I Now Pronounce You …

Another first for me this past weekend – I performed a wedding ceremony. Many years ago, I worked briefly for a DJ company that had all of their DJ’s get ordained on the internet. The idea was that if you were DJing a wedding where the minister didn’t show up, you could step in (and make the company more money). In the 30 years I have DJ’d, I’ve never had to step in to cover for a no show minister. I have also never performed a wedding ceremony, well, until Friday.

Backstory

I have known Theresa, the bride, for over 30 years, as we went to high school together. We’ve remained friends over the years. This was her second marriage and I actually DJ’d her first wedding. It’s been a long time, but I am almost positive that her first wedding was the first wedding I DJ’d (at least one of the first.)

I was laid up in the hospital with diverticulitis last year (almost exactly one year ago) and she came to visit me. Sam was in the room with me when Theresa came in. After a few minutes of chatting, she told me she had gotten engaged and was getting married. I congratulated her and she asked if I could to DJ for her. I told her I would. Then she asked, “Didn’t you tell me that you could perform wedding ceremonies one time?” I told her I could, but had never actually done it. She looked me dead in the eye and said, “Keith, I want you to marry me!” Without skipping a beat, I looked at my wife, then back at Theresa and said, “Well, I’m sorry, but I’m already married!”

Covid Postponement

Because of Covid-19, the wedding date was changed three times. Luckily, each time I had the date they moved it to available. I know the stress it put on the bride, and I can’t imagine all the stress Covid put on others who had plans throughout this pandemic. I know I was never able to find a day to do a small graduation party for my graduate because of it, and there had to be be many others I know who had to cancel things, too!

A week before the wedding, Theresa texted me about the wedding and said, “I don’t think we need a rehearsal. I think we all know how to walk down the aisle and such.” I made sure to call her and at least go over all of the music and details of the ceremony. The wedding party was small, so I thought, “How can we mess this up?”

I decided that if something didn’t go as planned, I would just ad-lib “This is what happens when you don’t have a rehearsal.” It didn’t take long for me to have to use that ad-lib. The bride’s brother was helping with playing the music for the entrances. He couldn’t figure out which button to push for when the bride entered. So, the bride just started walking in – with no music. All in all, in the end, it went well. They have a few funny moments to remember forever! LOL

Old Friends

Since Theresa and I went to high school together, we have numerous mutual friends. I knew of two that were going to be there, Stacey and Kris, but I was surprised to see my friend Pam there, too. Seeing these three friends was a joy. Stacey and I talk often, and have been close friends for years. We played trumpet together in band and often talk about Bible stuff. Kris and Pam both went to elementary school with me, so we’ve known each other for a long time, too. Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with old friends, but it is always great to see each other in person! They danced a lot and suggested some great old school tunes. They really made the night fun for me.

When I was a senior in high school, I asked Theresa’s sister Karen to the prom. Karen and I actually dated for quite awhile, so I knew all of their family very well. It was nice to see Theresa’s mom and dad, her brother’s Paul and Joe, and her sister Katy. Karen had an emergency come up and was unable to be at the wedding, but I was able to see her briefly before I set up. I felt bad because she was supposed to stand up in the wedding. Her brother’s kept me laughing a lot. They reminded me of some very funny stories that I had totally forgotten about. I sat with Katy and got to meet her kids and her husband. A couple of Theresa’s aunt’s were there and came up to me saying they remembered me, too. It really was a nice time.

If you are a wedding photographer, please do not take offence to this, but there is nothing that DJ’s hate more than a photographer who pulls the wedding couple away for more than 20 minutes to get pictures done. The DJ is left to deal with the people who are done eating and wondering when the dancing is going to start! The bride and groom always have the first dance, so if you have them and every other member of the bridal party off somewhere for over an hour, people get bored and leave. Despite it taking awhile to get the dancing started, once it did, people danced all night.

I was happy to be a part of such a special night and was even happier to see so many good friends.