It’s a wrap!

Erin and Josh got married last Saturday, and brought a close to this year’s wedding season.

The event went perfectly.  Erin was a doe-eyed bride, and Josh was a nervous groom. Their love for each other was on full display. When they read their vows to each other, it was the highlight of the day. It carried me back to my own wedding and made me grateful to have enjoyed twenty-seven years of the same joy that awaits them.

The wooded area on the water’s edge was beautifully picturesque. The wedding arch framed the newlyweds and was resplendent with a cross and intertwined rings as accents. The bridesmaids and groomsmen stood by, capturing the youth and enthusiasm that burned in everyone’s hearts.

I wouldn’t change a thing.

Oh, it had all the typical bumps. The bride’s ring was left at home, the groom’s printed copy of the vows never made it, one microphone didn’t work, I stood in the wrong position and blocked the Go-Pro camera view, the playlist for the reception vanished into digital vapor, guests’ toes went numb from the cold, the fire wouldn’t light, one of the most special guests arrived a few minutes late, and the photo backdrop didn’t fit in its assigned location.

But, I still wouldn’t change a thing.

Each of these minor disasters was dismissed with a smile because they were reminders that the goal of the day was never flawless execution. It was a celebration of young people in love, vowing before God and their community to stay true to each other for all of their days to come.

As a reminder to myself (and hopefully of benefit to others), here are the lessons that I learned throughout the whirlwind 7 weeks.

Release tradition and embrace passions
From one end to the other, Erin surprised me with what she wanted – outside ceremony, crazy food, no chairs, jokes in her vows, dressy casual attire (isn’t that an oxymoron?), and so much more. It was her day, though. Kim honored each of her selections and it all came together. Her dream was different, but it suited her, just like her marriage will.

Ask for help
We were able to pull the entire wedding off without the typical professional help. We have wonderful friends who pitched in and did a great job. Bob built the wedding arch. Carra provided decorations and fussed over the details surrounding the reception. Pam and Steve demonstrated why they are MVPs every year. Gary entertained as he took pictures. Mike had my back all weekend. My sister made adjustments on the fly, never drawing attention to herself. The list goes on.

Weddings are about life in community. I’m glad we rolled up our sleeves and went to work with our best friends. It saved money, and the experience was priceless.

Speak life
We tried to tell the bride and groom the truth about who they will become. Guests spoke blessings over their future. I honored them in blog posts leading up to the event. Kim’s sweet spirit spread encouragement. Weddings should set the couple up for success, not stress them over details that are soon forgotten.

Keep God in the center
It was a tough seven weeks. It was tempting to slip into the wrong mindset when Erin wanted a champagne toast at 11am and the city required special permits and police oversight (that one did not happen). It was hard to stay focused when Kim told me that we needed biodegradable forks and bamboo cones for birdseed. I wanted to go on strike when the flowers seemed too large to transport.