Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Insert Topic Here


Here we are about to head off to the wedding this past Saturday. If you close your eyes really tight, I look just like Julia don't you think? Tobey is so handsome in his non-semi-formal attire. This is Florida after all and the heat index was supposed to be 105, I think sans jacket was just fine, despite finding the semi-formal attire blurb on the invitation after we had dressed.

Isn't it strange when you visit a church that is different from your own? We were not expecting any differences as the wedding was held in a church of Christ and we attend a church of Christ. I know some churches veer off the beaten biblical path even if they are the same denomination or non-denomination and it was interesting to experience the differences.

We arrived early and sat on the groom's side with a few of Tobey's friends from work. After a few minutes we were advised that the men had to move to the left side of the church with the women remaining seated on the right. I had never heard of this custom before and didn't particularly like not sitting with my husband during the ceremony.

Another interesting thing I had not seen before at a wedding was the use of sponsors. Their wedding invitation was lovely and had the usual items you would expect. It also had a list of sponsors. Five older couples. At first I thought they were sponsors in the traditional Nascar sense of the word and that they helped pay for the wedding. I fully expected the see bumper stickers on the bridesmaids rears saying, "This dress brought you to by Uncle Dave and Aunt Tina." But during the service it was mentioned that the sponsors are there to help the couple as they navigate the path of marriage. I liked that thought, to have folks well experienced in the realm of marriage to guide you on your path but I thought they should have been called mentors instead.

Something else I had never seen before was the bride and groom sat through most of the ceremony except for the exchanging of vows. They also raised their right hands when taking their vows, again something I have never seen. It did seem to make it more legal in some strange Law and Order sort of way.

For the next part I need to give you some back story. When my grandmother died she had not attended church for many years. I do not even know how, why or whom my mother selected the man who spoke my grandmother's eulogy. One off putting thing he did through out her service was to have to look at his notes for her name. That or he constantly referred to her as 'this woman' because he couldn't remember Viola. So I am all about personalizing things.

During the wedding service the preacher, when referring to the bride and groom, openly stated he hoped he was pronouncing their names correctly. And their names were not all that difficult to pronounce to begin with. Then during their vows where the bride and groom had to repeat after him, he said advised them to repeat after him and when he said 'mention name here' replace that with your name. So the preacher says, "I, mention name here, do promise to ..." and the groom repeated, "I, Bob, do promise to...". And then the same thing for the bride. It was strange and some what impersonal during the what should have been the most personal ceremony of your life.

After the vows were done the couple and the preacher immediately signed the marriage certificate and all of the sponsors were called up one by one to sign some document. Again, this is something I haven't witnessed before. And it took a very long time. Very.

I won't mention the bridal hecklers. Okay, I will just because you want to know and you asked nicely. The woman sitting in front of us must have thought she was the wedding Robin Williams as she kept shouting things out while the sponsors were signing off on the unknown document. Things like, "It's all down hill from here." Now all of us married folks know that to be true but really, on their wedding day let them have some hope. Couple that with one of the fellows Tobey works with proclaiming in the church vestibule, loudly I might add, that it was the strangest wedding he has ever been to. It may have been different from the norm, but geez, have some respect because it might have been the norm for them and their church and members.

All in all, even with the differences, I thought it was lovely. I thought the bride was the walking embodiment of beauty and the fact that the groom openly shed tears throughout the ceremony was so touching. I told Tobey later on that I think all married couples should have to sit through a wedding every few months. I think it recharges our marital batteries and gives us time to reflect on our own wedding ceremony and vows; even if it was all downhill from there.

Today's fasting blood sugar is brought to you by the number 165.

~ame

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