Rachael & Chris- Favorite Ceremonies

Oh, this was a fun one and wonderfully sentimental and quirky!Rachael and Chris both were raised Christian, but found that their beliefs changed as they became adults. Rachael became Wiccan and Chris leaned in that direction as well, though he would probably decribe himself as humanist. Their parents, though loving and supportive, were not completely on board with their respective children's spiritual outlook. It happens. And so, they wanted a unique ceremony that captured their beliefs without distancing their families. It was also July, hot, and outdoors so we wanted something simple and on the shorter side. And so the scene was set. The ceremony was in-the-round, one of my favorite ceremony settings. The chairs are placed in a circle surrounding the couple, bringing more intimacy, more warmth and interaction, and, in this case, eliminating the need to use a microphone. There was a trombone solo to lead the bride in, and Irish bagpipes to lead our couple out. This ceremony features a handfasting, used here as a simple unity ceremony. However, instead of simply binding the two of them together with a cord, we passed the cords around so that all of the guests could take a moment, hold the cords and place whatever best wishes, blessings, or prayers that they had for the couple upon them. It truly made everyone involved feel as if they were an integral part of not only the ceremony, but also Rachael and Chris's lives. 

The Wedding of Rachael Shade & Christopher Neff

July 20th, 2013

Opening:

Family and friends, welcome to this celebration for Rachael and Chris.

With the horizon our only walls, the sky our only ceiling and the earth our floor, we meet here in nature to affirm their love. The fragrant blooms from the ground and the fiery heat from the sky attest to summer's warmth and abundance, and also the warmth and abundance of Rachael and Chris's desire for commitment. They want to welcome you to this celebration of their love for one another. Each of you has given something special to their lives. Your love and  encouragement will forever be appreciated. Thank you for sharing one of life's happiest moments with them. May you be as important a part of their tomorrow as you are of their today.

Honoring the Deceased:

Rachael and Chris would like to take a moment of silence to remember loved ones who share this day with us in spirit and memory. Let us dwell quietly for a moment on the enduring energy of their love. (silence)

Blessing of the Cord

Rachael and Chris have chosen a traditional Handfasting Ceremony.

The tradition is as old as the written language and is practiced in many cultures.

In Europe, until the mid 1700’s few unions were sanctified in a church or a synagogue.

Rather they were celebrated by a ceremony in which the couple joined hands over the village anvil, out in the fields or in a grove of trees.

The hands were then bound together with ribbon or rope.

This is where the terms ‘giving one’s hand in marriage’ and ‘tying the knot’ come from.

Today we will build on this tradition.

As this cord symbolizes the couple's joining, their bond also includes you in their lives. As family and friends, they ask that you place your blessings, energies, and positive thoughts on it. If you wish, please place your good intentions onto the cord.

Reading

What is Real?, from the Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams

Reader: Christina, Chris’s mom

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive.

But the Skin Horse only smiled.

"Someone made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."

Mark’s Message

Omitted for this post

Reading

Looking for Your Face, by Rumi

Reader: John Shade, Rachael’s godfather

From the beginning of my life I have been looking for your face, but today I have seen it. Today I have seen the charm, the beauty, the unfathomable grace of the face that I was looking for. Today I have found you, and those who laughed and scorned me yesterday are sorry that they were not looking as I did. I am bewildered by the magnificence of your beauty, and wish to see you with a hundred eyes. My heart has burned with passion and has searched forever for this wondrous beauty that I now behold. I am ashamed to call this love human, and afraid of God to call it divine. Your fragrant breath, like the morning breeze, has come to the stillness of the garden. You have breathed new life into me. I have become your sunshine, and also your shadow. My soul is screaming in ecstasy. Every fiber of my being is in love with you. Your effulgence has lit a fire in my heart, and you have made radiant for me the earth and sky. My arrow of love has arrived at the target. I am in the house of mercy, and my heart is a place of prayer.

Vows:

Chris: Our love is like our garden, and we are the caretakers.

Over time, we have made it grow, made it blossom.

It has taught us the patience to know that things can’t be rushed.

