiful.  There was the kiss – the first one this Bride and Groom had ever shared.  Yes, they waited to have their first kiss on their wedding day.  It was precious, and everyone sensed God’s blessing to them on this special day.

Nearly 400 people were served a nice dinner and from the caterer’s perspective it was the easiest event he had ever had.  I have coordinated nearly a dozen weddings, but this was by far one of the easiest – although one of the largest.

Why?  I believe God was there helping the day go according to plan.  He was certainly glorified on this day of days.  I was happily exhausted by the end of the evening.

Abbot and Maria

Now this weekend Tom and I are hosting the co-ed Bridal Shower/Open House of another best friend’s son and his fiance’.  It is so much fun to study their likes and hobbies and plan an event that will match their favorites.  I believe they will be blessed and surprised at the detail.  He is a poet and she loves tea.  The theme will be a Poet’s Coffeehouse complete with Greenwich Village style decor.  We will serve their favorite desserts along with hot tea and specialty coffees – something they both love.  It will be an evening to celebrate their love and all that God has done in their hearts the past couple of years.

Weddings are our opportunity to celebrate the union of husband and wife.  It is the closest thing on the earth to mirroring Christ’s relationship with His bride, the Church.  We do well to remember our own wedding day and to recount God’s goodness to us through all the years we’ve been privileged to share life and love together.  I don’t know about you, but I still sit a little closer and hold Tom’s hand a little tighter whenever I am witness to a new love, a new union being formed in the presence of God.  He has been with us for 32 years helping us live out our vows with integrity and faithfulness, and He has been there when we failed the other through sin or neglect.  He is the cornerstone – the sure foundation where lasting love and marriages are built.

When was the last time you witnessed a new marriage being formed?  How about your own wedding day?  Why not spend time reminiscing this weekend about your special day by recalling what you vowed then and how your lives are still living by those two special words which started it all – I Do!