A Friend's Wedding

Saturday, I attended the wedding of two friends. I have been friends with the bride for over two years now and the groom was the brother of one of my good friends. I was so happy to be able to go to their wedding.

The wedding wasn't held at our church because it is being remodelled, but a large modern church nearby. Several lighted columns decorated the altar and the flowers were white, green, and pale lavender hydrangeas. The prelude was played on the piano by the groom's sister and on the cello by a family friend. The music was so nice. My favorite part of the prelude was when both the piano and cello played "Moon River." The music seemed to soar to the rafters of the church.

The bridesmaid dresses were so sweet and simple -- sage green, with little ivory jackets, and coming just a few inches below the knees -- and the junior bridesmaid and flower girl wore ivory dresses with lavender flowers embroidered over them. So pretty. Then the ushers unrolled a white carpet and the bride walked in. Her dress was beautiful and simple. She wore her long blond hair up and a veil over her face.

I didn't know this until then, reading the program, that her father passed away when she was fourteen. It amazes me how we can be friends with people for long periods of time and still know so little about them. One her dad's best friends walked her down the aisle and gave her away on behalf of her family. She wrote a beautiful tribute to her father on the back of the program that made my eyes fill up with tears as I read it.

The ceremony was simple and beautiful. This was one of the very few times I have seen two people take their vows so seriously -- the groom promising to love her even as Christ loved the church and live with her in an understanding way, the bride promising to submit herself to her husband and honor him as the head of their home. The song they chose for their wedding was "How Beautiful":

How Beautiful the hands that served The Wine and the Bread and the sons of the earth

How beautiful the feet that walked The long dusty roads and the hill to the cross

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How Beautiful the heart that bled That took all my sin and bore it instead

How beautiful the tender eyes That choose to forgive and never despise

How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

And as He lay down His life We offer this sacrifice That we will live just as He died Willing to pay the price Willing to pay the price

How Beautiful the radiant bride Who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes

How Beautiful when humble hearts give The fruit of pure lives so that others may live

How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How beautiful the feet that bring The sound of good news and the love of the King

How Beautiful the hands that serve The wine and the bread and the sons of the Earth

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

Twila Paris