It has made us more connected and showed us that, together, we can tackle anything.

Rachael, today we plant a tree in this garden. It is the tree of our life together.

It will need nourishment and love. The more we care for it, the bigger it will grow.

It will give us our food. It will shelter us under its branches.

It will provide for others in need who seek it.

Storms may batter it, but it will remain standing.

And it will still be there long after we are gone, as a monument of our devotion.

Rachael: Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again.

I look forward with great joy to spending the rest of my

life with you, nurturing you, being there for you in all life

has for us, and I vow to be true to you for as long

as we share our paths together.

Ring Exchange:

Your rings are circles and a circle is the symbol of the sun, the earth, the universe, of wholeness, perfection, peace and unity. Like circles, your rings have no beginning and no end and in the sacred tradition of marriage rings have come to symbolize eternal love and the endless union of

body, of mind, and spirit. These rings will be worn by Rachael and Chris to show to the world their love and commitment to one another. May the presence of these rings always remind you of the devotion you willingly share with one another from this moment on.

Let each of us in his own way, may it be prayer, may it be by a thought, whatever you and I would

wish for this couple, let's pray or have our own thoughts as a blessing upon these rings. Let us

pause at this time for these silent blessings.

(Pause)

These rings, now blessed are a symbol of love and faithfulness. They seal the vows of marriage and represent a promise of forever love.

(Chris places ring on Rachael's finger silently, kisses her hand. Rachael does the same to Chris).

Hand fasting:

As this knot is tied, so are your lives now bound.

Woven into this cord, into its very fibers, are all the hopes of your friends and family, and of yourselves,  for your new life together. With the entwining of this knot do I tie all the desires, dreams, love, and happiness wished here in this place to your lives for as long as love shall last.

In the joining of hands and the fashion of a knot, so are your lives now bound, one to

another. By this cord you are thus bound to your vow.

May this knot remain tied for as long as love shall last.

Closing:

May your days together shine brightly. May your communication continue to deepen. May your lives together be filled with love, abundance and joy. Friends and family, may I now introduce Mr.

and Mrs. Chris and Rachael Neffshade!

Kiss

Par-tay

Natasha & Jesse- Favorite Ceremonies

These two were such fun to be with! As fellow travellers through the forests of Geekdom, I had the pleasure of being able to include a little bit of geek-humor into there ceremony address. Regrettably, I cannot include it here at the moment. However, the remaining text of their ceremony is great and it features their own take on the Rock Ceremony (aka Stone Ceremony, Pebble Tradition). 

Instead of giving the stones to everyone present, Natasha and Jesse opted to use their parents and bridal party as representatives of their families and friends, respectively. They all came foward in turn to greet the couple and be the first to say congratulations to the newlyweds. Set to music, it was a beautiful, joyous moment! Then, we incorporated the beloved reading "These Are the Hands" before Natasha and Jesse topped-off the jar with their own stones. Wonderful!

The Wedding of Natasha Goldberg & Jesse Lewis

December 27th, 2014

Convocation

It is said that love is the communication of the good life.

When we find a person who communicates the good life to us, and whose answering resonance tells us that we have been sharing something significant together, then we may make the decision to continue sharing permanently.

Natasha and Jesse have found much to share and much to enrich their lives together.

They seek to continue the commitment, which does not begin today, but which began some time ago when they found this love in each other.

There are many stages and kinds of commitment among persons in our culture, but this one is the deepest, the most sacred that comes out of the clear choice of two people.

Natasha and Jesse welcome you today, in gratitude for the important roles you have played in their lives.

You have each played a part in the wonderful people they have become.

Your love and support has enabled them to grow and to be able to share their love with each other here today.

Presentation Of The Natasha

Who presents Natasha to be united with Jesse?

FATHER-OF-THE-Natasha: “I do” or “Her mother and I do”

Honoring Those Not Present

At this time, we would also like to honor those who could not be with us today.  We offer a special remembrance of Jesse’s mom, Sylvia .  Although they are not here with us physically, we feel blessed they are with us in spirit on this beautiful day.  We bow in silence to honor their memory. (Pause for a few moments.)

