Don't Be Laughed At--At Your Wedding

Written by Carl Quisenhunt

< Prev		Next >

by CarlQuisenhunt

Weddings are full of humor. They are live events with little rehearsal time. They are packed with emotion and expectation. Anything can happen. I have been performing weddings for more than 20 years, and I have seen some strange things.

The bride was also a mother and it was her second wedding. Her son, a six year old, was the ring bearer. Children always bring an element of surprise. Just as the ceremony progressed almost to the wedding vows, the little boy placed both hand below his belt buckle and with a look of real urgency on his face and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Mom, I have to go to the bathroom." The composed mom and bride said, "Go ahead, honey." So he jumped down from the platform and sprinted to the back hallway to the restroom. As we were just about to finish the ring vows, he sprinted back down the aisle, jumped back onto the platform and took his place. Obviously, no usher tried to give him instructions. Of course, the wedding continued with dignity in spite of it all.

The unity candle ceremony can be one of the most beautiful parts of the wedding ceremony. This ceremony pictures the "oneness" between husband and wife. Candles feature a live flame. The two mothers come to the front and light the individual candles before the bride and groom get in place. They did. The father of the bride and bride were in place. I welcomed everyone when I heard a "crackle" behind me. The groom leaned and looked around me. Something was not right. I quickly finished the welcome asked "Who gives this woman to this man in holy wedlock?" It would be my only chance to check out what was happening. The small candle used to light the individual candles had cracked its glass holder and the flame from that candle fell and began to ignite paper lace which covered the table. It was a small fire but was beginning to spread rapidly. The whole backdrop was covered in this paper lace. I began to snuff out the fire with my hands before it spread. By the time, I turned back around, the father had kissed his daughter, and the bride and groom had taken their places. The groom was a firefighter so we were safe all along.

Remember not to lock your knees when standing for a long time. It really can cause fainting. The audience was giving their attention to the lucky couple when suddenly the wedding ceremony was interrupted with a "Bang!" There was a uniform gasp. The elementary boy standing with the groomsmen had locked his knees. He passed out and fell like a board. It was loud. His father leaped to his feet and jumped up to stage. He picked up his son and quickly moved him to another room. His mom followed. I believe the wedding must go on. We did. I could see that it was not serious and that everything was under control so I continued with the wedding vows. We did not even comment on it. After the ceremony the boy's dad came out and said, "He's Okay, just fainted." Everyone applauded.

To eat or not to eat? That is the bride's question. How many brides have skipped breakfast because they were nervous that they would not be able to fit into their dress. I know of at least one. Halfway through the ceremony, the bride turned and whispered something to the groom. A look of concern passed across his face. He leaned forward and asked me if we could take a break because the bride was about to faint. I told the audience we needed to take a short break. The wedding coordinator tossed me a confused look and escorted the bride back to her dressing room. I walked back in a few minutes to see what the problem really was and if we would be able to finish. Apparently, she had no eaten all day, after getting she got some orange juice and crackers, she was OK and ready to proceed. We brought a chair for her and she sat down for the ceremony. When we got to the ring vows, she was feeling strong enough to stand up, and finished on her feet.

There are many opportunities for verbal mistakes. I have done plenty of these. Aside from losing my place, I have asked, "Who gives this man to this woman in holy matrimony?" I did not realize it until the everyone started to laugh. More than once I have asked the bride "do you promise to be a good and faithful husband?" Or, asked the groom, "do you promised to be a good and faithful wife?" One groom answered, "I do, to everything except being a good wife." My face was bright red.

Sometimes, you have to improvise, such as when the unity candle blows out. This is a hazard of having an outdoor wedding. After one couple lighted their unity candle and it blew out, lighted it a second time and it blew out, and then the third time, they gave up and went back to their place. (Of course, the photographer can put the flame into the picture.) I had to say, "And in marriage, the spark of love has to be rekindled many times." The crowd laughed and the tension was gone.

About the Author:

Before your wedding get a free copy of Dr. Carr's sample wedding vows at WeddingVowKit.com. The Wedding Vow Kit is full of wedding ceremony readings and Ring Vows. Pick up his Free e-book "The Original Wedding Ceremony."

Please register or login to add your comments to this article.