Most brides fear rain on their wedding days, but fortunately, the showers paused shortly before the start of the Berry College Elementary and Middle School kindergarten wedding Friday morning.

The faux wedding ceremony, a 17-year tradition at the school, is complete with tiny tuxes, plastic top hats, white dresses, bouquets, organ and piano music, friendship vows, and a ring bearer. The ceremony may be pretend, but the life lessons and formalities are real.

“Friends help you when fall down, and friends cheer for you when you win. Friends are forever,” read Brian Paul, playing the role of preacher.

Mary Niedrach’s kindergarten class at BCEMS studies one letter of the alphabet per week, and when they reach W, the class studies weddings. Students learned about wedding customs of cultures all around the world and were asked to talk to their parents about their weddings.

“It’s a lot of writing and talking about weddings,” said Niedrach.

After the friendship wedding ceremony at Berry’s Frost Chapel, the bridal party and their almost 200 guests headed back to the their school building for a full-fledged reception, complete with wedding cake, punch, a chocolate fountain and a bouquet tossing.

The kids said the reception is their favorite part, but Niedrach said she often hears from former students who talk about how important the event was to them.

The youngsters draw their roles in the ceremony from a hat and have only a week to prepare for the big day. Some read poems or from the Bible, and some played the piano or sang. Niedrach said regardless of their job, the kids work hard and have fun.

“I love kids, and everything they do is just marvelous,” she said. “It’s so sweet and wonderful. If I got married again, I’d have all kids in it.”