Igor & Rachel- Favorite Ceremony

Such beautiful symbolism here! A little bit Jewish tradition, a little bit Serbian tradition, a little nerdiness and a whole lotta love. This has a wonderful example of a dual-presentation (both partners being presented to each other). I've left in the processional so you can get a good idea of the logistics of the thing.

Igor Avramovic & Rachel Trimble Ceremony

Processional and Music

• The officiant walks down the aisle.
• Groomsmen walk down the aisle.
• Groom walks down the aisle with parents.
• Father lights the Unity Candle on one side.
• Bridesmaids walk down the aisle.
• Rachel walks down the aisle with mother and father.
• Mother lights the Unity Candle on the other side.

Opening Remarks and Welcoming

Parents, friends, and family: We assemble today to witness the wedding vows of Rachel Trimble and Igor Avramovic.

Rachel and Igor 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.

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

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.

Rachel and Igor have found much to share and much to enrich their lives together.

Circling

In Jewish tradition, the bride circles the groom seven times, symbolizing the creation of a new family circle and forming a "wall" of protection for the groom.

Today, Rachel and Igor are adapting this ritual by each circling the other three times and then circling once together.

This symbolizes the creation of a new and protective home and the intertwining of their lives.

Rachel circles around Igor 3 times. Igor circles around Rachel 3 times. Rachel and Igor circle 1 time together.

Acknowledging Different Traditions

Rachel and Igor have created this ceremony.

They have woven from threads of two traditions, a fabric that represents who they are together.

Out of two different and distinct traditions, they have come together to learn the best of what each has to offer, appreciating their differences, and confirming that being together is far better than being apart from each other.

Explanation of Symbols

Chuppah:

We are here at a time of happiness to celebrate Rachel and Igor’s love and commitment they have made to marriage.

They stand under a chuppah.

It represents the promise of the home they will create together.

Its four sides are open, symbolizing the importance of community and participation in each other’s lives.

Together, Rachel and Igor will weather their storms, and their love will grow stronger as a result.

The members of their families stand at the wall and corners of their symbolic home; they are the foundation upon which the structure of their lives rests.

Friends and family fill the home.

The roof symbolizes the importance of what is beyond ourselves and the presence, in our hearts, of those who we love who cannot rejoice with us today.

Rosemary:

In Slavic tradition, Rosemary symbolizes the welcoming of you, Rachel and Igor’s wedding guests. The plant is an evergreen symbolizing everlasting love and favor. Rachel and Igor give these Rosemary sprigs to you so that you too may share their love, wishes, and luck.

Blessings

May they build a life together that is bright with the laughter of children and the smiles of friends and family.

May their home be a haven from the tensions of our time and wellspring of strength;

may it be the one place where they most want to be.

And may the years deal gently with them.

Walking together, may they find much more in life than either would have found alone.


There is a very special prayer that is said upon reaching a joyous occasion, called the Shehechyanu.

The Shehechyanu is said when a baby is born, when a baby learns to walk, upon celebrating religious and educational milestones, at important holiday celebrations, and on the union of two people who join together in the sacred bond of marriage.

The Shehechyanu expresses our gratitude for being able to be with Igor and Rachel on this very special occasion.

Cantor:

“Blessed are you, creator of the universe, who has given us life, sustained us, and permitted us to celebrate this joyous occasion.”

“Baruch ata Adonai elohenu melech haolam Shehecheyanu Vekeeyamanu Vehigeeyanu Lazman Hazeh.”

Remarks by the Officiant 

Omitted here.

Blessing of the Wine (2 cups)

This cup of wine is symbolic of the cup of life.

As you share this cup of wine, you undertake to share all the future may bring.

May you find life’s joys doubly gladdened, its bitterness sweetened, and all things hallowed by true companionship and love.

Two cups are before you.

By your choice, only one of the cups is reserved for the two of you alone.

You decided to share the first cup with those who have been partners in your lives thus far, the ones who have helped to make you the individuals you are.

This cup of wine symbolizes the gratitude Rachel and Igor have for the loving care and teaching of parents, the ties of heart and mind and memory that link brothers and sisters, and for the friendships that fill this cup to overflowing.

Cantor:

“Blessed are you, creator of the universe, who has given us the fruit of the vine. “
“Baruch ata Adonai elohenu melech haolam boray p’re hagoffen.”

Rachel and Igor drink from 1 cup. Parents drink from the other cup.

