Weddingbee

My lengthy ceremony recaps probably speak to the fact that I loved our ceremony. Like, a lot. At first, I was totally intimidated about the idea of planning the ceremony and was thinking of it more as “the thing we have to do before we have the reception”. I really credit having a officiant that was a good match for us to the success of our ceremony. She gave us good suggestions, she was open to our ideas, and she provided us with the security that someone was steering the ship so we were in good hands and could just enjoy the day. So, back to ceremony!

Mama Gingerbread read a prayer that we chose.

*photo by Aki

“From Generation to Generation” by Antoine de St.-Exupery

In a house which becomes a home, one hands down and another up, the heritage of mind and heart, laughter and tears, musings and deeds.

Love, like a carefully loaded ship, crosses the gulf between the generations. Therefore we do not neglect the ceremonies of our passage:

When we wed and when we die, and when we are blessed with a child; when we depart and when we return, when we plant and when we harvest.

We live not by things but by the meaning of things. It is needful to transmit the passwords from generation to generation.

We joined hands as our good friend read “Blessing of the Hands.”

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, 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 fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

The Reverend then invited my cousin to bring up the rings in the ring warming bowl.

The rings had safely made it all the way around, but then came the time that the rings had to leave the safety of their bowl and that’s when…

DUN DUN DUN

*gasp*

ping ping ping

One of the rings slipped from my cousin’s fingers before it made it into the Reverend’s hand… and it rolled around on the wooden deck while everyone held their breaths and waited to see if one of our rings that we had custom made and had been wearing for the last 4 years and had just been blessed by all in attendance, would find its way to one of the gaps between the planks and plummet to the rushing river below.

*photo by Miss Sweet Tea

As luck would have it, the ring stopped rolling and the ceremony continued. Everyone sighed with relief and, hey, now everyone was really paying attention as we got ready to exchange our vows!

We wrote our own vows. I’m not sure if people even understood what we were saying or got our random references, but we love them. We then exchanged rings and were pronounced married under the laws of Canada!

Woo hoo! Married!!!

All photos by Cartlon Chan unless otherwise noted.

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