Just Made It As The Rain Came Down

My story begins with a nice young couple that had been attending my church. They had been coming to me for pre-marital counseling and, winding down to our final session, they had informed me that their wedding would be outdoors…on the edge of a duck pond. Whereas, a summer wedding in North Carolina can present some rather unpredictable weather, I tried – to no avail - to stir them away from that idea. The wedding was to take place in a rural area along the edge of the pond across the street from the bride’s parent’s home. On the day of the wedding, the setting was beautiful! A white arbor adorned in roses stood majestically in front of the pond, wild ducks fluttered in the water, the glistening sun reflected off the rows of white chairs, the aroma of fresh-cut grass filled the air. The guests began arriving and the ushers, in their smart looking tuxes, began their duties of greeting and seating the family and friends who came for the big event. As the bride was getting dressed and preparing for her entrance, the nervous groom and I waited patiently for our cue to enter stage right. In a distance we could see that dark clouds were beginning to form behind the seated guests. The intro music began to play, grandmothers and mothers were seated, everyone was in place. And…the storm clouds were coming closer! The bride’s brother was to sing a solo prior to the processional. As he sang, the sky was becoming darker…the nervous bride cell-phoned ahead to instruct her brother to sing just one verse of his song. When the solo had ended, the processional began. The wedding party paraded down the isle followed by some of the darkest clouds I had ever seen. The bride arrived from across the street on a golf cart and began a rather quick stroll down the isle on the arm of her dad. As the bride and groom stood before me, gusts of wind started to swirl. Reverently, yet quickly, the vows were recited. Just as I was in the middle of reciting: “In so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in matrimony…” and I was about to make the declaration of marriage… …The sky opened up with all its fury! Thunder cloud downbursts of intense wind and rain began to ravage the wedding site. The wedding party and guests scampered from their seats to seek shelter in the parents home across the street. I made the declaration as ‘husband and wife’ as the bride and groom jolted for shelter. The intensity of the wind blew the chairs up into the air and sent the arbor into the pond. Tree limbs crashed into guests windshields. Spotting the brides mother struggling against the wind, I went to her side to lead her across the street to her home. We arrived to find all of the rain and wind tattered wedding guests, and a soaking wet bride, standing on the porch, unable to get into the house because…the bride’s dad had locked the door before heading to the ceremony across the street!

 

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