Prayer

Dear God, we call upon you in the midst of this celebration to be with this man and woman and walk with them during their days together as husband and wife. Grant that they both be filled with faith and trust. Give them grace to live with each other in peace and harmony.

May they always bear one another's weakness and grow from each other's strength. Help them to forgive one another's failings and grant them patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of one's self. Amen

Address

(Omitted for this blog post)

Declaration Of Intent

Natasha and Jesse, today I ask you to make a promise: That whatever happens, you shall never walk alone;

That your hearts will be shelter to each other and your arms will be your home;

That you’ll stand side by side and sleep in each other’s arms:

That Jesse, you’ll watch over Natasha and keep her from harm;

That Natasha, you’ll be the joy in Jesse’s heart and the food for his soul;

May you feel deeply loved  for indeed you are; through your brightest days and your darkest nights.

And so I ask, will you take each other into your hearts and pledge your love at this moment and forever?

Natasha and Jesse: “We will.”

Consecration

You have always had dreams of the potential of your tomorrow's believing that anything was possible. As you set out to live in this world and make a difference in it, it stirs your hearts to know that you will be side by side. Your desires for redeeming the promises of tomorrow are strong. Having found each other, you have made a decision that there is no moment in your lives more profoundly significant than this one, the moment you offer yourself to become husband and wife. May you share with each other, from this day on, the unending joy of growth and discovery.

For many years to come you will remember this day; yet, beyond the fragrant flowers, beyond the melodious music, beyond the expressions of joy and encouragement from family and friends, beyond albums filled with picturesque memories, may you celebrate through the years that which is most fundamental about your union. You are joining because your love each other, you respect one another, and you will honor each other, and because you are committed to sharing equally in both the triumphs and trials of the days to come.

As you begin this new chapter in your lives, remember, all of your yesterdays have led you to today, and your love will lead you into tomorrow.

Lasting Vows

Jesse, do you promise to love, respect and care for Natasha for life, remaining faithful to your love as it enters into new meanings and definitions?

I do.

Natasha, do you promise to love, respect and care for Jesse for life, remaining faithful to your love as it enters into new meanings and definitions?

I do.

Ring Ceremony

May I have the rings please?

Rings are an ancient symbol, blessed and simple. Round like the sun, round like the eye, and round like arms that embrace. May these rings symbolize that your love, like the sun, illuminates and warms the others heart, like the eye, you must see clearly even amid the adversity of life, and like arms that embrace as grace upon the world. May they also remind you that love given comes back around again and again.

Natasha/Jesse take this ring and place it on Jesse/Natasha ‘s finger and repeat after me.

I, Jesse, take you, Natasha, to be my wife/husband, in equal love, as a partner and companion, to have and to hold, to honor and to cherish, in joy and in sorrow, from this day forward.

Unity Ceremony

Marriage is a coming together of two lives and a celebration of the love of two people. But it is more. Family and friends are the true foundation of a good marriage. Today, each member of our bridal party carries a stone. These stones represent not only themselves and their participation, but symbolically that of all of the friends who have given Natasha and Jesse love and support along their way. Most importantly, Natasha and Jesse’s parents, David, Gail and Johnny also carry stones, for as Natasha and Jesse build their marriage together in love, they build it upon the families which have been brought together on this happy occasion.

Johnny, David, Gail and our bridal party, please take out the stone you have been given. As the stones are collected, let us all take this moment to make a wish or silent blessing of happiness and good will for Natasha and Jesse and the future of their marriage.

Music begins, nice and low

Family and bridal party place their stones.

Music ends.

Natasha and Jesse, you also each brought a stone of your own that symbolizes your previous separate lives, separate sets of friends, separate families and the different life's journeys you once traveled. Natasha and Jesse, will you now each take your stones into your hands. At this moment, I would like you to look at the hands that hold these stones so you may see the gift that they are to you.

