Wedding Day

Wedding Ceremony of
Heather Dixon & Michael Wrathall
1:30pm, Saturday 8 August 2009
St Paul’s Anglican Church, Seaforth

What a day of celebration! Woo yeah… :)

While the preparation had not always been smooth, the final product was very special. Here is a brief summary of the day’s events.

The ceremony itself was held in the church that our family has grown up in – a fitting place since it has shaped me so much. Although having been overseas for much of the last 3.5 years, it was touching for me to observe so many familiar faces in the congregation: from friends I’d grown up with to the elderlies who’d held me as a baby…

Heather looked absolutely stunning (as you can see) and though I was struggling to hold myself together soon before she arrived, a few words & prayers from the best man later, and I was able to enjoy her exceedingly graceful entrance. The opening hymn, a fast-paced version of ‘To God be the Glory’ really set the tone. Heather was dancing in the front pew and I half-stifled a ‘woooh!’ at the end. I can see why they have rousing music to start off big sporting contests: I almost felt ready to launch myself into a rugby match…

Our church minister Colin reflected on the Bible readings (Psalm 127 and Romans 12:9-18), comparing the qualities in the Romans passage with their opposites. It’s summarised in the following link... It’s a tough list of qualities to act upon wholeheartedly, but a great challenge worth committing a lifetime to…

My friend Snowy and Heather’s friend Sarah prayed for us. If we’re to embark on a wholehearted relationship ‘til death do us part’, I think it’s so important to have our Maker involved and to follow his design instructions for us. It’s also reassuring to know that we’re not alone in this journey, with both God’s presence amongst us and the support of family and friends.

I also needed to say a quick prayer myself to still my nerves for the next part of the service: my special song for Heather. Of all the things I was most nervous about in the lead-up to the wedding, this topped the list. However, I also knew that this could be the opportunity to do something memorable and personal. Having rehearsed this the night before with my groomsmen, I was feeling a little more confident than earlier in the week. Once the song began, my nerves settled and it ended up exceeding my expectations. Though Heather didn’t raise a tear, I could tell she was moved. It was also great that the humour was appreciated and that many in the congregation were able to make out the (slightly convoluted) words. You can watch the song on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCaixo4gtgA, or read the words typed out in full below:

Precious Gem: Heather’s Song
It’s not that you’re especially kind
Though servant hearts like yours are hard to find
And though your motherly credentials are assured
For now this evidence can be ignored

And though you've an enviable pedigree
And this fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree
You may be doing iron mans til you’re 63
Or scrambling up cliffs that intimidate me

And though your outward beauty is slow to fade
You topped the class in sixth grade
You may exceed a photo’s expectation
Or smash a harried Bible examination

What matters is that I love you
and you love me (x2)

You’re my precious gem
A gift sent from heaven (x2)

You may be nimble like a mountain goat
Or a novelist when it comes to special post-it notes
And though you’re a typing tyro on email
If that’s all you were our marriage would be doomed to fail

You may bake a mean banana bread, though you wouldn’t boast
We’d all be content with some peanut butter on toast
Lucky for me you’re a proficient trunt completer
But even if you weren’t I’d still have got down on one knee for you

What matters is that I love you
and you love me (x2)
What matters is that He loves you
and He loves me

You’re my precious gem
A gift sent from heaven (x4)

[Adlib] + [whistles] + [final chorus x2]

Up until this point, we still weren’t technically married. We’d planned to build the expectation towards the main event and finish with a climax. We were also hoping to strike a balance between being serious and being fun – I think we found something that worked well for us. The vows were an amalgamation of the two Anglican Church order of marriage services. We take seriously the promises we made in public that day. It’s important to us that they’re public because we’re accountable now! Hopefully we’ll keep striving to live up to those promises…

We exited the church to ‘O Happy Day’ and were treated to a light afternoon tea in the hall. Unfortunately a cold change had arrived the previous evening (after two weeks of mild, still and clear weather) so it was too windblown to be held in the garden outside. We’d decorated the hall in our dark blue/silver theme and arranged a saxophone quartet to provide music. Unbeknown to most, they’d done an arrangement of ‘All My Life’ by K-Ci & JoJo, which was the song I sang on karaoke when I first met Heather. The words to the song were quite prophetic: “All my life I prayed for someone like you, and I thank God that I finally found you…”

We hardly had any time to enjoy the afternoon tea, squeezed between signing the registry and photo sessions. After all, we had to ready ourselves to clamber up a tree in full wedding regalia for an obligatory ‘mountain goat’ photo… Following photos and a short break at home to warm up (!), we joined the reception at Clonny’s restaurant (literally down the hill from home) after sunset. With 90 of us squeezed into a relatively small space, heating was hardly required, and neither was music (which we’d forgotten: I don’t think anyone really even noticed)! My uni mate Mick did a great job as MC and once speeches began, we were mostly on-schedule. Almost 1.5 hours of speeches later… and we’d run out of time. No bridal waltz, no dancing, no music…! I wouldn’t have changed it though: the speeches were wonderful.

Terry (Heather’s dad) offered a potted history of Heather’s life, while Jill (my mum) spontaneously shared her joy at the answered prayers of Heather’s friend Christine. Kristie (Heather’s friend and bridesmaid) spoke poignantly of their shared experiences, while Will (my brother and best man) humorously and eloquently recounted brotherly memories as the underdog. My cheeks were sore and eyes moist from extreme laughter and tears. I’m sure there were many in that room with similar physical infirmities. Heather and I had just to express our excitement and gratitude to those involved in shaping us and sharing this special day.

It certainly felt like the day rushed past, as many had warned us. So many people; so little quality time. In the lead-up, we had questioned whether all the energy required for the preparation of a large wedding would really be worth it. In retrospect, we were agreed that it was worthwhile. Preparation perspective was still important though: the small details that didn’t quite go to plan were insignificant compared to the overwhelming sense of celebration.

It’s been a great start to married life. I suspect that the majority of our lives together will not be quite as exciting. Hopefully this short-term happiness will be accompanied by another, deeper joy that can only come in the context of a lifelong, committed relationship. It might not be such a blog-able event, but is perhaps more important. I’m looking forward to this next challenge of developing a strong marriage and family. Woo yeah…