Weddings, Weddings

It was a beautiful wedding.

Of course, what wedding isn't?

So, I suppose it goes without saying... of course it was a beautiful wedding.

A week ago I was at Nick and Kanae's wedding in California. I was really excited to be able to go to the wedding and simply witness this beautiful union. So, in a nutshell, this was my whirlwind trip: I drove up to Chicago, hopped onto a plane to LA, drove down to Palos Verdes, went to the wedding, was dropped off at LAX, hopped onto a plane to Chicago, got picked up and then dropped off at Union Station, took a train down to Champaign, jumped on a bus to my dorm, dropped my bags off, picked my backpack up and ran to my first class on Monday morning... all in the span of 64 hours.

But that... that whirlwind, will be recounted (maybe, if I remember and get the time) in another blogpost. This one is devoted to the wedding. The celebration of love. It was just so beautiful. My eyes were constantly watering.

Do you promise to love and cherish Kanae, forsaking all others?


I wish I could just show pictures and add quick captions, but I can't, because I failed to take many pictures (only took one!). I preferred to enjoy the wedding with Ems and take it all in with my two eyes than from behind a lens.

Do you promise to love and cherish Nick, forsaking all others?


Their love was so apparent. The maid of honor talked about it. The best man talked about it. The family talked about it. Everybody talked about it. And I suppose that's the way it should be, shouldn't it?

Despite Nick's obvious disabilities (see more about his life here), Kanae truly loved him. She truly was looking past appearances and looking into his heart... and seeing his beautiful heart. And their love, so rooted in God's love, was so willing to take and accept each other just as they were.

I think weddings are days of much idealism. There is plenty of optimism going around and joy gushes out of everyone. There's plenty to share and more to pass around. I can imagine that it's easy to believe that one's life will be "perfect" from this point forward... but seeing Nick and Kanae was such a beautiful reminder that marriage is not finding someone "perfect," but finding someone and loving them anyway. They know many of the hardships that they'll face from day one... oh, I wish more couples knew this as they approached the altar.

Their love reminded me that marriage is not about happiness, but about holiness. Yes, marriage can and  often does and should increase and multiply your joy, but that's not it's sole purpose... it isn't it's end. Rather, marriage is a means through which we can become more and more sanctified.

I thoroughly enjoyed the night... watching them dance together. Yes, they did dance. Watching them laugh and interact with others.

Oh, I really do love weddings :)