After we had listened to our readings and our officiant’s charge to us as a couple, it was time to say our vows!
Mr. Guinea Pig and I both wrote our own vows—we had shared iterations of them before the wedding to make sure they were similar in length and style, but the final vows were a surprise for the day of. We both wrote them on pieces of paper to read at the ceremony despite their short length, knowing that the nerves of the day would prevent (me at least) a recitation from memory.
Mr. GP’s vows were sweet, sentimental, and funny—just like him! 
He made me laugh (left photo), and then he made me cry (happy tears, of course). On the right you can see me desperately trying not to burst into tears. As Mrs. French Fries said, this is my “I’m trying not to cry” face.
Then it was my turn to say my vows to Mr. GP!
I got through as much as “Mr. GP, from this day on and every day of my life, I choose you…”, and the dam burst:
Tears, tears, everywhere! I tried to laugh through them, but I couldn’t talk anymore, so we had to take a nice 20 second pause before I could continue—I kept turning my head away from the guests and trying to gather myself.
Mr. GP grabbed my hand to give me support which of course made me cry all the more. 
Luckily the wind dried those suckers right up!
Then it was time to put a ring on it! Best Man J of course pretended he didn’t know what Rev. Laura was talking about when she asked him for the rings, which made me laugh and gave me enough time to compose myself before we repeated the words that would impart the symbolism of our rings.
“By the love with which these rings are to be given and received, they shall be blessed.”
I, Miss GP, give to you Mr. GP, this ring, as a sign of my vow to love, honor and cherish you.
After this we had a Declaration of Support from the guests, where Rev. Laura asked them to respond, “We Will!” to the question, “Will each of you do everything you can to love, uphold and care for these two persons in their marriage?” It was wonderful and amazing to hear the loud chorus of the response from our friends and family, and I’m so glad we had them participate in the ceremony!
This is when I realized that we had accidentally skipped over having my sister sing the piece we had chosen! I whispered this to Rev. Laura out the side of my mouth before she went on to the Closing Blessing, and she gracefully adjusted into announcing Sister GP’s piece.
Sister GP sang I Should Have Known Better, by the Beatles – and accompanied herself on the ukulele (talented, eh?). She did an absolutely stellar job, and I loved it so much that I started singing along (quietly)! Here’s Mr. GP laughing at me, for singing along.
It meant so much to me to have Sister GP participate in the ceremony this way—although I know she was nervous and the emotion of the ceremony probably made it hard for her to sing, I feel so much love anytime I look through these photos, watch her performance in video, or hear the song in general!
With that, it was time to seal the deal with a kiss,
(Love the way my dress was whooshing out in the wind!)
and a hug!
With one more happy kiss (not sure why we kissed a second time),
(*photo from friend Tim)
we were announced as Mr. and Mrs. and walked back up that aisle as newlyweds!
(hooray for great shadows!)
As we walked up the aisle, I just kept thinking, “I can’t believe that was it! We’re married! It actually happened!” It felt so short, but was actually about 30 minutes (average, I’d guess?). Despite the couple of mishaps (veil, and having my sister go out of order), the ceremony was everything I had hoped and more. As Mrs. Cheeseburger said in her ceremony post, this was the part that mattered the most, and boy was it amazing. Smiling-through-tears, happily-kissing, hard-to-put-into-words, amazing.
*** All photos in this post copyright Amy Deputy Photography ***
(unless otherwise noted)
Miss something in the Guinea Pig recaps? Far Beyond Forever:
I think that is such a beautiful picture of you wiping away the tears during your vows.
Looks like a beautiful ceremony! Ours, I couldn’t stop smiling and giggling with excitement. Neither of us actually wrote vows, so we improvised. My mind went blank and I promised to try to clean more and “do laundry, even when it’s bed time.” Yeah, not the most romantic, but it’s loving by actions. At least that’s what I tell myself:).
GP, you photograph so well!! I have loved all your recaps and I wish you all the best
Your dress really was trying to show off in these, eh? 
What a beautiful ceremony!
Awwwww, so so SO sweet! I totally started bawling during my vows too, had to take a pause…The vows are my favorite memory from the ceremony!
Your ceremony was so beautiful in every way! Congrats and thanks for sharing! 
I LOVE IT!!! Your description of your ceremony had me teary eyed. It reminds me of my own ceremony and makes it all the more beautiful! Fantastic description GP! It makes me so happy for you to have had such a perfect and memorable ceremony.
Awwww.., so sweet. Lovely pomanders. And I lurve your dress. I am such a big fan of lace. None of my friends understand that love but your dress is so classic AND gorgeous… and can I say, I hope you have some red haired kids because I love red heads!!
Your dress blowing in the wind, your “trying not to cry face, Mr. GP holding your hand, your shadows walking up the aisle — all completely gorgeous! I love that you guys snuck a 2nd kiss, too!
Beautiful pictures! I too love the way the wind is billowing your dress when you kiss. Swoon-worthy photo right there!
so incredibly sweet! and i love that your sister had such a beautiful, touching role in your ceremony. that venue is just gorgeous, by the way!
Aww reading this made me tear up. We are thinking of doing our own vows at the ceremony, but I don’t want to break down in tears!
You must have kissed twice to get the awesome picture of the second kiss! Haha, your ceremony sounds like it was lovely.
Oh wow. All of the photos are just amazing. I was going to say “the crying one” and then “the kissing one” but the list became too long. They are ALL beautiful!
Ahhh and the “I choose you” line just made me tear up. Darn you! Now you have me intrigued as to what the entire set of vows (yours and his) were! Your ceremony sounds absolutely beautiful
Mrs. Guinea Pig, Baltimore, MD Age and Occupation: 26, PhD student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Operations Director at a non-profit Engagement Date: December 25, 2008 Wedding Date: May 2010 Venue: The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club About Me: I'm a tomboy science nerd whose girly side has made a startling appearance thanks to wedding planning! I love to bake, knit and sew but I also ride a motorcycle (that Mr. Guinea Pig wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole). We live with our three crazy cats and love to read, travel, watch movies, and do home improvement projects together! My parents/family are Canadian but I'm definitely American, although I've lived in 5 different countries, 6 different states, and speak Russian fluently. Mr. GP and I met online (did I mention I'm a scientist?) and had a whirlwind romance - now we can't wait to get married & celebrate with all our friends and family in a blue and yellow waterfront affair!
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