My brother and his fiancee had approached Papa about it several months ago, and he was thrilled. He went through the ordination process and prepared a simple but meaningful service. The big day came: ceremony and reception held on B.'s family acreage. A small barn near the house had been emptied, cleaned and decorated for the ceremony. It was gorgeous.
B.'s bridesmaids and Shim's groomsmen (my four other brothers) filed in to stand next to Shim and Papa at the front. Family and friends stood and turned as B. came down the aisle to Ingrid Michaelson's haunting and heartfelt cover of Elvis's "Can't Help Falling in Love."
Ingrid sang:
Take my hand,
Take my whole life, too...
and B. caught her breath, barely holding back tears, smiling radiantly.
Shim had tears of his own as they came together, took hands, and turned toward Papa.
Scripture, rings, vows and a kiss, and they became husband and wife.
To me there's almost always a moment that stands out during a wedding; other details get lost or forgotten over time, but one moment remains clear. At my friend T.'s wedding it was the moment a remote-controlled helicopter floated down from the ceiling bearing their rings; at Matt's sister's it was the joyous song that played as they danced down the aisle and into the reception; at another friend's it was the over-the-top cake feeding moment that was hilarious and loving all at once.
At my own, it was the moment our pastor invited our family and friends to come up and pray over us and the stage was flooded with people, hands on our shoulders and heads bowed.
My brother had a beautiful wedding and I pray it leads to a beautiful marriage. It isn't always easy to start a life together, but I think they are off to a wonderful start.
