“Let love and faithfulness never leave you!” Notes from a wedding rehearsal

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and people.
Proverbs 3:3-4

Friday afternoon Rebekah and I headed out to a farm north of Durham on the most beautiful fall day imaginable. Sunshine, 75-degrees, picturesque location, happy people. Everything you want in a wedding rehearsal, and that is why we were there.

I really like the couple Rebekah is marrying. Zach Duguid is the son of Mandy – who worked as director of food ministries for several years when we were at WFPC – and Jim. When we moved to Wake Forest, Zach was one of the most personable and engaging teens you could ever meet, in a church literally bursting with positive and gracious young people.

Zach’s bride, Sydney, matches him in vivacity and charm. It is encouraging to see two young people with such a passion for life begin a new chapter together, rooted in the understanding that not only do we need one another to be strong, we also need to be grounded in faith and in community.

So there I was, at a wedding rehearsal where I literally only knew three people; but I couldn’t help myself, my inner Paparazzi came out!

First, the setting was lovely. Rural North Carolina at its best.
Then, other than phones in the pockets of the participants, I realized no one was really documenting the event.
Also, I remembered that some of the best informal wedding photographs happen at the rehearsal. My pics will make a nice gift.
Finally, I really enjoy taking pictures. Beautiful people in a beautiful setting.

So that’s my excuse. Other than a few lead characters, don’t ask me the names of the people in these shots!

Finally, we live in this fractious moment in human history where so many people, both international and domestic, seem bent on driving wedges between us. What’s good for the nation, for example, is apparently less important than personal power and frustrating opponents.

So I stand up and applaud when love and unity takes center stage!