I was underwhelmed with my finds at the church rummage sale–silk flowers, a few vases, candles and candle holders–that I could use for my backyard wedding. At the age of 67, I could hardly believe I was getting married again. I wanted the ceremony to be as perfect as I felt this marriage would be. Then my eye fell on a big sheet of white, satiny fabric. Only two dollars. “I’ll take it!” I said. It looked great, but what was it for?
I’m not an impulsive person. It had taken me a long time to get used to the idea of falling in love again, after forty-one years of marriage and a difficult divorce. Five years ago, I moved to Antioch, Illinois and met Bobby in my new church. We slowly fell for each other, bonding over our shared faith. After two years of friendship and two years of dating, we decided to tie the knot. I wanted to start off my second marriage right. I needed our big day to go without a hitch.
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Our wedding date approached. Everything fell into place. We set up tables and chairs in the yard. The flowers, vases, and candles worked well as centerpieces. Yet this nagging feeling persisted—what if it rained? What if the people we wanted with us most couldn’t make it? A carpenter friend of mine was building the arbor Bobby and I would be married under. What if it didn’t arrive in time?
It didn’t help my nerves when my friend brought over the arbor just a day before the ceremony. I had little time to decorate it. The white fabric! I thought.
I stood on a ladder and nailed the fabric to the top of the arbor and both sides, covering each nail with flowers. Then I stood back to see how much I needed to trim.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. At that moment, I knew our wedding day would be perfect, no matter what.
We had superb autumn weather. All our loved ones were there. And Bobby and I exchanged our vows in the arbor beneath that flowing white fabric. Not one inch too long or too short, as if made by God for that purpose. The perfect fit. Like Bobby and me.
