Taylor & Joshon

This weekend, I found myself again in Oklahoma City. I almost didn’t go. It’s been a wonderful couple of weeks, but life has been full. I’ve taken day trips the last two weekends and, frankly, I’m tired. I would have enjoyed being home for this one. My perfect Friday night would have been dinner and then coffee on Mass St.

Nothing is better than a Fall evening on Mass.

There is so much life and vitality on that street; diversity intermingling and enjoying the same built environment. Instead, I found myself leaving work a little bit early, driving for 5 ½ hours and arriving at 9:30. At that point, I immediately drove to my favorite taco joint for a late dinner. I confess: Taco Cabana was a motivating factor in getting me into the car!

I came down for a friend’s wedding. In the Summer of ‘08, I had the opportunity to live in Rome. For 7 weeks, a pregnant married couple, 3 college students and the world's most over-qualified barista shared a 900 sq. ft apartment in Testaccio, Rome, Italy. Taylor, who met her husband a few weeks after we returned from Italy, was Joshon’s bride. They got married Saturday evening in a vineyard.

Friday afternoon, as I debated whether to make the trip, my friend Katie asked if I would be sad if I missed the wedding. A wedding junkie, Katie had a hunch that this was an important event.

She was right. This was a wedding not to be missed.

At 6pm on a cool, clear, somewhat windy Oklahoma evening, a crowd of 250 gathered in anticipation of the coming events. At the bottom of a gently sloping hill, a tree sat by a small pond; white folding chairs in a half moon shape enclosed this makeshift sacred space. The groomsmen wore various varieties of linen pants and earth tone shirts; flips flops were the norm. The bridesmaids wore complimentary shaded dresses, seemingly of their own choosing, and held bouquets of wheat. Johson walked freely amongst the crowd in white linen pants and the pimpest baby blue shift I’ve ever laid eyes on; he, of course, was barefoot. But the simplicity of the event did not at all take away from the elegance and radiance of Taylor. Wearing a beautiful white dress, she beamed at her groom as she walked down the hill to take Joshon hand in hand and covenant her life to him before God.

After a short, humble ceremony, all the men under 60 each grabbed a couple of lawn chairs and the crowd walked up the hill to an adjacent barn. The nicest buffet of hors d’oeuvres, wine, and a coffee bar greeted us. Within the hour soft, gentle music had begun. Within 2, beats were bumping and the dance floor was filled with celebrating friends. As we were leaving a few hours later, I wondered aloud where Taylor and Joshon were. My friend laughed and said they had left a long time ago. Slipping out of the party sometime after they were toasted, they allowed the party to go on uninterrupted.


And that for me, was the beauty of this weeding. I don’t want to give the impression that somehow Taylor and Joshon weren’t at the center of the celebration, because they were; this was their wedding. From the outdoor ambiance to the simple wedding attire to the dance music and the free lattes, the entire evening exuded their personalities. But it also, seemingly, was not their wedding, or rather, it was not just their wedding.

This was also a celebration of humanity, a time to remember and enjoy all things human. Weddings are one of those rare times in which we remember we are a created people, a race full of intention. Whether through the vast development of evolution, the sudden entrance of creation or something in between, there seems to be meaning behind all that is natural. I believe there is a Divine Father who is present to His creation, His living artwork. Saturday night felt like a big party on his front lawn. It was almost like, in all that we did, we were reminding ourselves of all things good: freedom, reconciliation, hope, laughter, taste, touch, friendship, humility, commitment. I am not so naïve to believe everyone had this experience that night, but that is how I felt. To borrow a phrase from Rob Bell, a pastor and author, Taylor and Joshon’s wedding was an experience of “Heaven crashing into Earth.”

Taylor & Joshon, thank you. You are a couple who simply and humbly love. It seems funny to congratulate you, because I strongly feel that your love for one another is the simple consequence of both of you being who you are individually: servants, truth-seekers and adventurers. How can you congratulate someone for being them? But I shall. Congratulations on your new life together. May it be full of the things you both pursue: freedom, dreams and, yes, love.