I’ve really grown to enjoy the role of officiating weddings as a pastor.  I’ve had the opportunity to perform a half-dozen weddings over the last year–some for old friends, some for new friends–and I am consistently reminded of God’s grace in my life to bring me such an amazing woman.   Additionally, the symbolism of the wedding ceremony only gets richer with each iteration, and I am consistently finding myself dwelling on different aspects of Christ’s character at different points throughout the typical weekend.

There’s always a little bit of awkwardness that goes on too…I tend to get some strange looks as I am introduced to parents as “pastor”.  They’ve got the “I’m pretty sure you just graduated high school…how can you possibly be performing a wedding?!?” face on, and it is generally an fun interaction.  It’s also a little strange to perform “pastor” duties like praying for meals and such, and I still don’t know what the proper protocol is when I just want an ice cold fermented beverage at the reception.

The best part, hands down, though, is watching the groom catch the first glimpse of his bride as she walks down the aisle.  Maybe it’s because I wept like a baby at my wedding, but I’m always hoping the groom sheds a tear in that moment when he locks eyes with his gorgeous bride.

Sorry to be sappy, but I’ve got a wedding tomorrow…