Beauty and the Bride (Dress Rehearsal, Part II)

Today’s post is a continuation of the story I started yesterday. https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2024/08/18/last-minute-invite/

Ali, my unofficial “grandson” and a groom-to-be, had called to invite me to his wedding – which was a week away! The following day his mother Nasrin, who now knew a lot more English, called me to see if I was coming. I told her I was, but I needed to know what women were going to be wearing. Would they be wearing head coverings? Nasrin said some would but assured me there’d be others who wouldn’t.

Later, knowing I had some formal dresses in Louisville, I asked her via text if there were any traditions regarding colors. For American weddings the only hard and fast rule I knew was that no one wears white except the bride. (Of course, American weddings are also planned months or years in advance … )

The answer came in a voicemail from the groom’s sister Sophie, who was about twelve by now. Now calling me “Grandma Ann,” she said she missed me SOooo much, that she and the bride were going to wear white, and that I should wear white, too, as “family.” I was a bit surprised, but I trusted Sophie.

I only had one white dress, the one I had worn to our “golden anniversary” party the summer before. It was knee length and distinctly not Middle Eastern. I sent a picture, and Sophie’s next voicemail said, “Ohmygosh, that is stunning, and yes, you should definitely wear it!” So, again taking the advice of a twelve-year-old, I checked that concern off the list.

I learned the time and location of the wedding through a “virtual invitation.” The border of flowers gave me an idea for a gift that I tucked away in my mind.

By Saturday noon I had driven as far as Indianapolis when the AC in the car started acting up. Since it was 95 degrees, this was not a good thing! I rolled into Louisville just in time to visit Ali’s business before they closed. The groom was not there, of course, but I was helped by his employees. They were friendly young men, and when I told them why I was in town, they said they’d see me at the wedding.

I left the auto shop in time to pick up one of my granddaughters and get to Hobby Lobby before they closed, to buy some silk flowers matching the ones on the invitation.

Sunday morning, I was awake at 4:30. Unable to get back to sleep, I got up at 5:30 and made a wreath for the bride and groom’s new home that matched the border on their invitations. I planned on taking a nap later that day, but before I knew it, it was time to head out to the wedding.

As the other women arrived at the venue, I was in awe. They looked absolutely gorgeous. Each one was draped with multiple layers of brightly colored fabrics, some embroidered, some with beads and sequins. They were wrapped in satin sashes and gold belts and adorned with opulent jewelry. With long, flowing black hair completing the look, these women were dazzling. They reminded me of the book of Arabian Nights my sister and I enjoyed so much as kids, when we would leaf through the pages of colorful illustrations, trying to decide which of the ladies had the most beautiful dresses.

To be honest, I was intimidated. But there were three women who were very friendly and seemed genuinely interested in who I was and how I knew the family. We got acquainted over the dinner of exotic foods the guests had brought. Toward the end of the evening, we exchanged contact information, hoping to get together after I returned from Michigan for the winter.

When I was ready to say my goodbyes to the family, the bride opened my gift. Although she didn’t speak much English yet, a little gasp and smile of delight said all that needed to be said.

As I turned to go, I jokingly told Ali, “Pray my phone doesn’t die before I get home.” After taking so many pictures, I was hoping I had enough battery left for the GPS to take me back.

Ali responded, “Text me when you get there, so I’ll know you made it OK.”

“I am not texting you on your wedding night!” I laughed. But bless his heart, he seemed so concerned, I promised I’d text his mom.

The next day, looking through the pictures of that special occasion, I once again found myself distracted by the elegance of the women there, and once again I felt like a mousy little old lady in comparison. I cropped myself out of all the group pictures except the one of me with the bride and groom.

I guess I was about due for a reality check…

The next time I was focused on Scripture, I was in the book of I Peter. As I read/recited the familiar verses, one passage fairly jumped out at me, and I laughed as I felt the Lord’s “smacking me upside the head” with the verses I knew so well.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. – I Peter 3:3-4

In other words, as impressed as I was with the glamorous, the Lord looks on the heart. I don’t need to compete with the exotic beauties I encountered at a Middle Eastern wedding, I just need to have “a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Of course, that in itself is enough of a challenge for me! But thankfully, He will help me with this aspiration, because this is the one He cares about.

Prayer: Lord, in my perpetual search for divine perspective, I am so grateful for Your patience. Help me to be beautiful in the ways that matter to You and not get distracted by envy. In Jesus’ name, amen.