Wedding Day

I'll be officiating another wedding today. Another precious couple will pledge before God, family, and friends to spend the rest of their lives together. That alone will make today a very special day.

I (Brett) love weddings. As a minister, there's nothing more thrilling than standing at the altar with the groom as he waits for his bride to come through the door. It's honestly an electric and very emotional experience. I enjoy having that special vantage point and watching the groom's reaction (and I've seen all kinds of reactions, believe me) as the bride comes down the aisle. And without fail, every single time, I think about my own young bride, twenty years ago, walking through the back doorway of her parents' home--and coming towards the altar beside the beautiful pool setting in her family's backyard. Our own wedding was at dusk, the sky was clear, the weather was perfect, the service was intimate, there were gorgeous lights in the trees--a romantic fairy tale, really--with the stunning love-of-my-life walking down the white-carpeted "aisle" that wrapped around the water until she, too, was standing with me.

Our pastor performed a beautiful service. And then....suddenly....we were married!

In our later years together, there would be many more fairy-tale and non-fairy-tale moments for us over the course of a long and happy marriage--including some very tough times together as a family. But the romance of that first day of our marriage is still alive and well. And, in a way, I have the privilege of "re-living" that experience in my position as a wedding minister--over and over again.

Congratulations to today's bride and groom--sweet, sweet people, both of them. I know, with God at the center of their lives, they, too, will also be very happy together!