The Unexpected Sparks

No Hollywood set designer could have assembled a more perfect scene: A ceremony on a hill overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.  The sun as bright and cheery as the eponymous flowers decorating the chuppah. A breeze gently rustling the bride's heirloom veil as she walks down the aisle toward a beaming groom.

My stunning and stunningly accomplished college roommate K married her adorable husband R this weekend.  The wedding was fun, joyful, full of love, and -- as can only be expected of a couple as together as K and R -- meticulously organized.  The highlight of the wedding, however, was the one moment that was unplanned and unexpected.  Their deejay completely flubbed the music for their first dance, cycling in panic through one song after another on his ipod, only to get it wrong each time.  After about the fourth try, one of the bridesmaids led the crowd in the only song she thought we'd all know, "Stand by Me."  The couple retook the floor, and with laughter and grace, danced to the familiar and happy voices of those who love them most.

"Our brightest blazes are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks," wrote Samuel Johnson. This is certainly true of this couple, who met in a hurricane and danced their first dance to an impromptu and slightly off-key chorus comprised of those who love them.  K and R, may your marriage continue to be full of unexpected sparks!

Thanks for reminding us that the success of a wedding (and a marriage) is not gauged by what goes according to plan, but how we handle that which is unplanned.

Did anything unexpected and memorable happen at your wedding (or a wedding you recently attended)?  How did the bride and groom handle the situation?