Weddings

I was reminiscing the other day (I seem to have a problem seeing as I do this a lot) about the first wedding I ever went to. My train of memories came from a year just passed filled with lovebirds tying the knot and the upcoming happy days for even more smitten couples. In light of that, I decided, mainly due to a relentless writer's itch, to recall from memory my first wedding. Also depending on how long this urge lasts or unless the people demand it, I may just recall the other weddings I have had the honor of attending.

I truly love weddings. I love them because they are a picture of a couple's two lives becoming one, because they are part of a great commitment, because music fills the air, food my stomach, and joy in many people's hearts. I get to witness one maybe two (if I know both the bride and groom) of my friends making the lifelong commitment and share in their joyous day after watching them fall deeper in love over the years. There's so much more I could say, but right now I'm going to focus on the first wedding I ever went to.

I was maybe eight years old at the time and I always wondered what it would be like to actually go to a wedding. To experience all the beauty of the scenery that was made possible by the careful planning of the couple and all the ones they hired to make the day evermore grand. Well I finally got my chance. The local church I met with when I lived in Pennsylvania wasn't very big so it was a big thing when new people joined. It was even bigger when they wanted to hold their wedding right on the property and it wasn't even a "church" building. For those of you who went on that bike trip to Gettysburg 10 years ago (yes it's been that long), recall that we camped at Al and Sue Gilbert's house, which was a dome house that Al built. That's where the wedding was held. As a kid, back then I thought it was strange to have a wedding there, but looking back on it, it was actually a beautiful and perfect place. There were hardly any neighbors, a small country road with less than 1% traffic, a hill that gave a nice view of the corn fields, the woods, and the summer sun eclipsing the house's large dome. Now here's where my memory gets a little foggy. I cannot remember how they came to be with us, nor when they moved away. But I do remember that day nearly to the T.

I hated dressing up (and I still do to some extent...ties *cough*), but a part of my 8 year old self was excited about wearing a nice pair of shoes and looking pretty slick for an 8 year old. I remember watching the days before as the sisters labored, especially my mom, to make the wedding cake. They also made all the decorations and prepared the beautiful arbor. The whole church had placed a lot of effort into making this day extra special.

Before I go into more details, let me give you a little background on the couple.Their names were Juan and Gloria. They were both Hispanic. The groom had been married once before and had at least three kids in their teens and above. I think she may have been married once as well. She was soft spoken and he was a talker. They both loved Christ.

The ceremony was to take place around 5pm in the afternoon. We had to be there earlier for final preparations. I was totally okay with that because I liked being the first one there and greeting people as they arrive (I still kind of do). I recall being outside most of the time, enjoying the warm summer sun and the scenic masterpiece before me. Every once in awhile, I tried to go upstairs to see what my mom was doing, but I kept getting shooed away because she and the other sisters were helping the bride with her wedding dress. Two o'clock rolled around and some of the guests started to arrive. I was given the job of helping park the cars and since the driveway wasn't big enough, we had the cars drive across the yard and park down behind the cornfield. Everything was going smoothly, until Pandora's box began to once again open. Joe Pope from the church in Pittsburgh was the minister for this wedding and he called us, telling us that his van had broken down two hours away. A brother by the name of Ned Beck hopped in has old Porsche and went to rescue him. Now remember that this was the late 1990s and cell phones weren't popular/ affordable yet. He did however take a cheap phone with him. That issue was the least of our worries, however. The groom and his family were nowhere to be found.

An hour went by and a few guests came. All I could do was stand by a nearly empty country road and hope a car would drive in so I could help park it. Then a bit of good news came our way. Joe had gotten his van fixed and was nearly here. We tried to reach Ned, but he wasn't answering. So everyone did what they could to put the final touches before the ceremony began. Another hour passed and Ned finally called saying he was in Breezewood, but couldn't find Joe. Joe had just arrived and we told Ned to come back. I felt bad for him having to drive four hours round trip for nothing and he was likely going to miss the start of the wedding. Another two hours passed and the sun began to dip ever so slowly beyond the horizon. Ned came rolling in and seeing that the wedding hadn't started, he said to me "You didn't start without me huh?" I told him that the groom hadn't arrived.

One more hour ticked away and I thought that my first wedding experience was going to be a bust. But then, in the distance, I saw a pair of headlights. Then another. And another. A whole train of cars came down that gravel country road and with joy I ran into the house shouting that the groom had finally arrived! Two+ hours late might I add. Within the hour, everyone was parked, seated and now facing Joe and the groom standing under the arbor on the hilltop in Al and Sue's backyard.

The heat of the day was fading, a cool breeze was blowing, and the ceremony finally began. The wedding party began to come out. Leading the way was the groom's dashing young nephew, strumming a beautiful tune on his guitar in his native tongue. Following him were more relatives and friends, all with beaming smiles. Then, the one we were all waiting for , the bride made her presence known. There she was in a stunning, flowing, ruby red dress (yes I did say ruby). I was shocked because my eight-year-old self thought all wedding dresses were supposed to be white. Disappointment was nowhere to be found, but instead an abundance of mirth.

Once she had reached the arbor, a hush fell over the crowd as Joe Pope began to speak. He spoke from the bible and spoke the truth. Right before the vows, the attendees were given the opportunity to share testimonies (another thing I never thought would happen at a wedding). Guest after guest stood to declare how amazing God was in bringing the two of them together. The couple then swapped rings, exchanged vows, and at Joe's beckoning, they became husband and wife. Cheers went up as the two now exited the scene as one.

Because there were a lot of people and it was a summer's eve, dinner (even though it was late) was held outdoors by candle light. I got to sit with some of the relatives, including the guitar player. While waiting to be called into the line, he and his buddy were arguing about what keeps the candle burning. His friend said wick, but he insisted on it being the wax. They asked me what I thought and  said the wick much to his friend's delight. He kept saying "No man, it's definitely the wax." After dinner had ended, everyone gathered inside for the last event which was the cutting of the cake. Now there was an inside joke that Juan's (the groom) family multiplied like rabbits. So my mom and the other sisters had bought a bride and groom rabbit figurine and stuck it on to top the cake. Juan didn't notice at first, but as he was about to cut the cake, my mom asked him if he saw what was on it. He said "Oh yeah there are two-" then he stopped himself finally noticing the rabbits, shook his head at the joke, and the crowd busted out laughing.

By this time it was well after 9pm. The guests said their "congrats" and "goodbyes" as they began to return home. The rest of us who had helped put this wonderful day together collapsed on the chairs, couches, and whatever else we could relax on. I was tired and my feet hurt. But I was happy and thankful. My first wedding experience was everything I hoped it would be and more.