Wedding On The Beach

We attended a wedding on the beach, last night.  It was a beautiful summer evening as the waves rolled gently and the sun sparkled on the water.  The bride, Sharon, was stunning.  Joe, the groom, looked dashingly handsome.

As the ceremony began, the pastor called the guests to gather around closely.  This created a neat sense of intimacy as everyone present was standing within a few feet of the bridal party.  I liked the feeling.  It seemed like just the right touch for a wedding by the sea.

But, of course, the fact that everyone was standing closely meant that Rachel, with camera in hand, was standing right next to the bride, groom and pastor.  I mean that she was literally standing right next to the bride, groom and pastor.  Most of the time, she was closer to the bride and groom than the best man or the maid of honor—both of whom Rachel had instructed to move back a bit so that she could have her spot.

Because of the casual, informal nature of the ceremony, this was alright…until…well, until…she started making some remarks (Or was this a form of heckling?  Not really sure.) in response to the pastor’s comments.

That’s when Nadia looked at me and said, “Dan.”

This calling of my name means that it is now time for me to do something to correct this situation.  But removing Rachel from a comfortable spot like that always has the potential of being more disruptive to the proceedings than leaving her there.

Well, I moved into action and used a “diversionary” tactic that I learned years ago in ninja school and got Rachel away from the bride and groom’s personal space.  And the wedding, which was fairly brief, concluded a few moments later.  Everything worked out just fine with no major disturbances.

I should note that as I’ve been writing this story, something has occurred to me.  It has occurred to me that this concept of a wedding on the beach is an outstanding idea!  It’s fantastic.  It’s wonderful.  We might even go as far as saying that it’s pure genius!  In fact, I’m sensing a pretty strong leading from God, right now.  Yes, I don’t think it’s the caffeine from the iced tea I’m drinking, I think it’s a leading from God.

So, I, hereby, proclaim that all couples who are contemplating marriage, at our church, need to have your ceremony on the beach in southeast Florida.  Yep, that seems like it must be a leading from God, doesn’t it?  This, of course, means that you would fly your pastor down with you to perform the ceremony.  (That part goes without saying, right?)  And, I don’t mean to seem bossy—but remember, this isn’t my idea (cough, cough) this is a leading from God (more coughing)—so let me just add that an excellent time of the year for these weddings would be January, February or March.

Well, I think we’ve covered some important ground here and made some excellent decisions, don’t you?