On April 29, 2011, the world witnessed a seismic celebration with the nuptials between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine, at Westminster Abbey, London.
On April 28, 2012, Tasha Treat and Moses Masitha created their own royal time-stopping moment when they exchanged wedding vows in a fabulous ceremony at Christian Faith Center (CFC) in Federal Way.
Tasha, the daughter of internationally-known pastors Casey and Wendy Treat of CFC, said “I do” after her father escorted her down the flower-bedecked aisle to be joined in holy matrimony with her South African groom.
Sporting an absolutely fabulous wedding gown, the gorgeous bride was every bit the regal princess that she had hoped to be on this auspicious occasion. When she was presented to her prince, he looked equally resplendent — the picture of sartorial elegance — complemented by his megawatt pearly-white smile.
Their 16 bridesmaids and groomsmen, dressed in aquamarine dresses and black tuxedos, created quite a fashion statement themselves.
Honestly, I’ve lost count in recalling the number of weddings I’ve attended. But to date, the Masithas’ wedding is one of the best that I’ve witnessed. Not only did it bear all the hallmarks of a state ceremony, but it took grandness to its zenith.
Its originality was stunning. There was no pipe organ wafting Richard Wagner’s “Here Comes the Bride.” Absent was the scripted “For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, so help me God.”
Chivalry is definitely not dead. On bended knees, the groom said his solemn vow to his bride. But before he did so, he paused to say thank you to her mother, father and brothers for nurturing her with love. How classy is that?
Playwrights and novelists would love Masitha’s pulsating lines to his bride: “I will always look over my shoulders and wait for you.”
He assured his father-in-law that Casey’s cherubic daughter would be in good hands. “In Africa, the man always leads the way for his woman to protect her.” This he pledged to do for his wife as long as he lives.
Tasha’s response would make any prospective husband stand tall. There’s no way he could escape feeling like the proverbial knight in shining armor.
“Thank you for being the man of my dreams,” she gushed, beaming with passion. The ever flawless, oh-so-radiant chanteuse also serenaded her groom with a smashing number: “It feels like home to me. Something in your eyes makes me want to lose myself.”
Being the officiating pastor over the emotionally-charged ceremony, Mr. Rock himself, Casey Treat, couldn’t help dabbing a tear or two.
With societal pressures going this way and that — even in church — I wonder how the Treats really feel about turning over their red-headed daughter to an African man.
No doubt they have taken heat from some of their trusted family and friends. I doff my hat to them for loving their daughter unconditionally and for respecting her choice in marriage.
Last December, a Kentucky Baptist church made international news when Stella Harville, a lifelong member, invited her Zimbabwean fiance, Ticha Chikuni, to her church. The pastor was offended, and the couple was asked to leave.
While the Treats’ daughter and son-in-law should not be paraded as poster children for diversity, it speaks volumes from the pulpit of the power couple who pastors a multinational church like CFC.
Practice indeed becomes perfect. Not too long ago, in the United States and South Africa, miscegenation was a crime punishable by law, thanks to Jim Crow and apartheid.
Highly gifted and articulate, Masitha, who hailed from Bloemfontein, studied philosophy at the University of Free State in South Africa. In 2009, he was the first black to be elected student council president at the 27,000-student university in the school’s 105-year history.
Listed as one of the Mail and Guardian’s most influential young South Africans for 2010, Masitha was also a delegate at the inaugural National Summit on higher education in South Africa.
Bloemfontein is known for a number of things. Renowned author J.R.R. Tolkien of “The Lord of the Rings” fame was born there. It’s also the judicial capital of South Africa.
It would have been nice to see some of the Treats’ longtime friends like Fred and Betty Price, Creflo Dollar, Brian Houston and Rick Godwin present for such a monumental occasion instead of the video-recorded messages they sent. Nonetheless, it was a swell occasion.
Capping a whirlwind courtship and romance that began more than two years ago and spanning three oceans, Mr. and Mrs. Moses Masitha, locked in marital bliss, made their way down the aisle, among a horde of beaming well-wishers, going off into the world as one.
Now, if that isn’t love, then those oceans are definitely dry.
Federal Way resident Nandell Palmer is president of Write A Blessing Media, a document production company. A business journalist for 20 years, he teaches writing and proofreading to corporate and private clients. Contact: palmern777@aol.com.
