The Best Wedding Ceremony Job

It's almost July, which means you are most likely knee deep in wedding season. There are bridal showers, bachelorette parties, gifts to purchase, dresses to buy, shoes to coordinate, travel plans to make, dates to find, dance moves to perfect. But don't let these things bog you down, weddings can be a lot of fun!

Admittedly, my zeal doesn't always make it all the way through the wedding season. When the first wedding hits in March or April, I am one of the most helpful people you will ever know: setting up, cleaning afterwards, whatever it takes. I will have spent months thinking about the perfect gift for the happy couple and how to package it just right so as to impress everyone whose eyes behold my beautiful creation. It will have taken me a week to craft the perfect words to express how happy I am for the bride and groom on the card. During the ceremony and reception I will snap a hundred pictures of the experience to make sure I remember it all.

By the time I make it to the last wedding of the year in September or October, I will pick up a gift card 10 minutes before the ceremony starts, write the card in the car and finish it during the ceremony. If I remember to pull my phone out, I might take a picture of the ceremony and although I'm really happy for you, I'm more concerned about eating your food and guessing what dessert you will be serving. This does not mean I'm any less excited for you than the people that got married in the spring, but your wedding is the 10th I've been to this year and I only have so many dance moves left in me (granted, I really only had 3 bad ones to begin with).

Despite the waning of my enthusiasm as the season wears on, I am always excited to do a reading at a wedding. Last summer, one of my former roommates got married to a great guy and they asked me to read a Scripture during the ceremony. I think this might be one of my favorite jobs in a wedding for the following reasons:

- If you like being in front of people, you get to come up in the middle of the ceremony and do your thing, but you don't have to stand there the whole time with the risk of forgetting to keep those knees loose and bent and going down in the middle of the ceremony. You also don't have to walk up and down the aisle in high heels while everyone watches you, anticipating your tripping and falling so they can post it on YouTube.

- You don't have to purchase a bridesmaid dress, rent a tux or buy a suit.

- You still get to be a part of your close friends' big day and you get to go to the rehearsal dinner - free food!

- However, I did discover one drawback at this particular wedding. I happened to be standing and chatting with the wedding party when the DJ announced dinner was ready. I tried to back away slowly, when the bride's father insisted that I was a part of the wedding party and I should go ahead in the dinner line. At first, this was great because I got to hold it over my friends' heads that I got my food before them. This greatness lasted the amount of time it took to get through the buffet line, as I found myself in a room alone, eating my dinner by myself as all my friends were in the food line together.

If you find yourself with the honored job of reading a Scripture (or a poem, song lyrics, an excerpt from Dr. Suess, etc.), there are a few things you can do to get yourself ready. I sent the following email to the bride (my former roommate) a few days before the wedding to assure her I was preparing myself for the role she had given me on her special day.

As the wedding day approached, three things happened: 1. The officiant was going to assign me the Scripture to read and had not done so as of the day before the wedding. 2. The bride was slightly afraid that the officiant just wasn't going to show up on the wedding day (it seems like all brides find at least one irrational fear for their big day and this was hers). We joked that since I am a licensed pastor, I would be the "back-up". 3. the "back-up" officiant idea quickly turned into the bride and I discussing how "great" it would be if I just hijacked the mic from the officiant and took over the ceremony. With that understanding, glean what you will from my preparation and this email. Maybe you can use this as a template to make sure your bride knows you are fully prepared to play your role. Enjoy the wedding season!


Hi (insert your bride's name here),

I thought I would fill you in on my weekend activities:

1. I practiced photo bombing as many photos as I could get into this weekend at Riverfront Park.

2. I read the entire Bible out loud, I think I'm ready now.

3. I practiced stealing the mic on Sunday at church. It was a little difficult since they use the kind that go over your ear and tape to your cheek. I might need to go to church with you guys for a couple of weeks until the whole situation blows over.

4. I am prepared to hit the officiant with my Bible while shouting, "I'm a better pastor anyways! I'll pick my own scripture!"

I can't wait to celebrate with you!