For many, planning a wedding is filled with the utmost excitement, from picking out bridal and bridesmaid dresses, themes, and cakes to the moment of joining two families together forever. From the vows that the couples write individually to express their love and admiration for one another, to a ceremony that celebrates and embraces love, this particular wedding was like no other.
Pastor Dawn Wilder, of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, officiated a wedding inside a detention center in Kern County on April 15. Wilder married off Christina and Juan Serrano at the Mesa Verde facility in Bakersfield.
This wedding would be the first of its kind, countrywide, and the first time Pastor Wilder has ever officiated a wedding inside a detention center.
Prior to Juan Serrano’s detention, the Serrano family was already facing a major hardship. Christina Serrano’s daughter had been in a serious car accident, leaving Juan as the primary support system for Christina and her younger son.
“He was the one helping me out with everything, helping me feel strong because I was going with my daughter to the hospital, coming back and forth,” said Christina. “I couldn’t be taking care of my son; he watched him so I could be with my daughter, and all of these things. So that’s why I was so sensitive when he got detained, because I felt like I lost a lot.”
Now, as the Serranos navigate newlywed life, Christina said that being unable to be with her husband has continued to be difficult.
“I felt sad because you wanted at least, if it would to be something like a little wedding, you would always want to be at that moment, like at least celebrate or have your memories like your pictures or family pictures to go out with your husband, have dinner together, have something with him like try to celebrate that it was our marriage together,” said Christina. “But, unfortunately, we weren’t able to. Not even in like even to get a picture of the facility or not even like the rings, anything.”
According to Christina, Juan has shared that once he is officially released from detention, he plans to work hard to provide the wedding they were unable to have.
“He wants to make me feel like I wanted to have at least my wedding. When we were together, we would talk about, he wants us to work together, save our money together,” said Christina. “Those are the plans like just work hard. Save our money to be able to get our wedding and to be having our vacations together with the kids.”
Christina noted that as their story has gained traction, the backlash from online users has been overwhelming. Some have accused the marriage of being a ploy for Juan to obtain legal documentation, while others have commented telling them to “go back to their country.” Despite the criticism, the Serranos remain committed to one another.
“The good thing is that even because he knows that we didn’t have our rings or pictures, he’s like, what counts is that we had our hearts together at this time,” said Christina.
Wilder recalls being approached by Christina, who met Eddy Laine, a volunteer with Kern Welcoming and Extending Solidarity to Immigrants (KWESI), and introduced them, hoping to have her officiate the ceremony.
“And that is exactly where the church belongs. In places where dignity is fragile, and love refuses to disappear,” shared Wilder, “I know people have strong opinions about immigration policy. But what I witnessed wasn’t a policy debate, it was a reminder that no system has the right to erase someone’s humanity.”
Before this wedding, many, like Wilder, had no idea that this was possible and what restrictions would be imposed.
“Honestly, before this, I didn’t really even know that it was possible. So the experience itself, when Christina and I were, you know, talking about the wedding, we were unsure of what would be allowed,” said Wilder, “Knowing that [Juan] is from Guatemala, trying to you know how we could incorporate culturally.”
Like most weddings, couples are required to apply for their marriage license together, but for the Serranos, that wasn’t an option; it was another thing stripped away from them by current immigration policies.
Wilder explained that, because of this, she accompanied Christina to apply for the license since Juan would not be allowed to do so.
“Obviously, he wasn’t able to go with her, and I had to go with her as the person officiating and show my ID, and from that point on, I was really the only person who could officiate the wedding,” said Wilder.
She also explained that she had to make sure she was available because ICE had not given a set date for when the ceremony could take place.
The ceremony took place in the visitation area, with only one person serving as a witness. Unlike other weddings that last until the night ends, the Serranos’s ended in a quick 15-minute celebration and 30 minutes to speak with each other. Within the fifteen minutes, Wilder officiated the wedding ceremony in both English and Spanish, and included Guatemalan attire.
