One of the joys of being a minister is officiating at weddings. One particular stand-out for me over the past year was that of Andrew and Suja, a Christian couple both with families from Sri Lanka. I say stand-out not least because their wedding was so large (having to accommodate 2 large families and a numerous friends) that St Augustine’s was unable to host it so the good people at St Thomas, North Sydney, allowed use of their spectacular building. More than that, however, this Christian couple wanted to get as many people in as possible so that I could preach the gospel to them. Now I call that stand-out. I trust that I discharged my duty as well as I could.

Suja contacted me a few days ago to let me know that photos from the big day had been blogged up by a wedding style website. And they’re stunning. Here’s a few for you.

There’s also a great video overview:

You’ll see that immediately after announcing the bride and groom I step aside and take out my phone. Rest assured, dear reader, this is not because I am ever-eager to catch up facebook but because one of the little things I get to do at a wedding is take shots like this…

Now a little observation. Andrew and Suja were clear that their wedding day should speak clearly and winsomely of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the bridegroom of His bride, the Church. But the world thinks very differently. So check out the commentary on the blog site:

Some weddings manage to blend cultural traditions so seamlessly with contemporary American style, and this one, dear friends, does so in epic proportions. How epic? Well, for starters, 500 guests, several massive twinkling crystal chandeliers, and two wedding dresses, the second of which was a gift from the groom’s family, a Sri Lankan tradition.  The aptly named Crystal Palace at Luna Park set the stage for this sparkling soiree, and Tealily Photography worked the camera around the carefree carnival shoot, the endless sea of attendees and stunning antique hued Best Buds Florist blooms. We have all the best shots from this big big day in the full gallery, and the Sala Studio video so you can see every pretty piece!

For the stylists, reflecting what the world around us wants, the main game is the reception – that’s where the action is, that’s the focus and highlight. The ceremony should be pretty, no doubt, but it’s the warm-up for the proper celebration. What I find interesting is that in framing the day in this way they have, ultimately, failed to capture the essence of what occurred. So I chose the pictures above carefully – not since I like to see myself in a photo (if I did, let’s face it, I could have picked something a little more flattering) but because the promises made and then symbolised at those 2 moments are the essence, the heart of the wedding. If there was one stage to set, that was it. Andrew and Suja recognised that, but the world so often does not and so there are next to no photos of the actual ceremony on the website but hundreds of the stunningly beautiful reception.

That being said, the reception was an absolute cracker, full of fun and genius touches.

Thanks for letting me be part of that wonderful day, Andrew and Suja – but thank you even more for allowing me to speak to 500 of your guests about the Lord Jesus Christ – so unstylish for so many and yet the most beautiful central focus of the whole event. May you both be a living picture of He and His bride the Church in a world that craves so many other “beautiful” things.