One reason I fell in love with hosting is the opportunity to be part of other people's celebrations. There is so much life and optimism that it is hard not to get caught up in the fun and "frenzy". It is amazing to see people work hard to make sure that every detail has been prepared. I remember my own wedding eleven years ago. Back then, wedding planners have not yet made their existence in the industry and so my husband and I took it upon ourselves to be the over-all coordinators of our wedding. We were prepared with all the essentials: church, reception venue, caterer, gowns for the bride and entourage, photographer and videographer, flowers, souvenirs and make-up artist. It was a simple wedding and by our standards, we both felt that it had everything. We were both happy and we didn't pass out flat on our bed on our wedding night.
A couple of years after, Philippine weddings were changed forever. Many thanks to the advent of wedding planners and coordinators. With professionals doing the legwork of the wedding preparation, there is absolutely no reason for the bride and groom ( and their families) to feel stressed, especially on the big day.
But why do some couples still feel and look harassed on their wedding day? After years of hosting weddings, coordinating a few and conversing with the bride and groom, I now know the reason why. What most couples focus on are the very same things that cause them to loose focus of the reason why they are tying the knot: the non-essentials.
Yes, it is a party. A celebration. A reunion. It has to be complete with everything that would make everyone happy. A successful wedding will be measured by how much the guests enjoyed and how everyone was accommodated and how even the smallest detail was attended to. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. But in the process, we tend to get so caught up with pleasing everyone, that we loose sight of the only one whom we should please. The author of marriage and the greatest match maker of all.
One favorite wedding planner of mine has this tagline attached to all their email correspondences with fellow suppliers: "May the Lord override all our preparations for this event". We can only do so much, but in the end, it is God who will make sure that everything will fall into place. After all, marriage is his creation. How can anything go wrong when it is being directed by the one who wrote the whole masterpiece?
Beyond the external preparations, God would love to see hearts centered on Him and eyes fixed on Him alone. People will forget that the vegetable dish was overcooked or that the flower centerpieces did not match the table cloth. They may talk about it for a while, but they will eventually forget about it and move on to the next juicier topic. But they will never forget how they felt during a wedding. A distracted couple will distract their suppliers and eventually everyone would soon feel it. I have seen this happen a couple of times and as a Host, I always go the extra mile to say something about the couple's love story ( which they have shared with me beforehand) so that I could remind them of the reason why we are all there, celebrating God's gift of love and new beginnings.
I have been to weddings where I really felt the love because the couple was not focused on pleasing everyone. There was so much peace emanating from them, because they were both focused on giving praise to the One who started it all. Marriage does not start and end with the wedding day. It is a journey of a lifetime of love and commitment and without God as the center of it all, there is no point in going through it at all.
A couple of years after, Philippine weddings were changed forever. Many thanks to the advent of wedding planners and coordinators. With professionals doing the legwork of the wedding preparation, there is absolutely no reason for the bride and groom ( and their families) to feel stressed, especially on the big day.
But why do some couples still feel and look harassed on their wedding day? After years of hosting weddings, coordinating a few and conversing with the bride and groom, I now know the reason why. What most couples focus on are the very same things that cause them to loose focus of the reason why they are tying the knot: the non-essentials.
Yes, it is a party. A celebration. A reunion. It has to be complete with everything that would make everyone happy. A successful wedding will be measured by how much the guests enjoyed and how everyone was accommodated and how even the smallest detail was attended to. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. But in the process, we tend to get so caught up with pleasing everyone, that we loose sight of the only one whom we should please. The author of marriage and the greatest match maker of all.
One favorite wedding planner of mine has this tagline attached to all their email correspondences with fellow suppliers: "May the Lord override all our preparations for this event". We can only do so much, but in the end, it is God who will make sure that everything will fall into place. After all, marriage is his creation. How can anything go wrong when it is being directed by the one who wrote the whole masterpiece?
Beyond the external preparations, God would love to see hearts centered on Him and eyes fixed on Him alone. People will forget that the vegetable dish was overcooked or that the flower centerpieces did not match the table cloth. They may talk about it for a while, but they will eventually forget about it and move on to the next juicier topic. But they will never forget how they felt during a wedding. A distracted couple will distract their suppliers and eventually everyone would soon feel it. I have seen this happen a couple of times and as a Host, I always go the extra mile to say something about the couple's love story ( which they have shared with me beforehand) so that I could remind them of the reason why we are all there, celebrating God's gift of love and new beginnings.
I have been to weddings where I really felt the love because the couple was not focused on pleasing everyone. There was so much peace emanating from them, because they were both focused on giving praise to the One who started it all. Marriage does not start and end with the wedding day. It is a journey of a lifetime of love and commitment and without God as the center of it all, there is no point in going through it at all.