Something we couldn’t share with everyone were the hours of conversations that were behind the vows. We participated in pre-marital counseling, but even with all the topics that came up and ideas that were shared, a lot of powerful and thoughtful groundwork was laid in the process of writing these. I’d suggest creating one’s own vows to anyone.
A giant thank you to Michelle Stringham, who wrote this beautiful ceremony. I’d also like to thank my husband for suggesting the idea of trading vows as though we were having a conversation.
Hello and welcome!
On behalf of Megan and Kelly, I welcome all of you, and am elated that you could join us for this marriage celebration. We are here today to encourage, celebrate and support the commitment these two people, loved by all of us, now make. The marriage they are creating here has roots in themselves, and the love, friendship, and guidance each of us has offered them. They have asked us to be with them here today, because we are a community of loved ones. We rejoice in the ways life has led them to each other and brought them to the place where they now stand.
As French writer Marcel Proust said, “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
You are the people who make the souls of Megan and Kelly blossom. We want to acknowledge and thank all of you for your support and participation today.
The candles you see here are in honor of loved ones who cannot be with us today, who the bridge and groom miss very much and who they know are present in spirit. Let us take a moment of silence to reflect on all of our loved ones and how each has touched our lives.
“A friend’s love says: If you need anything, I’ll be there. True Love says, “You’ll never need anything, I’ll be there.”
We are gathered together here in the family to celebrate the love which Megan and Kelly have for each other, to give recognition to their decision to commit their lives and accept each other completely, to learn how to help and understand each, and together, to travel through life.
So... If any of you has anything to say that might change their minds... they... don’t want to hear it at this point....
However, they do want to hear from you that you are their village, that you will always be their family, and will always support and encourage them as they discover the commitment and dedication needed to make marriage work.
In this beautiful space we are in today, we are honored to have the shade of this magnificent tree.
Megan and Kelly have chosen this spot with this tree for today. If I may share their feelings with you:
“Roots: base of the tree, often considered “unglamorous,” but critical to healthy functioning and standing. (We feel that hard work, communication, and adherence to our core values will serve as the “roots” of our relationship.)
Trunk: conducts nutrients, spine, slightly more visible. (We think trust and respect are the backbone of our relationship and will serve to keep us “standing straight.”)
Leaves: catch sun, photosynthesize to provide energy, tend to be the most often oohed and ahhed at. (Love and devotion will energize our marriage and will be the most visible components to others.)”
Marriage must be resilient. It must weather the challenges of daily life and the passage of time. And just like this tree that we are standing under, marriage requires constant nurturing and nourishment. As the universe provides the sun, soil, and water for the tree, Megan and Kelly will provide the encouragement, trust, and love needed on a daily basis to consciously nurture and nourish their connection to each other.
Megan and Kelly please focus your attention on one another. Now is the time for you to share your vows with each other.
K: I recognize marriage is a choice.
M: I agree to put forth effort to maintain our relationship.
K: I will communicate openly, honestly, and respectfully.
M: I will promptly express my thoughts or feelings, regardless of whether they are positive or negative.
K: I promise to support you in staying true to your own philosophies.
M: I pledge to remain faithful to my moral and ethical values.
K: I will treat you as an equal and value your opinions.
M: I pledge to hold your feelings and integrity in the highest esteem.
K: I agree to think of my family and my partner before choosing a course of action.
M: I promise to conscientiously make decisions based on maintain established trust.
K: I pledge to always hold dear the love that first drew us together.
M: I will work tirelessly to ensure our love shines through every aspect of our lives.
K: I promise to hold the sanctity of our relationship in the highest regard.
M: I will balance devotions to our marriage with other needs.
K: Your family is now my family and my family is now your family.
M: I promise to actively maintain peace within our family.
K: I will look to you as the manager of our household finances.
M: I will consult with you on major decision and priorities, allowing for reasonable expenses.
K: I pledge to work with you in securing the overall health and happiness of the home.
M: I promise to consider our individual strengths and seek a balance between work and rest.
K: I pledge to make our home a place of refuge and happiness.
M: I promise to cultivate a warm, stable atmosphere in our home.
K: I will share selfless values with my community and future generations.
M: I will live my life for the greater good of others and the planet.
K: I will sustain my third for knowledge, greater understanding, and physical well-being.
M: I will pursue these things to support the overall strength of our family.
K: I will show you affection in a variety of ways.
M: I will express how much I care for you on a daily basis.
K: I promise to be true and loyal.
M: I will remain your companion and best friend for life.
Do you understand a reciprocate these vows as spoken?
Now Kelly and Megan will exchange rings to embody the commitments they have made to each other and the world.
The wedding ring is a symbol of unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end. And today they give and receive these rings as confirmations of their vows to join their lives, to work at all times to create a life that is whole and unbroken, and to love each other without end.
May the Universe bless these rings which you give to each other as the sign of your love and fidelity.
Kelly, place the ring on Megan’s finger and repeat after me:
I offer you my hand and my heart as I know they will be safe with you.
All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you.
Megan, place the ring on Kelly’s finger and repeat after me:
I offer you my hand and my heart as I know they will be safe with you.
All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you.
Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing them. Your rings says that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight. May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today.
Megan and Kelly, may you always need one another, not to fill emptiness, but to help each other know your fullness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you embrace one another, but not smother one another. May you succeed in all important ways with each other, and not fall in the little graces. May you have happiness, and may you find it in making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it in loving one another.
By the power vested in my by the State of Oregon, I now pronounce you legally married.
Mr. Happilymarried, you may now kiss your bride.
I am honored to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Kelly and Megan Nace.
Thank you for being here today and please stay for the food and good times.
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