COVID-19 and a Wedding

Two good friends of ours were married this past weekend, tucked into the far corner of a backyard under a few trees, warm and breezy with light clouds and singing birds. It was lovely. They moved up their wedding day by several months because of the pandemic, hosting a small gathering for family instead of waiting for a larger celebration in the fall.¹ That later gathering will hopefully happen, too, but it’s still another “normal” thing hurriedly rearranged.

It’s natural to feel sad about all the big and small inconveniences that COVID-19 is causing. And to recognize that, for many people, “inconvenient” drastically undersells the situation: it’s life or death, whether because of the disease itself or from the economic consequences. But in view of everything moved around or put on hold over the last few months, this wedding brought some particular kind of joy. For the Christian, a wedding isn’t just a big party (though it is that), it’s a group celebration of two people choosing to team up for the rest of their lives. And to continue choosing, day after day. In these times, “choosing to choose” now seems more tangible than ever.