‘Tiny wedding’ was full of big memories at Our Lady of the Lake Church

Story by Beth Donze
Photo courtesy of Our Lady of the Lake Parish

The bride, dressed in her nicest “church” attire, held a simple nosegay of flowers and ribbons.

The groom – putting aside his tuxedo, at least for now – donned his best suit and tie.

While it wasn’t exactly the way the couple pictured themselves on their “Big Day,” Father Mark Lomax, who presided at the 15-minute-long marriage ceremony inside Our Lady of the Lake Church on March 21, said it was as beautiful and moving as any wedding he had ever witnessed in “normal times.”

“Because of the coronavirus business, we had a very small wedding instead of the large celebration they had planned,” explained Father Lomax, Our Lady of the Lake’s pastor, echoing a refrain of his brother priests who are also having to regroup with couples who had weddings in the books for March and beyond.

“They have postponed their big celebration and reception to a later date, which will be a Mass of celebration on the occasion of their three-month anniversary,” Father Lomax said. “They will renew their vows before their friends in this anniversary Mass in their honor.”
 
Kept their original date, time, place

The couple’s tiny March 21 wedding, with attendance restricted to their immediate families, was held on the same date and time they had planned for all along.

Although no physical bodies filled the pews, Our Lady of the Lake parishioners were there in spirit, thanks to large individual photos of them placed in the pew spots they usually occupied on Sundays. (The special project was coordinated by Father Doug Busch, Our Lady of the Lake's parochial vicar, to symbolically “fill” the church during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Ironically, the timing of the wedding worked out in another sweet way: Because it took place right after the filming of that weekend’s vigil Mass for online viewing the following day, the newlyweds received an unexpected wedding gift.

“They were very fortunate, because the videographer who has been filming our Masses very kindly offered to video their little wedding for them,” Father Lomax said. “Wasn’t that nice?”
 
Priest recalls other ‘special conditions’

Although Father Lomax – and Catholic priests in general – do not usually advise couples to schedule their weddings during the penitential season of Lent, the groom’s busy job as a New Orleans police officer was taken into consideration when the Lenten date was chosen many months ago, Father Lomax said.

“We made this offer (of a smaller ceremony on their original wedding date) to them, and they were quite happy to have it,” he said. “They are a very understanding, very mature couple. They understood the importance of what they were doing (on March 21), and that the later celebration would be secondary to what they were doing on their wedding day.

“They had the best attitude,” the priest added. “They weren’t going to let this epidemic ruin their wedding; they had a good time! They were a delight to work with and minister to.”

One logistical detail did have to be altered because of the pandemic: the couple’s three-month anniversary Mass will take place at nearby Mary Queen of Peace Church, as Our Lady of the Lake already had a wedding booked on that date.

“In 90 days, they are going to have the big soirée at Mary Queen of Peace – their renewal of vows. It will look like a wedding,” said Father Lomax, recalling two other wedding ceremonies at which he was present “under special circumstances,” both of them spurred by the approach of hurricanes.

“We did the same thing (in those cases); we scheduled a nice re-profession of vows at a later date,” he said, shrugging off the small size of the March 21 nuptials.

“When I do a wedding – whether it’s for a few people or a large congregation – to me, it’s the same: witnessing the celebration of the sacrament between two people,” he said.

“(Congregation size) doesn’t move me one way or the other. I’m only concerned about the couple and this moment in their life.”

Beth Donze can be reached at [email protected].