The ceremony

I thought I'd post the transcript of our wedding ceremony, since it was a small group that got to witness it and we enjoyed it so much. Christine (our officiant) spoke some of it freely (not off the paper), like the welcome and the metaphors, but this is as close to what happened as I can remember:)

Christine welcomed everyone to the space and mentioned the beautiful break in the weather that gave us the yellow oval sunspot on the wall in the space. The space was illuminated and felt fresh and warm (except that it was about 58 degrees).

She talked about how the Skyspace is special. It is a space that holds us, is here for us to explore, and supports our growth. It is a shelter that protects us and contains us. And it gives us a point of view so we can observe together, reflect and learn.

Then she gave us a few moments of silence to reflect on these ideas and their relation to our event.

The ceremony continued:

"Dear Community, We gather here this evening because Jen and Jesse have decided to marry, to declare to their community that they will live among us as a couple bound to each other in love. Jen and Jesse will take turns exchanging their marriage vow. Their promise is the same, one to the other."

Jesse: "Jen, today I take you to be my wife. Whatever life may bring, I will love and care for you always."

Jen: "Jesse, today I take you to be my husband. Whatever life may bring, I will love and care for you always."

Chrstine: "We will now need the wedding rings. Let's pass them from one person to the next to me and I will bless them for us."

The people on either end of the families had been given the rings. My brother Jason had my ring and Jesse's uncle Ken had his ring. They passed the rings to Christine.

"These beautiful rings, chosen with care, will be the visible symbol of the words Jen and Jesse have just spoken. May they be cherished signs of courageous love to them for the rest of their lives."

We exchanged rings, saying "With this ring, I thee wed."

Christine pronounced us (almost) by saying "Jen and Jesse are now a couple before God and their community."  (we were saving the legal pronouncement for Saturday, 06-07-08).

Christine then blessed us as a couple: "We will now offer a blessing for the couple. God, we ask your blessing on this young couple. May they become wise in the ways of love, cherish your world, and each other, and live long and happy lives together."

She then concluded with a sending prayer that makes me cry every time I encounter it.

"Go out into the world in peace,

have courage,

hold on to what is good;

return no one evil for evil;

strengthen the faint hearted;

support the weak, and help the suffering;

honor all people;

love and serve each other and the world,

rejoicing in the power of love."

With that, we cheered and kissed and everyone applauded. Someone called to see our rings, so we walked around the oval, showing them to each person. Then we all sat together in the space, switching seats periodically to enjoy the room and each other.