Weddings Remind Us They’re The Start Of Something Real

The bridegroom smiled and said he wasn’t nervous.

Two friends smiled back.

Someone else nodded at his tux and told him he looked great. “See you after,” said the groom.

The wedding was running a little late, but no one seemed to mind.

Inside the Fairchild Air Force Base Chapel Saturday afternoon, members of the wedding party were getting their pictures taken before the ceremony. And the groom had strolled up a side corridor to peek into the lobby where some of the guests waited.

“Should I make a run for it?” he joked.

His beaming expression answered the question.

Still smiling, he walked back down the hallway. It was time to get married.

Wedding season is here.

For the couples, it’s an occasion to say that their love is real and seal it with a kiss.

For the guests, it can mean many things.

It’s possible to sit through a wedding unmoved and unfocused. You can silently critique other attendees’ outfits. You can try to figure out which of the guests are the bride’s co-workers and which are the groom’s relatives. You can even rate the ceremony itself.

But it’s a funny thing. You know that cliche, “I always cry at weddings”?

There are reasons people say that.

Maybe it’s that the first glimpse of the bride’s face can be like a lightning bolt of hope. Or perhaps it’s the power of the words.

“Love and honor.”

The man and woman getting married aren’t the only ones who hear that promise.

It’s almost impossible to glance at the couples attending a wedding and not wonder what they are thinking as our society’s ritual of romance unfolds. And when you know a little about their personal triumphs and struggles, it reminds you.

Weddings aren’t just some elaborate show. They are the start of something real and emotionally enduring.

Saturday out at Fairchild, the sound system kept cutting out on the soloist. But everything else went off without a hitch.

Outside the chapel afterward, beneath sunny blue skies, the bride and groom greeted their guests.

The reception and the rest of their lives was next.

xxxx