THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF YOUR WEDDING DAY
I was curious. In this day and age, where selfies rule and online chatting is replacing in person conversation, what is it about the wedding day that people enjoy the most? Is the technology of the day affecting how we think about weddings, and the moments that happen during them? The wedding stands out as one of the very few experiences you will spend months or even years preparing for. Where you get to invite everyone who matters most to you in this world. And where you choose the timing of your day and the entirety of events to coincide exactly with the wedding of your dreams. Every single detail is meticulously analyzed and agonized over, and I was curious: what do we consider to be the most important, most memorable moment of the wedding day?
There are a lot of great moments that will happen during the day, of course. Weddings really do bring out the most amazing emotions. But, is there one that truly stands out? I wanted to know, so I asked some recently married couples to describe their most cherished moments during their wedding.
RAINDROPS AND DANCE PARTIES
The responses ranged from the obvious to things that were more subtle. Like when Jade described her elopement in Italy and recalled “Our favourite part of the day was the unexpected – laughing in the rain! My husband really enjoyed himself, and it simply didn’t matter how wet the dress got by the end (really really wet).”
Several people responded (with a lot of exclamation points) that the DANCING!!!! was a highlight of their day. And when you get to choose the venue, invite all your favorite people, and hire the band/DJ – well, it’s hard to argue with this one.
A few others pointed out that spending some alone time with their spouse, whether it was a just few stolen minutes or a longer sojourn, was something they thoroughly enjoyed. “I’m particularly glad my husband and I got an hour together on the journey from the ceremony to the reception – that time together was very special”.
FIRST LOOKS
Laura offered this, “One of my favourite moments was during the reception, just looking around and thinking that all these people are here because they love and support us, and just feeling really lucky that everything came together and everyone was here celebrating with us!”
Another great response was submitted by Kristy, who wrote “My favourite moment was seeing my dad see me for the first time.” This was a very popular answer, coming in just behind “Seeing my husband stand at the altar, waiting for me to walk down the aisle with my father.” In fact, that moment is one of the most strongly remembered of all, according to the responses I received. Jessie agreed, saying “My favourite part of the day was walking down the aisle, feeling so much love from all our guests, and locking eyes with my soon to be husband”.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
But the overall winner, and it wasn’t even close, was the Ceremony. In fact, EVERY single person who responded claimed that exchanging their vows was the most important part of their wedding day. And not just from a legality perspective – it was the powerful emotions attached to professing their love to one another that really stood out.
Jasmine said “The most important moment, and my favourite moment, was our vow exchange”. “The ceremony really was the most important and my favourite moment of the day” offered Tannis. “The most important moment was the ceremony, but my favorite part was our vows”, wrote another. “The moment I cherish the most is standing at the end of the altar, holding hands and exchanging the vows we wrote ourselves.”
HAPPINESS, WARMTH AND PEACE
I could show you paragraphs of this, displaying a sentiment that is obviously shared by all who’ve been through this. Some had large weddings, others were smaller affairs. Some exchanged vows privately, overlooking gorgeous vistas, while others chose humble churches. And whether it was in a Castle or a backyard, in a foreign country or just down the street – everyone agreed the only thing that mattered, right then, was the person standing right in front of them.
This response says it all: “I believe this to be the one part of the day where it literally is only about you and your partner. For me, it was the only time of day where I honestly did not think about or see anyone beyond who I was marrying. It was the part of the day I can remember every single moment the most. If I were to describe how I felt during my ceremony in just a few words, they would be comfort, happiness, warmth and peace. Talking about it with my husband, we can both honestly say, it was the one moment that always was important and ended up being the moment that mattered the most to us over the entire day.”
And I have to say, I’m incredibly touched by this quote, and by the fact that the vow exchange was hands down the most important part of the wedding day. It just goes to show that no matter what changes technology has brought us, we are all still drawn most strongly to those times in our lives when we connect in a profound way to another human. When we love, and are loved, and say it with words instead of with keystrokes.