A Reading: "These Are The Hands"

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you. These are the hands that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.  These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.  These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.  These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief wracks your mind.  These are hands that will countless times wipe tears from your eyes, tears of joy and tears of sorrow.  These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.  These are the hands that will help hold your family together as one.  These are hands that will give you strength when you need it.  These are the hands that even when wrinkled with age will still be reaching for yours, still giving the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

[The couple adds their stones to the container.]

With the combining of these stones, you have now symbolically joined your once separate lives. As the stones have been combined with love into one container, so now are your friends and family joined, through you, into one. And your once solitary life's paths are also now one. All that was once separate is now shared, and in this sharing you both will find new strength and joy as together you forge a new life's path and destination.

Apache Wedding Blessing

Now you will feel no rain,

For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now you will feel no cold,

For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no more loneliness,

For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two bodies,

But there is only one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place,

To enter into the days of your togetherness.

And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

Pronouncement

And so, as you have chosen each other, declared your love and purpose before family and friends, and have made your pledges to each other, symbolized by the giving and receiving of rings by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I pronounce that you are now what you have long known yourselves to be, husband and wife.  You may kiss!

Announcement

Family and friends, it is my great honor and privilege to present to you for the very first time, Jesse and Natasha Lewis!

Linnea & Jerry- Favorite Ceremonies

So many great memories came out of Linnea & Jerry's wedding ceremony! The walled-garden at Mellon Park with it's glorious fountain, the a capella group singing in delicious harmonies, the fantastic coordination of Soiree by Souleret, but first and foremost was Linnea and Jerry themselves. 

They're a quirky pair, those two. They wanted things mostly non-traditional, but with some traditional leanings. They were realists at heart, but true romantics in spirit. They wanted to express themselves and their love to their families and friends, yet still have the day focus on their love for each other. They wanted an experience for all involved, not just a ceremony and a party. And they love games of all types. And so, that's what we did. They wrote some amazing things on their questionnaires (you'll see quotes from them throughout the ceremony that I used as I saw fit in the moment), but they were also doing personal vows. I never like stepping on a couple's toes, so I invented a little trivia game instead of a personal minister's address. It was perfect for them, and really got the crowd warmed up for their personal vows!

Also, this ceremony features an awesome take on the Rock Ceremony (aka Stone Ceremony, Pebble Tradition). It was a great moment of interaction between the couple and their guests.

The Wedding of Linnea Warren & Jerry May

June 22nd, 2013

Note: Silent presentation

Welcoming Words

Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, whatever you believe and whomever you love, Jerry and Linnea want to welcome you to this celebration of their love for one another. Each of you has given something special to their lives. Your love and encouragement will forever be appreciated. Thank you coming from distances near and far to share in one of life's happiest moments with them. May you be as important a part of their tomorrow as you are of their today.

All seated

In Memoriam

At this time, we would also like to honor those who could not be with us today. Our thoughts are especially with those who have passed and those who could not make it today. Although they are not here with us physically, we feel blessed they are with us in spirit on this beautiful day.

Community Vow

Marriage is the promise of hope between two people who love each other, who honor each other as individuals, and who wish to unite their lives and share the future together. In this ceremony, they dedicate themselves to the happiness and well-being of each other, in a union of mutual caring and responsibility. Therefore, it is all the more important that those of you here with Linnea and Jerry may stand as witnesses to the happiness which they have found together, and to the promises they have made to each other. As they join their lives in marriage, they also bring you together in a new relationship, creating new bonds of trust and ties of affection. Will all of you by God’s grace, do everything in your power to preserve this marriage? Will all of you, who have supported these two in friendship and love, now bestow your blessing upon them? If so please show them your support by saying, "We will”

Charge to the Couple

Linnea and Jerry, you have made a very serious and important decision in choosing to marry each other today.
You are entering into a sacred covenant as life partners.
As in tending the flowers in a garden, the quality of your marriage will reflect the effort you put into nurturing this relationship.
You have the opportunity to go forward from this day to create a faithful, kind, and tender
relationship.
It is up to you to keep the blessings flowing each and every day of your lives together.
We wish for you the wisdom, compassion, and constancy to create a peaceful sanctuary in which you can both grow in love.