Ketubah

It is a Jewish custom to sign a ketubah, or wedding contract, as part of the wedding rituals.

The ketubah is traditionally signed before the ceremony.

It is a written promise they make to one another, in front of their families and friends as witnesses.

They will display the ketubah in their home as a reminder of their love and commitment for one another.”

Reading of the Ketubah

Read by: Rev. Mark

On the Seventh day of August, Two Thousand and Eleven, 7 Av, 5771,

Rachel Trimble and Igor Avramovic entered into a mutual covenant as husband and wife, loving and supportive companions in life and said to each other:

This ring symbolizes our free decision to create this ceremony which joins us and is prompted by the love that we have for each other.

We will honor each other’s culture as we link customs to form a trusting relationship.

We will protect, support and encourage each other as we create a loving future together.

May our lives be intertwined forever and be as one in faith and in hope.

This love provides us with the determination to be ourselves, the capacity to surrender and the push to live life to its fullest.

It gives us the courage to hope and the ability to make our dreams a reality.

Our purpose in joining together is to nurture that love in each other and, as best we can, give it to others.


We promise to try to be ever open to one another while cherishing each other’s uniqueness, to comfort and challenge each other through life’s sorrow and joy,

to share our intuition and insight with one another,

and above all to do everything within our power to permit each other to become the person we are yet to be.

I will be your loving friend as you are mine.


We also pledge to establish a home for ourselves and our children shaped by our respective heritages; a loving environment dedicated to peace, hope and respect for all people;

a family filled with love and learning, goodness and generosity, compassion and integrity.

Let our home be built on truth and loving-kindness, rich in wisdom and reverence.

May we always keep these words in our hearts as a symbol of our eternal commitment to each other:
I give you my hand and my love. I promise to share my life openly with you, to care for and comfort you, and to be your ally in good times and in troubled times from this day forward.


After having spoken the words and performed the rites which unite their lives Rachel and Igor become husband and wife,

married in the eyes of God and according the laws of the State of Washington.

7 Blessings

Historically, brides and grooms have been blessed with seven wedding blessings.

In Jewish mysticism, the number seven symbolizes creation and completion.

As a man and woman join together in love and marriage, they help each other feel more complete, more whole than they ever felt alone.

For their ceremony, Rachel and Igor have chosen these seven contemporary blessings that reflect their own hopes and feelings for each other that symbolically sanctify this day and this marriage.

Reader:

May you work together to build a relationship of substance and quality.

May the honesty of your communication build a foundation of understanding, connection and trust.

May you respect each other’s individual personality and philosophy, and give each other room to grow and fulfill each other’s dreams.

May your sense of humor and playful spirit continue to enliven your relationship.

May you understand that neither of you is perfect: you are both subject to human frailties; and may your love strengthen when you fall short of each other’s expectations.

May you be ‘best friends,’ better together than either of you are apart.”

And may you continue to be best friends, better together than either of you are apart.

May your marriage be as sweet as the fruit of the vine.

Cantor:
“Baruch ata Adonai elohenu melech haolam boray p’re hagoffen.”

Unity Candle

“Rachel and Igor’s your marriage not only brings together two individuals who are very much in love, but two faith traditions, and two sets of friends and families.

Together, you bring all of these strengths into your marriage.

Individually, you now receive the flame from your own candles, which your Families have lit for you. Together you will now light your Unity Candle. This shared light symbolizes the beginning of your new life together, and the family you are creating together.”

Rachel and Igor jointly light the Unity Candle, and return to face each other
May the strengths of family, friends, tradition, and love nurture your commitment, and may the beauty of your relationship light your way.

Vows

Igor/ Rachel: I give to you my hand and my love.

I will respect you, honor you,

and live my life openly with you.

Through my love for you,

I pledge to work to increase your happiness

and to diminish your sorrows.

I promise to cherish and protect you

in good fortune and in adversity

from this day forward.

Ring Ceremony

In keeping with the declaration you have made, you give and you receive these rings.

They are tokens of your union, symbols of enduring loyalty.

May they ever remind you that your lives are to be bound together by devotion and faithfulness.

As you (Rachel/Igor), place this ring upon the finger of your bride/groom, speak to her/him these words.


Igor/Rachel: I give you this ring

as a symbol of my commitment to you

and to our partnership in life.

You have my heart always.

Rachel/Igor (in unison): I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.

Pronouncement

Your friends and family, all of us here, celebrate in your happiness and wish that this day marks only one of many more blessings you will share in the days and years ahead.

