Hope for Postponed Weddings
I recently attended my first zoom wedding. Let me tell you, it was beautiful. When the bride walked in, beaming with joy, I couldn’t keep a dry eye. What a beautiful sight when twopeople are finally allowed to spend the rest of their lives together!
When your plans are shattered…
If you have been one of the couples who had to move their wedding because of lockdown, my heart goes out to you. I can’t imagine the emotional rollercoaster you have been through.
The excitement when he got down on one knee, the shock and exhilaration when she said yes and proudly wore the ring on her finger. Days suddenly being crammed full of wedding admin: decisions that needed to be made about colours and flowers and food, and doing everything to squeeze in more people.
But then lockdown happened. One announcement, and the virus wiped out all your plans. Suddenly you’re stuck, only allowed to see each other on a screen, longing to just be together. Your plans were in the air, you moved your date, cancelled the reception, and the waiting began.
And then lockdown was lifted! With restrictions eased enough so that small ceremonies were allowed, it seemed like everyone rushed to get something organised. Suddenly I had three invites to zoom weddings, and my cousin on the phone asking whether I would be able to attend her ceremony in person. Over and over I was asked: “Aren’t you happy that you got married last year?”
It’s something I’ve thought about long and deep. Of course, I am glad I didn’t have to go through the pain of having a pandemic stop my celebration.
But I wonder if maybe we place the wrong significance on weddings?
It’s not the wedding that’s important, after all. It’s just a moment-in-time capture of the lifelong commitment that you’re making, a mere day in the rest of your life together.
… there is hope for the future
One thing that really moved me when I attended my first zoom wedding was the hope they displayed. The lockdown may have taken away their party, their dream ceremony, and their guest list – but it hadn’t taken their joy or their hope. As Christians, they knew that there was someone who holds the future, and that gave them hope.
You see, as Christians, we believe that weddings are a bigger picture for God’s commitment to his followers, and we celebrate them accordingly.
When you stand there, bride and groom, excitedly expectant for your life together, you are making the promise that no matter what the future holds, you would be there for each other, facing happiness and depression, adventures and suffering together. The promise on your wedding day is “I want you, come what may, whatever I have to do, I will be with you.”
For those who follow Jesus, weddings are like a mirror. They mirror God’s commitment to mankind, and his decision that you can make him part of your life, whatever you have been through. Weddings remind us of a promise God has made to us: “I want you, come what may, whatever I have to do, I will be with you.” And God has never broken anything he promised.
When my friends got married that day, their wedding was a reminder that God holds out hope, even in a pandemic. They had turned to God and stood firm in his commitment to them, that He would be with them through the good, the bad, and the ugly.
In the uncertain world of Covid-19, isn’t it worth investigating the offer from the One who says, “I want you, come what may- I will be with you”?
Rebecca
Rebecca is originally from Germany and lives with her husband in the beautiful Glasgow. She works for Friends International, a Christian charity that supports international students during their time in the UK. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, skyping her family and making her husband practice German.