“Wild Weddings”  

As a minister, I do weddings... literally hundreds of weddings. Most of them are problem-free ceremonies of worship providing many precious memories for everyone. There have been a few weddings, however, which can only be classified as… wild!

One wild wedding took place in-between bands performing at the Blue Grass Festival in Amelia, Virginia. (Yes… you heard me right!) The groom had always wanted to be married at the festival, but could not find a woman crazy enough to marry him under those circumstances: But his lifelong wish finally came true and the girl of his dreams said yes on stage as the crowd began to clap and cheer. After the ceremony, there was a standing ovation from the crowd for the couple. I was tempted to turn and bow, but restrained myself.

Another wild wedding began innocently enough at a local college chapel. During the ceremony, I asked for the rings and the best man handed me pink plastic “Cracker-Jacks” specials. “These are pretty cheap looking rings! Is this how the marriage is going to go?” I asked and everyone laughed...except my wife who thought I had lost my mind. The rings were replaced and the rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch until the couple strolled down the aisle and the groom pulled out a can of spray streamers and covered his family in bright green and yellow string.

But the prize for the wildest wedding goes to a couple who each decided to write their own vows as a surprise for their mate. It all happened a few years ago on a wooden boat dock overlooking a beautiful pond out in the country. The bride called me the night before the wedding and asked me to read an additional set of marriage vows she had written for her husband. She would give them to me just before the wedding started.

Then, just before the service, the groom pulled me aside and handed me another set of vows this time to be read as a surprise to his new wife. Without looking at the vows, I hurriedly said, “sure!”   The people were in place and the simple worship service went without a hitch.

Then, as instructed, I turned to the new husband and asked him to gaze lovingly upon his wife and emphatically respond to the following with: “I agree!”  

• Do you agree to cook steak and potato’s on Friday?

• Do you agree to cut the grass and take out the trash?

• Do you agree to keep the truck and the car clean?

• Do you agree to have my coffee ready when I awake?

• Do you agree to take me shopping once a week without complaining?

My next instructions were to have the bride take the groom by the hand, look lovingly into his eyes and repeat the vows written for her:

• I _______ agree to lovingly serve you breakfast in bed every Saturday morning and to learn how to bake homemade pies and cobblers. I will also never insist that you go shopping with me for more than one hour at a time.

Afterwards, I commented: “This couple doesn’t need a minister. They need a lawyer to abide by these vows.” A proper ending might have been to push both the bride and the groom in the pond and declare them both insane, but after laughing, I discovered an important lesson.

Solomon, the wise sage, said it so well: “There is a time for everything...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance...” (Ecclesiastes 3:4) Life is so short and God is always reminding us to make the most of it: to keep our priorities in place.

I admire a couple that can play a practical joke in the midst of such a serious commitment. If they can hold on to this ability to laugh and poke fun at each other… maybe there is hope for their marriage. Let’s face it; with a better sense of humor, there would be more hope for all of us.