Reading

Sonnet XVII, Pablo Neruda

Reader: Meredith Stewart, friend of Jerry and Linnea

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Officiant’s Address

The best gift we can give other people is our whole selves in truth. By doing so we give them a true and accurate mirror that allows them to see themselves. We also give ourselves the best opportunity to grow. As Danny Kaye once said, “Before we can give ourselves to the world, we must first accept ourselves.” Or as my dad used to say “A man who can give himself a hug every day truly has the arms of an orangutan”

Of course, you give each other precious gifts everyday- your friendship, humor, vulnerability, sensitivity, and kindness.

Anyone who knows the two of you can see for themselves how much you love and like each other and how well you know each other.

But I’d like to find out how well you actually do know each other.

I know your mutual love of games so I’ve devised a little trivia game for you. Each of you has written some wonderful things about the other, so I am going to preface each question with something wonderful that you wrote.

Keep in mind, you are not playing against each other, you are playing for each other. If you get the majority of these questions correct I will permit you to smooch each other at the end of the ceremony. Less than that, and you will have to smooch me. Jerry, you have a lot to lose.

To Linnea, She has a sense of humor that is simultaneously unique and perfectly tuned to my own; I never met someone with more wit- it's what got me hooked in the first place!

What is Jerry’s favorite color?

To Jerry, I think he is adorable and is the type of guy I always pictured myself with--tall, blue eyes, sweet smile... He is confident in his personality, but at the same time slightly self-deprecating and humble. It’s no wonder he is loved by everyone he has ever met.

In what year was the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution ratified and what does it make illegal?

Linnea, She makes me feel that nothing can go wrong when I am with her. Not only the sense of being organized and well-planned, but in the sense of making every circumstance happier by her presence.

What is Jerry’s shoe size?

Jerry,  Everyone always teases Jerry that he is pretty much already a dad, his jokes are so cheesy. While we’re still a FEW (many few) years away from that, I can picture our family so clearly--it is full of fun and love and laughter and part of me can’t WAIT. (But the other parts of me definitely can! :)

What is the full name of the State of Rhode Island?

Linnea, Jerry says that Every time he looks at you, thinks about you, tells a story about you, he can't imagine how he could be so lucky to spend his life with a woman of your beauty and unmatched character.

If you could spend the rest of your life with just one person, who would it be?

Jerry, is my best friend and has been the most amazing partner through all of the things we’ve been through over the past 6 years: College, graduation, moving to North Carolina, grad school, new jobs, new friends, planning a wedding, transitions. I cannot think of a more understanding, compassionate, and adventurous partner for anything that comes our way.

More than Michelle Branch and other girly pop-rock artists, who is the one person you love above all others?

“We don't want anyone else, and I know I can't wait to show the world: Look who I have! I win!”

Declaration of Intent

Linnea and Jerry, today I ask you to make a promise:
That whatever happens, you shall never walk alone;
That your hearts will be shelter to each other and your arms will be your
home;
That you’ll stand side by side and sleep in each other’s arms:
That Jerry, you’ll watch over Linnea and keep her from harm;
That Linnea, you’ll be the joy in Jerry’s heart and the food for his soul;
May you feel deeply loved for indeed you are; through your brightest days and your darkest
nights.
And so I ask, will you take each other into your hearts and pledge your love for this moment and forever?

Reading

May Our Friendship Last Forever, Nicholas Gordon

Reader: Tom Hutchinson, friend of Jerry and Linnea

May our friendship last forever;
May I sail upon your sea.
May we go through Life together,
May there always be a "we."
May I be your endless sky;
May you breathe my gentle air.
May you never wonder why
each time you look for me I'm there.
May we be for each a smile
like the warm, life--giving sun;
Yet when we're in pain awhile,
May our suffering be one.
May we share our special days,
the happiness of one for two;
And if we must go our separate ways
let my Love remain with you

Personal Vows

Jerry Reads his vows.

"Linnea, hearing the words spoken by your beloved Jerry, do you take this man to be your husband?"

