Fontana, CA — Many of you might not know this, but I moonlight as a professional DJ and primarily provide musical support for weddings. Along those lines, I was contacted by a potential client to handle a small wedding. After gathering information from the client, I immediately figured this was not your typical mainstream client with a large budget—the first indication was that it was being held in, let’s say—a particular part of town and at a Masonic lodge. Thus, I priced my services according to the client’s requests.
Interestingly, the client wasn’t the client—he was a family friend calling to secure DJ services for the client…at some point, it was clear that he was blessing the young couple getting married.
So, the wedding day came, and as I figured, it was low budget. They used those classic white sturdy plastic tables and folding chairs, minimal decorations, and about 25-30 family and friends showed up to celebrate their special day.
Then, I discovered that this wasn’t a wedding per se, rather, it was a 5-year wedding vows renewal ceremony! The bride was five months pregnant with their fourth child! The couple was relatively young, in their late 20s/ or early 30s. The bride wore a noticeably budget-friendly gown, the groom wore a basic outfit, and their beautiful children were nicely dressed.
Now, let’s stop for a moment…and not consider the low-budget nature of their event—this was a five-year wedding vow renewal.
Five years? Who does that?
When the ceremony began, they exchanged vows, and the groom choked up with tears as if he were marrying for the first time. It brought me to tears.
Additionally, I got word that they never had a formal ceremony. Never had a first dance, a wedding cake, a gathering of any kid with loved ones—they were in love and hit the ground running with launching their family and being together. They incorporated a money dance at the fun event, and the few guests there poured financial blessings on them!
Finally, I recalled I was there as their DJ because someone wanted to bless them with a professional DJ to run their event.
I was so honored.
Let’s remember this event while we are on our dating journeys. All too often we focus on the person’s degrees, social standing, physical attractiveness, and their accomplishments; then we might deem them a good catch. In that evaluation, the person’s character, love for God, passion, and an understanding of their emotional health and availability are not mentioned.
I have yet to hear of a person who is near death saying that they wished they could have obtained one more degree, made a little more money, or worked a bit more overtime and accumulated a few more material possessions. Having someone love you for you without judgment is true Nirvana. Having someone know you and all your flaws and still love and support you is priceless.
Remember this while you’re out there in those dating streets.
