The most important wedding video

Three years ago I taped a very nice wedding. The families were so happy with their video that they gladly referred me to the groom's sister who was to be married the following year. Two years ago on July 3, 2004 I videotaped a Matt & Kara's wedding. However, if you were to review the footage you would certainly say it was an unremarkable wedding and also an average video.

Matt & Kara didn't over-spend on anything but they didn't leave anything out either. They had nice food, decor, cake, clothes, pictures, video and car but nothing grand or award-winning by any stretch of the imagination. The wedding was in a simple Baptist church and the reception was in a large community room at a townhouse complex in Santa Clarita, California. One of Matt's two sisters sang beautifully during the ceremony and the song she sang was written by Matt's father. It was beautiful. Next, each of the fathers read scripture. Matt's father read from Romans 8:35-39. Then came the procession - again, music composed by Matt's father. Tears in the groom's eyes. Honest clear vows recited. Rings exchanged. Candle lighted. Kiss. Recessional.

I packed up my 3 cameras and gear and drove to the reception site. They had selected a video package that didn't include much reception coverage but as the family started to arrive, I thought to myself, "These people could be gone next year. You never know." So I taped a few shots of people walking up the sidewalk to the reception hall. A few speeches. Cake cutting. Bouquet toss. Motion Picture show (you know, it's the show with all the baby pictures in it). Then the send-off as guests tossed colorful paper airplanes over their heads as they ducked into their rented Mini Cooper and drove away.

Simple ordinary wedding, wouldn't you agree?

Fast forward to July 2005. One Sunday morning an announcement is made in my church that a terrible accident has happened to a Master's college student and her family. She, her sister and two parents have been killed in a highway accident involving a tractor-trailer. The only family member unharmed was their brother who was not with them at the time. (My church is loosely connected with that college) When I heard that the brother was left to grieve alone, I had to wipe away a few tears. Imagine that! Your whole immediate family gone in an instant and you alone without comfort!

3 weeks later I ran into Kara's family at church and they informed me that it was in fact Matt's family who had been killed. More tears. I actually knew these people! They also continued to tell me some of the details which are these: The family was on a cross-country trip to visit relatives and they were taking a copy of the wedding video to show the family. The video was in the car with them and it didn't survive the crash either. When the state troopers came to deliver the news to Matt & Kara in Texas, the first thing Matt did was to invite the troopers to join him as he prayed and thanked the Lord for their lives, ministries and time on earth. They were all faithful Christians, saved by grace and sustained by their creator. Matt is not left alone. Kara's parents ordered more copies of their wedding video from me in order to mail them to Matt's extended family who then more than ever wanted to see that wedding video.

Then I remembered that thought I had when I was at their wedding reception, "These people might be gone next year. You never know." One year and two days later, it came to pass. This was certainly the most valuable wedding video I have ever produced.