it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful:
in a word, more alive.
Alice Waters
It’s October 2022 and by now most of those delayed “pandemic weddings” have been celebrated.
And so, I’m left wondering how to make sense of the past two years of “unusual” weddings.
Here’s what I now realize. . .
Whether the celebration included
2 people
10 people
25 people
75 people
150+ people
Each wedding was a moment in time. Each was an exquisite moment in time.
Whether couples postponed, eloped or had 2nd wedding celebrations every couple had a deep desire to celebrate in the midst of and despite the world being turned upside-down.
In the midst of chaos there was a need for gathering, ritualizing and celebrating life.
There was no right way or wrong way to do any of this. Every couple simply did it their way.
From my perspective as an officiant, celebrating ceremonies was an “odd” experience. The guiding phrase was, “in an abundance of caution,” that manifested itself in masks and no handshakes and distancing that seemed anything but ‘social.”
BUT
In the midst of all that uncertainty there was JOY!
I think that “Pandemic Weddings” highlighted the profound truth of weddings:
Weddings, always, in the good times and in bad are an act of faith.
Faith in:
Self
Other
We
Love is love is love. . .
And so, in the midst of chaos, every wedding celebrated the belief that our world is made a better place because of the love these two people have for each other.
And, hey, if you don’t believe that in some way, shape or form then why bother to get married?
The enduring gift of all those pandemic weddings is simply this –
Yes,
Life is scary
Life is uncertain
AND
Life is worthy of our best!