A Wedding Experience

I was fortunate enough to film a beautiful wedding on this hot pre-summer day.  The father of the bride is the man I admire and also my pastor. The bride and groom are such an adorable couple. I knew quite a few guests as well which made me feel much more comfortable during the shoot. This wedding was just right, not too lavish but not overly simple. 

Wedding always has unexpected things happen to photographers and videographers. This was no exception but we scrambled and improvised to get through the evening. After an hour of prep and long 6 hours of holding the camera, my right arm was completely exhausted. My eyes were soared and I was starving. It was an intense workout. Although I did enjoy doing it, I ain't sure if I could do it when I am 60.

When I think of weddings these days, it's hard for me not to associate it with "production". We all have seen some down right outrageous weddings on TV. I remembered an ex-coworker told me his wedding costed him so much that he was still trying to pay it off after 7 years of marriage. It's so painful just to hear that.

One thing that God taught me is the true essence of wedding. God picked two very special people and join them together to become one because He loves them so much and wants them to live their lives to the fullest, so His name can be glorified. Through marriage, the couple can grow closer to God, to experience some of the wonderful joy Adam and Eve once did. So what is the true essence of wedding? It's about "love" – the love between man and wife and God's amazing love. It's a milestone that God had planned for them before they were born. A wedding really shouldn't be a production or be ashamed of if one couldn't afford a lavish wedding. After all, love doesn't require money or materials. If one labeled the concept of love around "money", "materials" or "production", one may be seeking for disappointment in the future.

Lois and I had a less than lavish wedding. We had no professional photographers, videographers, just some friends to take shots for us, no DJ, no big fancy hall, just an activity room in a church. No catering feast, both of our families prepared all the food. (I found it exceptionally blessed to have both in-laws getting along, making meals together even they had only met one time before.) We had only about 30-40 people attended but it was beautiful and peaceful wedding. 12 years later, our marriage is still growing stronger each day and we try to put God first as much as possible. He is the fountain of our "love".