A Simple, Charming Wedding: A Crying Officiants Perspective

My experience as a seasoned wedding officiant has taught me to carry a tissue in my pocket to offer the bride or groom. Weddings are emotional times, I’m often moved by the tender exchanges I witness between couples. Professionally, I need to keep my emotions in check, no one wants a weeping wedding officiant stealing their spotlight.
My emotional regulation failed during the ceremony of Tanya and Michael. My heart was touched by the unpretentious septuagenarians walking each other down the aisle, hand in hand, wearing their Sunday best, in a room void of guests but full of anticipation. 
When joyful tears ran down Tanya’s face, Michael gallantly handed her a blue handkerchief pulled from his front pocket. Suddenly, for the first time in countless weddings, tears escaped from my eyes. Regrettably, I’d forgotten to grab a tissue and had to pause the ceremony to ask for one.
Afterwards, the newlyweds shared a glimpse into their love story. Tanya said they went to high school together. After graduation, she headed off to college, but Michael’s couldn't go, so he went to work and landed in public transportation. They reconnected twenty years ago at their high school reunion and have been together ever since. 
In the 1970’s, Michael married his first wife in a big church wedding. He exclaimed, “I had no idea how big the wedding was going to be until I arrived at the church!” Tanya confessed she’d dreamed of a big church wedding in her youth, but now, both in their seventies, an intimate wedding fit them best. Tanya stated, “Most people think we’re already married!”
She made a curious remark, “Michael and I decided not to invite anyone to our wedding. We didn’t want people to have to choose whether or not to come.” 
Although I didn’t ask her to explain, I understood the essence of what she was saying. Sometimes we choose love regardless of the possibility of being rejected for the person we’ve chosen. 
I reflected on my own love story. In 2008, I’d committed to spending the rest of my life with my same-sex partner. We threw a one year “anniversary party” in a rented lodge, on a beautiful lake, and stunned our guests with a surprise wedding ceremony officiated by our affirmimg pastor - all before same-sex marriage was legal or more widely accepted. 
We made the difficult decision to exclude family members who could rain on our parade. Perhaps, I sensed that Tanya and Michael had similar attitudes; kindred spirits on the path to love unapologetically.   
The wedding took place at a fresh new venue in the Historic East Village called VOWS DSM, a pioneer in the industry; there are no wedding venues like it in the state of Iowa.
They provided everything Tanya and Michael needed for their ideal wedding and more. The options at VOWS DSM are limitless, affordable, and classy. They can arrange the entire event for 2-70 guests: the food, photographer, flowers, music, drinks, and the officiant. Or couples can reserve the modern venue and plan everything themselves. Tanya and Michael wholeheartedly expressed that VOWS DSM was the perfect venue for their intimate wedding experience.
Following the ceremony, they had a toast, posed for more photos, shared a lovely charcuterie tray and gourmet cupcakes. To top off their wedding, they’d planned a celebratory dinner at a favorite steakhouse later that night.
As the newlyweds enjoyed their refreshments, I observed them from across the room. They rested in the comfortable familiarity of each other's presence, quietly enjoying the moment that marked the next chapter of their long-lasting love story. My heart strings tugged again, I reached for another tissue.