By Rev. Tom White, August 21, 2019 — A report on a couple of weddings that I presented a while ago seemed to arouse a modicum of interest, so here are a couple more.
Naomi was an attractive young woman in her early twenties. She was reserved and rarely started conversations. She possessed an extremely quiet voice, and there was concern that few people would hear her speak when she said the vows. I arranged for an unobtrusive microphone to be placed near her.
During the rehearsal, one of the bridesmaids suggested to Naomi that she should shout her vows. She simply replied with her small voice, “I am shouting.”
During a wrap-up after the rehearsal, a friend asked Naomi, “Are you happy?” She replied, “I am very happy.”
I was awestruck! So quietly spoken…and yet with such intensity. In that short encounter, it was a bride-to-be screaming so loud of her joy—her love for her man. You didn’t have to hear her proclaim her love, it was there in her eyes. It brought tears to my own eyes.
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During my lengthy career of serving churches (57 years), I have performed over five hundred marriages. All couples had to agree to pre-nuptial counseling sessions. As you might imagine, some of these marriages were of brides who were pregnant. But this upcoming wedding would be different.
It was the day of the wedding, which was scheduled to begin at 2:00 P.M. I was awakened by a telephone call. A hitch in wedding plans had occurred. The bride-to-be had just had a miscarriage only an hour before.
I was up and on my feet immediately. I know that I was talking to the groom. I had two questions which both he and his bride had to answer.
1. Did they still want to get married? Think about it; a certain part—a very big part—of their decision to wed was that pregnancy. He and she both averred: no change; they loved each other.
2. Secondly, can you get married today? Beyond any emotional or psychological issues was the physical situation. The bride was a little shaky, but she was sure she could do it.
I spent a good part of the morning revising the marriage ritual so as to “aid a walking wounded.” Two chairs were strategically located near the altar, and the couple was to be seated for any part of the ceremony that didn’t involve reciting the vows. In addition to seating the Bridal Couple, the Maid of Honor and Best Man would also sit. It worked like a charm.
Someone said it looked just like a Catholic wedding. Someone else said it looked like a Jehovah Witness wedding. I have no idea what a Jehovah Witness wedding is like.