Perfect wedding was held at gathering place

“It’s about time,” is how the priest began at my niece’s recent wedding. Everybody in the chapel clapped and smiled. After all, the bride and groom had been together for more than 10 years. He went on to give a very nice sermon on how things happen in God’s time, not man’s time.
That was just one way that the ceremony so perfectly reflected the bride and groom. The bridesmaid’s dresses were each a different color so that the view from behind was akin to a rainbow, a symbol of hope. The effect was as cheery as could be.
The groom was the happiest groom I had ever seen. Most men in that position have an expression of, “what have I done!” on their faces. Not Bob. He was clearly looking forward to spending the rest of his life with his beautiful bride, Margaret.
The service was followed by a reception at the Glendale Lyceum. We all wondered what a lyceum was. A server explained that it was a gathering place. Further investigation revealed that it is an ancient word and described a place where people gathered for lectures and such for the purposes of education. This particular lyceum has hosted weddings, receptions and meetings since 1892.
This evening it was the site of the reception of two wonderful people. It was the fanciest reception I had ever been to. The bar was an ice sculpture. The top of the sculpture was a blue X for Xavier University, the happy couple’s alma mater. Drinks were poured into the top of the X and exited the bottom, perfectly chilled.
There was a buffet to serve the 130 or so people in attendance. There was a slide show and later, after we had left, there was dancing. All in all, it was an extravagant celebration of the beginning of a new life for two young people.
I thought back to my own weddings. My first was held in a chapel with 100 or so people. After the service we went back to my new in-law’s house. There we had cake and punch. No ice sculptures, no buffet, no dancing and certainly no open bar.
My second wedding was even simpler. Only our immediate families attended. Our best friends stood up with us; one for him and one for me. My daughter walked me down the aisle. Again we went back to my new in-law’s house for cake and punch.
My first wedding, I had known the groom my entire life and we had baby pictures together. We promised to stay together forever. Forever lasted five years.
My second wedding we had our first date in January and got married in April. We had known each other a mere five years or less. This time I am married for today only. Today has lasted more than 32 years so far.
The point is that the size of the ceremony has little bearing on the length of the marriage. I sincerely hope that Bob and Margaret will never know the pain of a divorce. They have been together long enough to have seen each other at both their best and worse. That they still want to get married is a testament to hope and to their love for one another.
Part of Margaret’s job is to plan weddings for others. Now we see what happens when a wedding planner plans her own wedding. The result was a perfect day for a perfect couple. We were honored to be a small part of their special day. Plus we now know what a lyceum is.[[In-content Ad]]