After getting
most of our pictures
out of the way, the bridesmaids and groomsmen climbed into separate
limos to head to our ceremony site. When I pulled up with my girls and
saw the gorgeous job our florist had done with the aisle, I was
so giddy!
Everything looked even more beautiful than I had pictured in my head.
We were a bit early, so we sat in the limo (hidden by the tinted
windows) and watched guests arrive and mull about before finally taking
their seats.
Brian and I wrote our wedding ceremony and
vows ourselves, borrowing from elements we read elsewhere and liked. I have
included our readings here because they have so much meaning to
the two of us.
 |
| Ceremony musicians and personalized water bottles (see more here) |
 |
| Reserved seating signs for our families |
Before the ceremony started, our ceremony
musicians played "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Bach as our groomsmen
escorted the grandmothers...
...and the mothers down the aisle to their seats.
My beautiful bridesmaids walked down the aisle to "Largo (from Xerxes)" by Handel.
After our ring bearers and flower girl made their way down the aisle, it was finally time for me to make my appearance.
My dad escorted me down the aisle to marry my groom to
Pachelbel's "Canon in D." I still get chills every time I look at these
pictures.
After a greeting from our pastor and an opening prayer...
...Brian's Aunt Bernie read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and my Aunt Kathy read a traditional Jewish prayer, the Shehechyanu.
"Two are better than one, because they have a
good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help
the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one
keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend
themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
"Blessed are you, Lord our God, Creator of the
Universe, who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this
joyous moment." (This prayer was read in both Hebrew and English.)
My cousin Prudence read Robert Fulghum's "Union," an excerpt from his book
From Beginning to End; The Rituals of Our Lives. I fell in love with this passage the first time I read it (and you may also recognize part of it from the
pallet sign I made for our kitchen.)
You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to
this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that
moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making
commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were
held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those
conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with
“I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that
included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises
that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and
more, are the real process of a wedding.
The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one
another, “You know all those things we’ve promised, and hoped, and
dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”
Look at one another
and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many
things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing
partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these
past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you
across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be
the same.
For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.
Then, it was time to say our vows. I tearfully listened to Brian before reciting mine.
"Lauren, I choose you to be my wife, my love,
and my best friend. I will share my whole life and all that I am with
you. I will be faithful and truthful to you. I will respect, trust, and
help you. In distance and in closeness, in laughter and in tears, I
promise to grow our love for each other every day of our lives. With
every beat of my heart, I will love you."
"Brian, I choose you to be my husband, my love, and my best friend. I
will share my whole life and all that I am with you. I will be faithful
and truthful to you. I will respect, trust, and help you. In distance
and in closeness, in laughter and in tears, I promise to grow our love
for each other every day of our lives. With every beat of my heart, I
will love you."
After our vows, we exchanged "I dos" and our pastor blessed our wedding bands before we slipped them onto each others' fingers.
He then read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 13 before offering a prayer for our marriage.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never
fails.
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."
Finally, we were pronounced husband and
wife! Brian was told to kiss his bride, and I don't even really remember
leaning in and hugging him afterwards.
We linked arms and walked back down the aisle to Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" as husband and wife! Married! Pure joy.
We were followed by our wedding party...
...and our families.
After snapping a couple of quick pictures with our
bridal party, they were off to cocktail hour. Brian and I hung behind
for a bit for a couple more pictures of the two of us before climbing in
the limo to head to our reception!
