The Baptism, and Wedding #3

Today we concluded our church adventure by getting Lucia baptized and participating in our third wedding ceremony. Yes, that’s right—third. More on that in a moment.

Mom and Dad arrived late last night and were, of course, thrilled to see the baby bright and early this morning. We drove to the church for our 9:30 appointment with the deacon. After Andrew and I got married again, at the altar, we proceeded to the back of the church to the baptismal font. Lucia was a model baby for the baptism, looking up curiously as the deacon poured the water over her head without so much as a peep. She looked adorable, if I do say so myself, in a little white dress and white sweater Mom picked out for her. She also has a new bonnet. It is officially too much. And Lucia is now, in my dad’s words, officially churched. Whether we or she pursues anything further on this Catholic path remains to be seen; but I’m glad we’ve given her a jumping-off point for whatever she chooses in the future.



So, yes, our convalidation today marked the third time Andrew and I have exchanged wedding vows. Our first wedding was in Reno, a month before we got married in Pennsylvania. It was simply a practical step; we’d returned from Spain and I needed health insurance, and it was getting ridiculous trying to cobble together catastrophic insurance plans when I could easily have access to Andrew’s company plan simply by obtaining a bit of paperwork. And so we drove to Nevada one Saturday in October and exchanged vows in a nondescript office building. No Elvises or roadside wedding chapels or anything like that. Vows, paperwork, done and done.

Our second wedding—our “real” wedding—was in Pennsylvania, a gorgeous, perfect ceremony and reception at the Summit Inn in the Pennsylvania mountains. The ceremony was officiated by a friend of the Littells, who had no officiating credentials whatsoever (which was the other reason for our Reno trip). Our wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful or more meaningful.

However, as the deacon told us today, getting married in the Church ensures that we’re committing “for life”—as though our Pennsylvania wedding was merely a half-commitment, as though we did the civil marriage thing to leave ourselves an out. Well, there is an out no more. Our third wedding, this morning, was a brief affair, attended only by Mom and Dad and, oh, our baby (as much a testament to our commitment as any vow or document). A reading, a blessing, “I do”s, done and done.

Are we married enough now? I think so: we’ve done it civilly, symbolically, and religiously. I’m not sure there are any more ways to do it. We’re legit no matter how you slice it.

And so our church adventure comes to an end.