There’s nothing like a wedding…

Who is this coming up from the wilderness
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and incense
made from all the spices of the merchant?
Look! It is Solomon’s carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,
the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon.
Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior inlaid with love.
Daughters of Jerusalem, come out,
and look, you daughters of Zion.
Look on King Solomon wearing a crown,
the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
the day his heart rejoiced.  Song of Songs 3:6-11

This next section of Song of Songs 3 is thought to have been a song that had already been used on countless royal occasions before being included in this collection of love songs. Maybe it describes King Solomon arriving for his coronation or one of the many foreign brides that Solomon took arriving for her wedding. Now it has become a part of this collection to be used at other wedding celebrations, because on their wedding day, every bride and groom are a royal couple.

The neighbours come out onto the street to catch a glimpse of the bride leaving her house. People line the roads to wave and cheer as the wedding car passes by. The car is a special car – often a vintage car that you don’t normally see on the streets – and its decorated with ribbons and flowers.

There’s a crowd waiting around the church to witness the procession of the bride and her bridesmaids up the path and into the church. In the church, friends and family wait expectantly and as the opening music starts up, the groom turns to welcome his bride. The music is stirring – I walked down the aisle to ‘The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba‘ (which fits in perfectly here as she visited King Solomon!) Everyone turns to see what she is wearing, how beautiful she looks. And a bride always looks beautiful on her wedding day.

The whole day has been planned to perfection. It has cost a lot of money and taken a lot of thought. This is a very, very special day. Maybe the most special day in the lives of these two young people. Everyone has gathered to celebrate their love and to witness their commitment to one another. It is a day that they will remember in detail for the rest of their lives. It is a day that will carry then through the ups and downs of married life. It is a day that will always remind them of the promises that they made to one another in the presence of their friends and family – and God Himself.

Of course, sometimes people go really over the top. The perfect wedding these days seems to be exorbitantly expensive and couples feel under pressure to spend a fortune that they don’t have. It doesn’t have to be that way. It ends up becoming the most stressful day of their lives. An outward expression of an inward commitment is a very special thing, but it doesn’t have to be like a special edition OK magazine spread. The love between these two people is the most important thing. That’s the place to start. And whilst that has no price tag, it is priceless.

I love weddings. I love the opportunity to celebrate the love and commitment of these two special people. I love how every wedding is an individual expression of a totally unique couple. I can still remember pretty much every detail of my wedding day – which was 27 years ago! My face ached from smiling so much. I was beaming all day.

Let’s join in with the celebration of love and commitment wherever we find it. And then let’s do all that we can to support this couple in their life together. The wedding day is just the start.