I'm delighted to introduce my first guest contributor - Naomi Washatka of Beside Every Bride. Her website has fantastic advice and really creative ideas for bridesmaids - it's well worth a look.
"This past weekend I served as a witness at a stunning wedding. The wedding was held in a beautiful Presbyterian church, with stained glass windows and a long center aisle. I was enchanted by the romance and the majesty of it all.
I often joke about being a professional bridesmaid, but at this wedding I was merely a spectator, serving more as a plus one and encouragement to one of the groomsmen. Without the pressure to stand appropriately (and not faint), or to smooth the bride’s dress, I was able to reflect on the words that were being exchanged and the homily delivered by the pastor. My eyes welled up with tears during the ceremony, and at the most surprising times.
At one point during the liturgy, the pastor had the couple turn to the congregation to look upon the “great cloud of witnesses” gathered to celebrate with and support them in their commitment to one another. As they turned to look at us, it occurred to me in a new way that the wedding ceremony is not just a commitment between the couple, but it is a time for the congregation to make a commitment to the couple. The congregation gathers as the first witnesses to this covenant, but we all now have a tie to the couple in a way not known prior to the ceremony. As someone who barely knows the couple, I refrained from making these promises this weekend, as I see great meaning in and take seriously the commitment.
Many liturgical services identify the congregation’s role as one that is to be prayerful, always rejoicing and giving thanks to God for the couple and for the gift of marriage. We rejoice that marriage is given by God, blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Most services give a charge to the congregation, to “let marriage be held in honor by all.” This commitment does not stop at the ceremony; we hold fast to the promises we make to the couple as they hold fast to each other and to God.
In December I will stand as a bridesmaid for the tenth time—my tenth wedding where I have taken my own vows to the couple and to the congregation. Five, ten, fifty years later, I will still cling to the promises I made along with the couple on their wedding day. God gives the couple the gift of marriage, but he also gives the community and the congregation—and the bridal party—the ability to celebrate and grow and delight in this new couple. I stand as a witness to their love, to throw showers and carry flowers, but more importantly, as a bridesmaid, it is my role to uphold the promises I professed. I vow to encourage the couple in sickness and in health, I promise to give thanks to God for their commitment to one another, and I promise to protect them, “for what God has brought together, no (wo)man shall tear apart.”
As the summer wedding season will soon come to an end, let us not forget the promises we’ve made as witnesses in the congregation and as friends in the bridal party. Let us celebrate with friends who are hitting martial milestones and let us comfort those who have known easier days. Let us honor marriage in the ways we remember and encourage these couples. Let us allow the promises we’ve made to compel us to bless and give thanks."
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