September 1 – “Wedding Day”

Sunday morning – wedding day – began for us with a trip to church.  And I do mean trip.  Chris and Cailyn and I decided to drive up into Waco and go to church with Josh and Christi and Zak and Caleb and Luke.  Zak and Caleb had spent the night in Arlington with some good friends of ours, and they were bringing the boys back, so we all just met at church for a friends reunion.  And to top off the friends reunion part, who should walk in but Lora and Sydney and Travis, our Seasiders who are now students at Baylor.  Great to see them as always.  I did get myself into trouble with Chris during church, though.  Something about the tiny dolphin and cheetah that were crawling all over my body and distracting the people behind me.  I’m not at all sure why I got in trouble, but the tiny little animals eventually made their way back into Christi’s kid bag from whence they came.  After church the college students made their way into the free lunch being provided by the church, and we made a mad dash over to “Taco Bahana.”  Cailyn had to be at the venue by 3:30, so we were really pressed for time.  But we made it back to the hotel in plenty of time for April to get there and do Cailyn’s hair up really nice.  Come to find out, our hotel was only about ten minutes from the venue, so we had plenty of time. 

Before the wedding began there was lots of waiting and lots of heat.  Not emotional heat, just heat.  The temperature was somewhere north of a hundred degrees, and despite the venue workers’ assurances that it would cool down by the time the wedding began, the groomsmen managed to convince the groom to forget about their bowties in favor of open necks.  Of course the fact that not a single one of them had any idea how to tie a bowtie might have had just a little to do with that decision.  The best part about that whole scenario was that it meant I didn’t have to wear a tie either.  Whew.

Chris was prepared to act as wedding coordinator to get everyone lined up and ready to march in.  Unknown to us, however, the venue had their own coordinator lurking in what little shade was available, ready to pounce at the last moment and take over.  Even with her help, though, we got the wedding started.  I think Cailyn got a little frustrated with her co-flower girl and little ring bearer when they just wouldn’t keep up.  She finally left the in the dust and carried out her duties to a tee.  And finally the moment came for Dani the bride to make her appearance.  Groom Jeff was already a basket of nerves, but when he saw her he pretty much lost it.  Tears formed in his eyes, and he could barely hold them back as she got closer and closer.  When the time came for him to receive her from her Dads, he didn’t just take her hand.  He planted a big kiss on her as well.  And that was just the first time.  Any time he felt himself about to lose it, here came another kiss.  Even when he was doing just fine, the thought would strike him and he’d go in for yet another kiss.  In fact the only time he hesitated was when the time came for the final “You may kiss your bride.”  Guess we didn’t cover that well enough at the rehearsal.

About the only real near-glitch came as I was explaining how a marriage is similar to the relationship God wants to have with each one of us.  A huge bumble bee chose that moment to make a dive attack at Jeff’s rose boutonniere.  Fortunately, the synchronized swerve by the bride and groom (worthy of an Olympic swimming gold medal, I might add) caused him to miss his target, and he decided to try again elsewhere.

All in all, the wedding was a success.  At least it will be when I get the license filled out and sent in to the clerk to be recorded.  Everyone seemed to be having a great time, from Jeff’s self-described “Crazy Aunt” to the old friends from a former shared apartment life experience.  Chris and I snuck away around ten p.m. with a rapidly sinking Cailyn.  The cute as a button flower girl and this doddering old geezer both needed to get some sleep.  Good thing Chris was there to tuck us in.

Genesis 2:22-24 says, “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’   For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Father, may you walk with Jeff and Dani as they work together to forge the new person they have become.  Amen.