Sometimes bad things happen. Things that we couldn’t have imagined into being are suddenly the new reality and we’re all stuck trying to figure out how to remember how we existed before them and how it will be possible to find a new way of existing once they’ve happened.
After the November election, Arwin and Alon weren’t sure if they still wanted have a wedding. They had already been legally married at the courthouse earlier that year. Rather than putting their time and money into a wedding celebration, they were considering scrapping the whole event and instead making donations to organizations that were fighting for the causes they believe in.
In the end, they chose to honor their union by formalizing it in front of their family and friends. They chose to celebrate their community by giving their loved ones the opportunity to participate in their joining as a couple, bringing everybody together to share in a mutual experience of joy and gratitude.
Sometimes good things grow from our worst experiences.
During their ceremony we learned that Arwin and Alon fell into each others paths after an accident left Alon with a broken arm and he was forced to return home from a cross-country adventure. It took an injury and an interruption to set the conditions in motion for the two of them to meet, to eventually establish their roots in West Philly and sit at the heart of of the incredible community that they have built there.
It can be hard to trust that good things are still possible when we’re in the throes of unexpected hardship. We are so grateful to Arwin and Alon for reminding us that community and connection will always prevail.
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