Weddingbee Blog

Once I floated back down to reality, it was time to start the ceremony. Our priest was absolutely adorable and he kept us on our toes. Since we did a super quick rehearsal and never really talked to him, we had no clue what to expect on the wedding day. He definitely made us laugh as our ceremony coordinator had warned us. He checked in with us at different parts of the ceremony to see if we were OK. He even asked if we still wanted to do this, or if we wanted to skip it and grab some food. Mr. Starfish really wanted to take him up on his offer to get some food—just not on our wedding day. As the ceremony went on, it was time for Starfish Aunt and Ant to read.

Starfish Ant began with the first reading:

Ruth 1:16-17. Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me.

Next up was Starfish Aunt with the second reading:

Corinthians 13: 4-8. Love is patient, love is kind It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek it’s own interests, it is not quick tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

As she read, I rubbed my eye. As soon as my hand went up, I heard Bridesmaid A exclaim, “she’s crying!”  I turned around and said “no, I’m not!” No one believed me, but I tried to explain that I’m not a crier, and neither is Mr. S. I told them not to expect any tears on the wedding day, but they still waited for it and jumped the moment my hands went anywhere near my eyes. I was right. There were no tears of happiness and luckily, no tears of sadness, either! It’s just not us. Instead, we spent the ceremony sneaking glances at each other, beaming with happiness, holding hands with the occasional squeeze, and whispering, “I love you more.” Which to my surprise, Mr. Starfish didn’t argue with. He later told me he didn’t want to argue in church and didn’t like that I had “lied” during our wedding mass.

During all of our hand holding and stolen glances, our priest gave us a lovely ceremony, although I questioned where he was going with it, as did many of our guests.

His sermon started off with the story of a woman who was getting married to her fourth husband—not the kind of sermon you expect on your wedding day.

He wondered about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 84, and then about her new husband’s occupation. “He’s a funeral director,” she said. “Interesting,” he thought. He then asked her if she wouldn’t mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living.

She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect upon all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she first married a banker in her early 20s, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40s, later on a preacher in her 60s, and now, in her 80s, a funeral director. The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers. “Easy son,” she smiled. “I married one for the money…two for the show…three to get ready…and four to go!”

Our guests loved it, and although it’s been used before, as one of my bridesmaids is a professional clown and heard it at a clown convention, we still enjoyed it. Friends still bring it up and laugh about not knowing where that sermon was going. After we all enjoyed a good laugh, it was time to get a bit more serious.

photos by David Bibeault