Weddingbee Blog

And now, dear friends, it’s time to share the moments from my wedding that still make my heart swell with love and happiness whenever I relive them: Our vows, which we wrote ourselves but kept from one another.

I’m going to let the photos do most of the talking for this one. Mr Trail Mix said his vows first…

Miss Trail Mix-

I love you and am ecstatic to have such an amazing bride.

Closed Circle Photography

I can’t believe we are only a few moments away from finally being husband and wife. You are beautiful, compassionate, athletic and honest.

You have already made me a better man in so many ways. You have challenged me to be more patient and understanding. You have taught me to take better care of myself, and my community.

Closed Circle Photography

You are always there for me and I promise that I will always be there for you .

I will dance and celebrate with you during special times like today. I will care for you when you are sick, encourage you when you need inspiration and snuggle with you when you need comforting.

Closed Circle Photography

You will always be my everything, my best friend and my wife. I promise to give you all of my love for all of my life.

Closed Circle Photography

Ani l’dodi v’dodi li

I am to my beloved as my beloved is to me.

Hearing Mr Trail Mix’s (who is not an emotional guy by any standards, and neither is he a writer by any standards) sweet words was amazing. My man is not one for public declarations of love but for our wedding, he dug deep and his vows meant the world to me. Thank you, babe, for that.

And then it was my turn. While I managed to hold it together during his vows, when it came to mine, I lost it a little after my first (joking) sentence. You’ll see.

First and foremost, I pledge my undying loyalty and devotion to all Florida sports teams, most notably the Miami Dolphins.

*I was worried beforehand that no one would laugh at my silly little joke vow and then how stupid would I feel? Luckily, everyone laughed.

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**Right before I said the next line, I had to stop because it literally felt like my heart had caught in my chest. I simply couldn’t speak or I would have broken down into a sobbing mess. I took a deep breath, the rabbi handed me a tissue, and somehow, I managed to quell the tightness in my throat and continue on…

Closed Circle Photography

Closed Circle Photography

But more importantly, here, in front of our families and friends, I promise myself entirely to you and only you, from now until I am no longer of this earth.

Closed Circle Photography

I promise that I will always be by your side, supporting you in every way that I can.

I promise that I will be there to share our experiences together when life is good and when life is hard and all the times in between.

Closed Circle Photography

I promise to respect you, cherish you, encourage you, protect you, provide for you and comfort you with all my heart.

And finally, I promise to give you all of my love for all of my life.

Closed Circle Photography

“Ani l’dodi l’vodi li”

I am to my beloved as my beloved is to me.

For the life of me, I cannot remember why we started laughing during the end of his ring ceremony but the photos are cute, so here ya go…

Closed Circle Photography

Closed Circle Photography

Once our vows were said and rings were blessed, there were only two things left to do: break the glass and kiss!

A little insider secret: We did not break a wine glass. Instead, we used a light bulb. The reason for this, as our smarty-pants Rabbi explained earlier, is that the tradition is only to break glass, not specifically a wine glass, and light bulbs are far easier to smash than a wine glass, thus eliminating the potential embarrassment over a groom not breaking the glass on the first try. See, super-smart, right?

But it was wrapped in a napkin, so no one was the wiser.

Closed Circle Photography

Closed Circle Photography

And that was it! All that was left was for me to excitedly grab my husband’s face and plant a big smackeroo on him, which I promptly did!

Closed Circle Photography

Closed Circle Photography

Weeeeeeeeee!! Married!! Weeeeeeee!! Party time!!!!

Closed Circle Photography

I don’t think my smile gets any bigger than this. All you need is love! (That’s the song we recessed to, if anyone cares.)

Closed Circle Photography

Done and done. Game over. Married with a capital M. It was surreal, it was incredible, it was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. Our ceremony touched me in ways I didn’t expect (not literally, get your mind out of the gutter) and yet, surprisingly, I only cried twice (on the walk down and during my own vows).

I think it’s because I was so full of joy, there was just no room for tears. Or maybe it’s because I was so wrapped up in the spiritual and emotional ramifications of the day, I simply couldn’t cry. Whatever it was, I will always cherish the memory of our heartfelt ceremony.

P.S. Wanna hear something kinda spooky? We had asked two different friends to videotape the ceremony (in lieu of a videographer).  Everything was going along swimmingly until we got to the vows. Then, at the exact same moment, both cameras cut out for no apparent reason, only to start working again after the ceremony was over. Was it just a coincidence of bad luck? Or was there some higher power at work here, keeping the vows for our hearts and memories only? I’m not sure but it’s a crazy story, right?

Follow along, if ya want!

• All My Love, All My Life: Ceremony, Part 1
• All My Love, All My Life: Before The Ceremony
• All My Love, All My Life: Portraits
• All My Love, All My Life: Fancy Meetin’ You Here!
• All My Love, All My Life: Commence Panic!
• All My Love, All My Life: Get My Pretty One
• All My Love, All My Life: Post-Dinner Partyin’, Yo!
• All My Love, All My Life: Rehearsal’s Done, Let’s Feast!
• All My Love, All My Life: We Rehearse