And now that you have spoken the words and performed the rites that unite your lives, I do hereby declare you, Igor and Rachel, husband and wife.

Closing Remarks / Blessing

May your way be blessed

May wisdom’s light shine upon you

May your journey bring you peace, shalom.

Explanation of Breaking the Glass(es)

The custom of “breaking the glass” has a number of interpretations.

Some say it is a symbol of the love that will remain in good times, and in sorrow.

The permanence of the broken glass represents a permanent change in the lives of this couple, as well.

Just as glasses are broken and cannot ever be exactly the same as they once were, their lives will never be quite the same.

Rachel and Igor, our wish for you today is that the innumerable pieces of the glass beneath your feet will be a reminder of the innumerable ways you will love each other in the years to come.


Igor, you may now break this glass and kiss your wife!

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!

Emily & Michael- Favorite Ceremony

Canadians have a stereotype. I like to describe them as "just like Americans, only polite". And it's true! I've yet to meet a Canadian I didn't like. Emily was no exception. She's a very unique woman- quiet, polite, congenial, yet with a slightly rebellious undertone. Obviously, that's why Michael was so attracted to her. Emily and Michael had quite a unique outlook on their wedding ceremony, too. Though neither was religious, they felt drawn to various cultural and spiritual paths. Their wedding ceremony combined elements from Hinduism, Greek mythology, Buddhism, Sandol Stoddard Warburg's amazing poem "I Like You", and some fantastic personal vows. Sound confusing? It wasn't at all! In fact, it was a completely wonderful border-crossing, unifying, world-appreciating, loving moment that blew away everyone in attendance.

The Wedding of Emily Berkes & Michael Bury

September 1st, 2013

Welcoming Words

Welcome friends and family, today we celebrate the joining of two loving hearts into a joyful, compassionate union.  

In India, when people meet and part they often say "Namaste," which means I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.

That place knows no boundaries. It crosses land, rivers, great lakes, cultural, geographical, and political borders. It travels in and through us and out into the world, through the electronic devices at our fingertips and the gentle touch of our hands.

These two delightful people here with us today, Emily and Michael,  have found that place in each other and today they wish to welcome all of us also into that place. And so, from them to you, I say Namaste.

First Reading

"I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard Warburg

I like you and I know why.

I like you because you are a good person to like.

I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special

And you remember it a long, long time.

You say, Remember when you told me something special

And both of us remember

When I think something is important

you think it's important too

We have good ideas

When I say something funny, you laugh

I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too

Hah-hah!

I like you because you know where I'm ticklish

And you don't tickle me there except just a little tiny bit sometimes

But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too

You know how to be silly

That's why I like you

Boy are you ever silly

I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you

If you go away, then I go away too

or if I stay home, you send me a postcard

You don't just say Well see you around sometime, bye

I like you a lot because of that

If I go away, I send you a postcard too

And I like you because if we go away together

And if we are in Grand Central Station

And if I get lost

Then you are the one that is yelling for me

I like you because if I think I am going to throw up

then you are really sorry

You don't just pretend you are busy looking at the birdies and all that

You say, maybe it was something you ate

You say, the same thing happened to me one time

And the same thing did

If I break my arm, and if you break your arm too

Then it's fun to have a broken arm

I tell you about mine, you tell me about yours

We are both sorry

We write our names and draw pictures

We show everybody and they wish they had a broken arm too

I like you because I don't know why but

Everything that happens is nicer with you

I can't remember when I didn't like you

It must have been lonesome then

Even if it was the 999th of July

Even if it was August

Even if it was way down at the bottom of November

Even if it was no place particular in January

I would go on choosing you

And you would go on choosing me

Over and over again

That's how it would happen every time

I don't know why

I guess I don't know why I really like you

Why do I like you

I guess I just like you

I guess I just like you because I like you

Address

the ancient Greeks believed that the original humans were created much differently than our current form.

They were large, rolly-polly creatures with two heads, four arms and four legs- loud, boisterous, rather obnoxious. Would tumble about the earth like acrobats, bringing mischief and mayhem, and being generally annoying. In fact, they irritated the gods so much that the gods pleaded with Zeus to do something.

Zeus loved his creations and didn’t wish to destroy them. He fired down his mightiest bolts of lightning cleaving the creatures in two and scattered them about the earth. Thus creating the human race and the nations of the world, and leaving us always searching for our other half.

