Last weekend I ordained a marriage for two of my closest friends. It was a beautiful outside wedding, set to the backdrop of the golden leaves of fall, accompanied with pale blue skies. The sun was shining bright and everyone was in an incredible mood.
What made this wedding even more special was how it was blended to fit the culture of the groom. The groom, Dr. Baha’Aden Aljarani is of Lebanese descent, and his family is still very strictly and devotedly Muslim. (Baha, not so much).
They did have some qualms about him marrying his girlfriend of seven years, Kori Roth. She is an anglo-saxon, 5 foot 9 blonde who’s family is of British and Norwegian descent.
The ceremony proceeded like most weddings, but to honor Baha’s traditions, his family marched down the aisle by themselves. The women were wearing the most beautifully decorated hijabs to celebrate the special event.
The men of his family then came after the women were seated. They filed two by two down the aisle not saying a word.
This was followed by Baha’s father who stopped, looked at Baha and nodded deeply to show a sign of respect and approval. Baha nodded deeply back to him expressing his thanks. The qualms were gone and the ceremony was ready to begin.
The wedding proceeded from there as a traditional occasion. The ordained minister did a spectacular job even if he was very nervous.
The romantic wedding vows were exchanged and a tame but loving kiss was shared to a thunderous applause of friends, family and close acquaintances.
All was well until it came to the reception. Many who attended the wedding were not informed of the dry bar out of respect for Baha’s family. So until they left at sundown, for the first three hours of the reception there would be NO ALCOHOL!
There were many who were not in favor of this action. The first three hours of the reception seemed to creep by and there was a bit of tension in the air.
Everyone was respectful, but you could tell they were just waiting for the sight of the groom’s family to wave goodnight.
Finally that time came and as soon as Baha nodded approval it was like the last night of prohibition. The alcohol flowed and the line from the bar stretched all the way to the dance floor.
That night we danced, drank and laughed. We felt joy and sent hope to the two people that decided to officially join their lives together.
These two didn’t care about their cultural background or what people thought. All they cared about was their love for one another. Because love truly knows no culture.
Justin A. Baker
Staff Writer