I have attended more weddings than any nineteen-year old has a right to (and none which bride or bridegroom I have any relation to!), pledged to do all in my power to uphold these marriages (oops!), and eaten at the (long!) dinners that followed. I've seen weddings that have been presentations, gatherings, performances, and reunions; sadly, not all have been celebrations.
You see, in the midst of getting the perfect wedding, some couples (and their family and friends) forget the discipline of celebration.
The discipline of celebration? "An oxymoron!", you say. Well, it takes discipline to relax. It takes discipline not to run around getting everything done "just right" when it is time to celebrate, cheer, and go a little wild.
Few weddings have exemplified "celebration" as much as "The Great Hwa Wedding" did. It wasn't the five pastors (inclusive of an actual bishop!) running the service (and the multiple others attending). It was...
It was the almost seamless service conducted in English and Cantonese for the benefit of the bride's family who, I understand, are non-Christians. The flawless transition in songs, polished translation, and vows in English by the groom and in Cantonese by the bride all served to make everyone at home, at ease, and welcome. Unlike many other bilingual services, this one did not drag or even feel lengthy - such work had been put into it.
It was the freedom to laugh when the ceremony did not quite go right: when the bride started giggling immediately after exchanging rings and saying her vows - giggling that bubbled over into laughter that made her double over (the usually solemn moment was a rather joyous one); when the largely English-speaking congregation wasn't sure when the Cantonese translation had finished and thus failed to respond; when the liturgist (pastor) announced the cut-caking that would follow in the canteen.
It was the immaculate preparation and decoration that had been done before-hand, so that on-the-spot running around was kept to a bare minimum (at least as far as I could tell), allowing everyone to fully participate.
It was the many people who had been touched by the Hwa family(s) in their many years of ministry and who really wished the bride and bridegroom the very best. Spontaneous clapping took place at every juncture of the ceremony.
It was the relaxed attitude and genuine fun that all shared. One Rev Hwa was in such a jovial mood that his son asked, "Pa, are you drunk?", and various irreverent youth speculated on whether Jesus had turned the water in this particular "jar of clay" into wine.
Such celebration - for once, I regretted that the wedding service was too short - such celebration could not be possible without discipline.
