Best.Wedding.Ever.

Today I went to the wonderful wedding of my classmate Coco, and her ever-smiling fiance (now husband) Nick.

What made it so great?

1.Everyone was invited. All of our class Coco's high school students. Parishioners. St John's Church, which is close in size  to OLOD Chatswood, was mostly full. This wasn't some little boutique thing limited by how many people they could afford to invite to the reception. It was generous and inclusive.


 2. Both Coco and Nick were greeting guests together at the door as we arrived. There was no big wait for the bride to arrive by limosine, and then spend 10 minutes having her photo taken getting out of the car from different angles (when did this become a thing?). I have counselled every couple I marry that it's not fashionable for the bride to be late, it's rude, and that you're leaving all your guests and the man you love waiting anxiously. They all agree, but then so many of them still arrive up to 30 minutes late. Coco was not the centre of attention. Indeed not even the two of them were. This was a celebration of love in the midst of a community (it is their local parish) where everyone mattered.

3. Coco and Nick walked down the aisle together. I tell every bride I marry that the father walking the bride down the aisle dates back to times when daughter was the property of the father, who "gave her away" to a man who effectively paid for her (the bride-price), saying "thank you for your daughter, sir, here are three cows in return", after which she becomes her husband's  property  - The Handmaid's Tale, anyone? Yet every woman sighs and says yeah, but I still want my dad (or a substitute) to walk me down. Coco and Nick are adults in their thirties, walking together as equals.

4. They washed each other's feet. Yes, they did. The gospel reading was the footwashing at the Last Supper, and so after an engaging and passionate sermon by Fr Roc O'Connor SJ, Nick washed Coco's feet, and then Coco washed Nick's feet, as a symbol of serving each other in marriage. The homily was about service, and about being sent out on mission as a married couple to be witnesses to love (very Pope Francis Amoris Laetitia stuff). They were still barefoot when they did their vows.



Comments

  1. Unknown1 July 2018 at 05:55

    Sounds like such a beautiful wedding. Never heard of a bride & groom washing each others feet but very symbolic that the two of them would be there for each other in their married life. I hope they have a great Marriage.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dominic2 July 2018 at 03:49

    We had the idea to walk together Mum, Dad and daughter, as our daughter leaves our family to start her own with our combined blessings.
    I loved the foot washing bit very good idea

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ditas15 July 2018 at 17:16

    Very impressive- doing things at a wedding with more signifance

    ReplyDelete

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