While I am of course so grateful that all of our loved ones were in the room – I didn’t even notice them. I was so locked in in worship, in listening to our amazing, selfless pastor, Mike, who married us, so focused on Johnny.
My nephews – Johnny’s brother’s sons – are pretty special. Henry, pictured left, was our ring bearer!You’ve seen this photo already, but – heading into the ceremony space was incredible. My dad and I had a long, rainy, windy walk from our venue’s restaurant to the pavilion, and the amazing venue hosts were surrounding me with umbrellas. With all of my guests standing, I was hidden from Johnny’s view in the pavilion’s all-window walls – but all of the guests saw the umbrellas bobbing up and down. This is one of the things I heard from so many guests as being an image of God’s protection and guidance.
When my parents gave me away, we went straight into worshipping, led by some of our best friends. Jesus just transfixed me, the Holy Spirit filling the room.Pastor Mike spoke, speaking from me, to Johnny, to both of us. He charged us to love each other through Jesus; to commit to serving one another and to each other’s flourishing; and to speak Truth and love always, among other things. Johnny and I have so much respect and love for our pastor, and we feel blessed to be leaders and members at C3KW.When it was time for vows, I was handed mine first.I’m not going to publish them here. The most important thing that I vowed, however, is this: I will love you through Jesus. I will put Him first, and you second. (Oh, and the giggling here is most definitely because of my only joke: I to vow to cook *occasional* meals without peanut butter ;).Johnny’s vows made me incredibly teary. He spoke about how his love for me was because I loved Jesus more than him. He vowed to support me and my passions, to tell me often and truthfully how beautiful I was in his eyes, and to look to Jesus to serve me, among other things.The rings – I was shaking with excitement.Before the kiss, Johnny and I partook in communion. This is not a meaningless, dead ritual, but an important act of our submission to Jesus, remembering His sacrifice of His body broken and blood poured out as the reason and purpose for our marriage; thanking and worshipping Him for His gift of freedom IN Him.And of course… the kiss!And then all thissss joy. We were HUSBAND AND WIFE. It was too amazing!It IS too amazing, which leads me to another important one of my vows: I will NEVER lose sight of how amazing it is. I will always be in the “honeymoon stage” for this man – no matter what our season. I will always be his biggest cheerleader, and I know he will always be mine. He will always be my best friend, favourite person to hang out with, and the second love of my life. It’s the second biggest and best promise I’ve ever made – next to following Jesus, of course.
Cassie
