I always thought I wanted to get married in a church. When I was little, my mom “dragged me out of bed by the big toe” every Sunday to go to church knowing that somewhere along the way it would become something I did all by myself. I thought she was crazy – who would want to get up that early on a Sunday unprovoked? Then at some point, 10am seemed really late and somehow found myself wanting to go to church on Sunday mornings (more evidence that I might be a grown up…).
So, when I got engaged, getting married in a church seemed like where I was headed. Then we visited High Hampton and right across the street was the cutest little Episcopal church – this had to be a sign, right?
After deciding on High Hampton as our venue, I excitedly called the church. Here comes the bad news: the person I spoke with told me that, despite the fact that I was a practicing Episcopalian in the same diocese, they were unwilling to turn their church into a “Las Vegas-style wedding chapel” by having non-members marry there. After being rebuffed in a very (what I deemed) un-Christian-like manner, I determined that this was the sign. I knew there was something better out there for my wedding.
Enter Sue Kennedy:
(here’s Sue with my godfather, Chip, and his wife, Theresa, during their vow renewal)
Sue was a college friend of my dad’s and is now a practicing non-denominational reverend in nearby Greensboro. She was not only willing and able to perform our wedding ceremony, but she was excited about it! She told us that she would write a ceremony *just for us* that could be as traditional or non-traditional as we liked. Plus, because she has been a friend of my dad’s since college, she’s known me my whole life – and the story about how i put my whole body into one of her stockings when I was two just doesn’t get old.
Brian and I just signed off on our ceremony and it is perfect. I don’t think I realized how special it would be to have someone who knows me and my family so well marry us… Initially I was worried that I would miss the traditional aspects of a church ceremony, but after reading Sue’s words, I can’t imagine marrying Brian any other way.
How did you settle on your ceremony location? Have you thought of having someone special marry you?
God works in wonderful and mysterious ways! When he closes one door, it is because he has a bigger and better door opening up for you. This just goes to prove it. May God continue to bless you and your fiance.
RC Patton – Wedding Video for NC
We are having our religion professor at our alma mater marry us. He knows us both really well (he was my work study advisor and we both had like 6 classes with him.) and he gets us and our relationship. We definitely wanted someone who knew us both to marry us.
I just went to an outdoor wedding where one of my best friends was married by another one of my best friends. I am pretty traditional and, at first, thought it was a pretty weird idea. However, after attending the ceremony and seeing with my own eyes how special it was to be married by someone you care about, I fully support it. It was beautiful and not odd or awkward at all. When you think about how the church started, the leaders being a few inspired simple folk, and a church defined as whereever there was a group of people gathered in the name of God, it is actually entirely appropriate. And to answer the unasked question, the ceremony was more agnostic in tone, where God was referenced, but there were no formal readings from the Bible or prayers.