The Night Experience

Night weddings always fill me with awe.

My first fascination with night weddings started at the young age of seven when I witnessed the closing end of a wedding ceremony being conducted at my local church. In all my years I had only known the concept of weddings taking place when the sun was shining, and entering dressed in my finest. But in the dark spying through my church windows saw a lady and a gentleman at the altar repeating their vows and entering into the sacrament of holy matrimony. “To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.” I heard those words on that occasion on the outside of my church building, and it was there that I fell in love with weddings entirely.

Like I said before, it’s the nights that hold me. And I had the opportunity of experiencing it once again four years ago.

This time it was my dear friend at the altar, and, just like my first night wedding I remembered this one distinctly. The previous Sunday she whispered to me “Jem, I’m getting married Tuesday night, dress nicely!”

It is with shame that I would admit that I forgot this whispered conversation, I forgot to dress nicely. I was not dressed for the occasion. Instead of a pretty cocktail dress, I wore a basic navy blue shirt and a jeans skirt. Shame!

But let’s forget about me. The church was decorated in white roses and the aisle was littered with the white petals of the same flowers. The bride’s daughter was her sole bridesmaid (she beamed for the entire ceremony) her baby son was dressed in the cutest tuxedo suit ever, the groom wore a tuxedo that matched his son and the bride wore a lace princess cut white satin dress. The wedding party looked stunning.

Then, while repeating the same vows I heard at the age of seven, they stared into each other’s eyes and promised to love and cherish each other, all the while standing under a rose decorated arbor with that was accentuated with gold tinted palm leaves and white and green lace ribbons.

This ceremony was a small one, only about fifty persons in attendance and the reception was held immediately after in the church’s adjoining annex. There was also decorated with the white roses, palm leaves and ribbons. I must talk about the food. It was divine! A simple Christmas rice, Barbeque chicken and potato salad. The bride’s aunt was the cook, she gave me the best meal I have ever eaten at any wedding ceremony.

Needless to say, the bride and groom stole themselves away after the short meal to have their official wedding pictures taken at the Queens Park Savannah, and I was left sighing that, not only was it the shortest wedding I had ever experienced ( 1 hour 35 mins), it was my second night wedding, the best food and the tranquil and laid atmosphere added with the spectacular décor made this wedding one that remains prominent in my memory and I think it will be there for a long time to come.