Love is in the Air

October 27, 2009

This past Saturday, Doug and I attended the wedding of a good friend of mine from work. The day was perfect, the bride was simply beautiful, and the ceremony was a true reflection of the couple and their love for each other. I think it was especially meaningful that the ceremony took place at their house, where they are building a home and a life together. They hosted the reception at their home as well, and we all celebrated with them as we ate, drank toasts to a long and happy union, watched a lovingly pieced together montage of photos of the bride and groom, and of course, danced.

















I love going to weddings. I'm an incurable romantic, so of course I love to see the beginnings of people's happily ever afters. In addition, being present in the most magical days of other people's lives transports me back to my own most unforgettable day--the day Doug and I, after twenty-five years of friendship, finally began our own storybook marriage.









Every wedding has something unexpected, some element that didn't quite go as planned. Sometimes the wedding guests all see it, sometimes they don't. But it's those little surprises that often the couples hold in their fondest collective memories. There is something sacred about the serious thought and planning that goes into a ceremony, but the honesty of a spontaneous emotional response is what shows the true nature of the union.







For Alex and Matt on Saturday, that spontaneous, unexpected moment came when husband got to share his first kiss with his new bride. I'm not sure if she was overcome with emotion and swooned, or he was overcome with emotion and dipped her in the midst of their embrace, but either way, their kiss was so powerful that they nearly swooned to the floor. Luckily, both pastor and best man were near at hand to catch them on their way down. Standing upright once again in front of all of their guests, the young couple smiled and giggled sheepishly together before making their way back down the aisle as the newly introduced Mr. and Mrs. Matt Smith. It was a moment--a shared moment--they will always remember. We were all there watching, but they were wrapped up together in their own world. Present, in the moment, and fully in love. What a beautiful thing!

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