I do.

Linnea reads her vows.

"Jerry, hearing the words spoken by your beloved Linnea do you take this woman to be your wife?"

I do.

Ring Vows

Rev. Mark will ask for the rings.

Your rings are circles and a circle is the symbol of the sun, the earth, the universe, of wholeness, perfection, peace and unity. Like circles, your rings have no beginning and no end and in the sacred tradition of marriage rings have come to symbolize eternal love and the endless union of body, of mind, and spirit.
These rings will be worn by Linnea and Jerry to show to the world their love and commitment to one another. May the presence of these rings always remind you of the eternal love you have pledged and devotion you willingly share with one another from this moment on.
Let each of us in his own way, may it be prayer, may it be by a thought, whatever you and I would wish for this couple, let's pray or have our own thoughts as a blessing upon these rings. Let us pause at this time for these silent blessings. (Pause)

These rings, now blessed are a symbol of love and faithfulness. They seal the vows of marriage and represent a promise of forever love.

Jerry:

With this ring, I thee wed. And with this heart, I promise you
all that I am, and all that I hope to become.

Linnea:

With this ring, I thee wed. And with this heart, I promise you
all that I am, and all that I hope to become.

Unity Ceremony

(Each guest has been told to bring a stone with them.]

Before you met, your lives were on different paths with different destinations. But love has brought you together and joined these separate paths into one. Each one of your friends and family here today has brought with them a stone that represents their unique individuality and their presence at your wedding today. You also each brought a stone of your own that symbolizes your previous separate lives, separate sets of friends, separate families and the different life's journeys you once traveled.I will now ask that everyone please take out the stone you have brought and pause to make a wish or blessing for happiness and good will for the couple for the future of their marriage.

[Everyone pauses to make their wish.]Music begins, nice and low

Now, we will collect the stones. Please come to the front and place your stone in the vase. Jerry and Linnea will then add their individual stones to the container as well.

(Guests are asked to come forward row by row to greet the couple and place their stones in the vase)
[The couple adds their stones to the container.]

With the combining of these stones, you have now symbolically joined your once separate lives. As the stones have been combined with love into one container, so now are your friends and family joined, through you, into one. And your once solitary life's paths are also now one. All that was once separate is now shared, and in this sharing you both will find new strength and joy as together you forge a new life's path and destination.

Music ends

Declaration of Marriage

It was Linnea and Jerry’s hope that all of you would leave here today knowing how
much they love you; that you would have learned more about their love for each other
and that you would realize that you are not here merely to bear witness to their
marriage, but to celebrate it with them.
Marriage creates from two committed spirits one beautiful tree of life. Its roots are the
trust and devotion that underlie each action, thought and motive. Its branches are
experiences shared, hopes realized, and dreams pursued. And its blossoms are the
kisses, gentle words, and tender sighs that decorate each day and beautify the union of
two loving hearts.
Linnea and Jerry, may your love grow like a beautiful tree, sending roots deep and
branches high, with new beauty every season of your life together.
May you find constant reward and challenge as you pursue the ongoing adventure of
learning who you are and where you want to go.
May you always have a special sense of your mission in life together, and may you never
tire of the endless possibilities of exploring your shared existence.
And long, long years from now, may you look at one another and be able to say, “With
you, I have lived the life I always wanted to live – with you, I have become the person I
always longed to be.”

Apache Benediction

Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
Amen.

And now it is my great pleasure to pronounce that Jerry and Linnea are husband and
wife.

Kiss

“The night Jerry and I first kissed, it was a surprise party for his 22nd birthday. I had left his apartment and was walking up to my dorm room when I got a call from him “Wait there!”. I was not in a part of North Oakland that one should really wait in near midnight, but it sounded important. I shifted from foot to foot in the cold until Jerry finally sprint-lumbered up the hill to meet me. He told me that I “left something at the party” and then kissed me for the first time. The line was as cheesy as they come and we were both freezing at night in late November. But it was just so sweet, I can’t help but get a little misty thinking about it.”
Celebrant (to Linnea and Jerry): You may kiss each other