To find our soul mate, to find that person who completes us.

I believe that a soul mate isn’t something that you find, but is something you become.

It’s not enough to look for the person who completes you, but to love the person who loves you completely. And I know this is what you have done.

It’s like that most eloquent and erudite poet Sylvester Stallone said in Rocky:

I got gaps; you got gaps; we fill each other's gaps.

And these words from Siddhartha Gautama show how you become that soul mate, the ways you love each other completely and to completion:

Declaration of Intent

The Buddhist Scriptures; The Buddha's Sermon At Rajagaha; Verses 19-22

Do not deceive, do not despise each other anywhere. Do not be angry nor bear secret resentments; for as a mother will risk her life and watches over her child, so boundless be your love to all, so tender, kind and mild.

Cherish good will right and left, early and late, and without hindrance, without stint, be free of hate and envy, while standing and walking and sitting down, whatever you have in mind, the rule of life that is always best is to be loving-kind.

Bride and Groom, hearing these words, do you come in freedom and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?

Emily and Michael: We do

Vows

Repeated, In Unison

Hindu Marriage Poem

Emily and Michael, please look into each other’s eyes and say:

Emily and Michael: You have become mine forever.

Yes, we have become partners.

I have become yours.

Hereafter, I cannot live without you.

Do not live without me.

Let us share the joys.

We are word and meaning, unite.

You are thought and I am sound.

May the nights be honey-sweet for us.

May the mornings be honey-sweet for us.

May the plants be honey-sweet for us.

May the earth be honey-sweet for us.

Personal Vows?

To Michael from Emily:

I am so glad that the OkCupid gods led me to your profile, despite being way out of my preferred 50 km search radius. Lookit that sweet beard, I thought, and upon reading your profile (one of the few that genuinely interested and not repulsed me), I knew you were the one for me. He will be mine, oh yes, he will be mine. It felt like a cruel joke to then look under "Location" and see Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Not my city. Not my province. Not even my country. OH CRUEL FATE.

I am so glad that despite the odds and distance, we developed a relationship that grew and wouldn't be stopped by our lack of money, passport or vacation time. Although it was difficult spending the past almost two years apart, you made it easy by always being there for me the best you could. No one could be as sweet, supportive and loving from afar as you have been. I never have to question your dedication or loyalty to me. You make me laugh every day, something I value greatly. You make me happy when skies are grey.....that special someone who wants to watch the Price is Right, Catfish and the Anna Nicole Smith Lifetime movie with me.

I can't wait to have you back in Canada with me and to never have to say goodbye in another airport or bus station again. I adore and care for you more than I could ever express, and look forward to growing old and gross with you. You're my big  frog and I love you very, very much.

To Emily from Michael:

Emily, for me relationships are like colors. Sometimes you mix to colors together and you get something ugly like grey or brown. Other times colors complement each well when mixed together, like when you mix yellow and blue.

These past two years have been a blur for me. It feels like just yesterday I watched you walk through the lobby of the airport. We were both incredibly nervous, but there was such a strong connection between us. It was right then that I knew I loved you for sure.

It's hard for to put into words how much I love you, but please believe me when I say it is a whole lot. I love your big blue eyes. I love your sense of humor. I love how you make smoothies and wraps everyday for meals. I love that you wrap yourself up in the comforter like a caterpillar when you sleep. I love that when you were a kid you drew a picture of your blanket than cried. You are the kindest, funniest, most amazing person I have ever met. I love how you’ve brought a whole rainbow of colors into my life.

For the first time in my life I am making green instead of brown or grey. You are the yellow to my blue and I am ready to spend the rest of my life with you.

Ring Vows

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.

Michael/Emily, please place this ring on Emily’s/Michael’s finger and say:

Emily/Michael I give you this ring;

wear it with love and joy.

I choose you to be my partner,

to have and to hold, from this day forward,

for better or for worse, for richer or poorer,

in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish,

as long as we both shall live.

Conclusion

Emily and Michael, may your home be a place of happiness for all who enter it;

a place for growing and a place for sharing, a place for music and a place for laughter, a place for hope and a place for love.

May those who are nearest to you be constantly enriched by the beauty and the bounty of your love for one another, may your work be a joy of your life that serves the world, and may your days be good and long upon the Earth.

Declaration of Marriage

And so, with these words resonating in our minds, by the power of eternal love and in the presence of these family and friends, I now declare that Michael and Emily are husband and wife.

You may kiss!