Last weekend, I had the honor of being a part of my best friend’s wedding. While I love the aesthetic of weddings and how each detail makes a beautiful picture, it isn’t about that.

We showed up that morning, with hair and makeup ready. We got dressed and wore matching sky blue dresses the bride had picked just for us. The groomsmen showed up, ready and dressed in their tuxes. It wasn’t about that.

The bride got dressed and we saw her in her gown for the first time. She was absolutely stunning. My friend is beautiful, but never does a woman glow more than on her wedding day. The only exception is being with child. While she looked perfectly put together and magazine worthy, it wasn’t about that.

After she was dressed, we gathered our bouquets and made our way to the chapel to take pictures. We all smiled, happy for our friends. Smiling at the photographer, we posed to her heart’s content. We even held our baby’s breath around her to create a halo effect. But it wasn’t about that.

We prayed before the ceremony to calm the bride’s nerves. It calmed mine too, if anything else. It prepared us to walk down the aisle and stand by her. We lined up and waited at the entrance to the sanctuary.

Looking out at the ceremony, I could see all of their family and friends. The church was decorated beautifully, with a wooden arch covered in flowers center stage for the bride and groom to stand under. It wasn’t about that either.

I began to realize what it was about when the bride sang for her groom. It really sank in when the couple lit their unity candle. The lesson finally stuck when they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

This day wasn’t about the details. It was about their love and admiration for each other. Their connection they have, that they only have with each other. It was about how they want to spend the rest of their lives with one another.

It wasn’t about the decorations, or the clothes, or having everyone there. While those are all nice things, people have gotten married with much less. Some people don’t even have weddings and get married at the local courthouse. But that doesn’t change their feelings for one another.

From the moment two people are married, they are joined together as one flesh. They are no longer two separate people, because they have made a covenant under God to love each other no matter what.

It’s promising to be true to one another. It’s loving them in good times and bad, in sickness and in health. It’s loving them until death do you part.

That is what it’s about.

Watch for deer,

Gracie

Gracie Byrne can be reached at gracie.byrne@dailyleader.com