Double the wedding, double the fun

Shortly after Mitch and I got engaged in Kenya, we heard the happy news that Dj, who works with me on Book work, also got engaged, to a fellow Follower from Clove Island. She's been living on Volcano Island for a few years, so when Mitch and I returned to the islands in February, we met up for dinner to hear their story in person and to share more about our plans moving forward. Well, in the conversation, as we were talking about plans for a wedding celebration for bels in the islands, we threw out the idea of "if you're ready, we could make it a double event!" They weren't ready for that idea, acting a bit embarrassed and laughing it off.

But the idea stuck. Dj's kids were showing signs of struggling with being juggled back and forth between relatives, and the pressure to get married sooner rather than later was building. At first Dj and V were talking about getting married in September. Then August, then July. Then the question was, "why not now?"

Dj tossed out the joke of making our wedding a double wedding. Mitch and I discussed it and came back to him to say, "if you're serious about it, please do. You're more than welcome to share our wedding." Well, after a bit more discussion, they decided to join us for the happy day! But at that point it was a secret-- no one was to know except for them, us, and maybe two other people.

But secrets are hard to keep, especially happy ones like that, and by the week before the wedding it was no longer a secret. Not only were we having the first wedding between bels in the islands in the local language, we were having a double wedding with island bels! 

What a blessing!

V and I got ready at a friend's house with the help of Ech. Being brides together was a lot of fun, as we were able to practice saying our vows together, check each other's hair and makeup, add flowers, and give each other moral support for the big event.

It was such a special time, gathering with other expats and local brothers and sisters, hearing a sermon on marriage from a Chr perspective, singing worship songs together, dancing and pr.ying and taking pictures. It was quite the mixture of island languages, island traditions, the Word, and specific traditions from our own cultures.

May this wedding be not only a first, but the first of many of its kind!