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After our equality and community acknowledgments, we did our love letter and wine box ceremony. The rest of this post is what our Officiant, Uncle D, said. Notes and my own thoughts are in parentheses.
Next, Mr and Miss Hot Wings have created a love letter and wine box ceremony.
(If you look closely at our box, you’ll notice that the lid and box are not of the same mother. The box was re-gifted to us from my sister in law. I didn’t like the lid, so Mr Hot Wings and Papa Hot Wings fashioned a new one. They pre-drilled holes in each corner for the nails that would later seal the box. The mini hammer and wine bottle is sitting inside the box.)
Mr and Miss Hot Wings have both written love letters each other.
(Yup, I wrote mine earlier that day.)
These letters describe the good qualities they find in one another, the reasons they fell in love, and their reasons for choosing to marry. The letters are sealed in individual envelopes and they have not seen what the other has written.
(Can you see how Hottie of Honor got the letter down the aisle for me?)
Today, the letters will be placed inside this box, along with a bottle of wine and will be sealed shut. Five years from today, on their 5th wedding anniversary, Mr and Miss Hot Wings will open this box, read their letters to one another, and toast the success of their marriage. Until that time, they will keep this box in a place of honor, prominently displayed in their home, as a constant reminder of their love and commitment to one another.
Mr and Miss Hot Wings, even though this box is intended to be opened in celebration and as a reward for five years of marriage, should you ever find your marriage enduring insurmountable hardships before that time, you are to open this box, sit and drink the wine together, and read the letters that you wrote to one another. Doing so will remind you of this day that you were united as a couple in marriage. By reading these love letters, it is hoped that you will reflect upon the reasons that you fell in love, will be reminded of why you chose to marry each other, and find the strength to overcome whatever obstacles lead you to open the box.
The hope is, however, that you will never have a reason to open this box. And if this is the case, you are to open this box to share and enjoy on your 5th year wedding anniversary!
(We have decided that on our 5th anniversary when we open the box, drink the wine, and read the letters, we will then replace the wine and letters. We think that it will be a good tradition and will honor the fact that the reasons why we are together will change as our relationship grows.)
At this time, I would like to invite Mr and Miss Hot Wings’ parents to join us. Mama and Papa Hot Wings have been married for 30 years; and Mama and Papa In Law Hot Wings have been married for 40 years. Both couples are a testament to the strength, hard work, and perseverance that it requires to sustain a lasting and committed marriage. Because of the example that they have shown in this regard, Mr and Miss Hot Wings have requested that their parents seal the box, each by hammering a nail into one corner.
(This is when I noticed the wine bottle had leaked! Oops, I guess it’s getting nailed in that way. Oh well. The next day, we actually opened the box and exchanged the bottle for a new one. Then our parents re-nailed it for us. So, it didn’t go perfectly, but it was still beautiful!)
*guest photo*
(Dude, someone should have moved that microphone stand out of the way. Oops. Take note those still planning, move the microphone stand out of the way. It’s all up in these photos. Oh well, better to have the photos than not, right?)
And done!
We really loved this part of our ceremony. I can’t wait to tell you the story of that box. It was a wild adventure. We really loved that we could honor both of our parents’ marriages and include them in this way. It was incredibly cute! Earlier in the post, I mentioned that we exchanged out the bottle of wine. Mr Hot Wings bought 2 bottles of the nice wine. One was for the ceremony, and the other he wanted to surprised me with on our wedding night. He’s a sweetheart.
Are you including your parents in the ceremony somehow?
*All photos by the ever fab Hanssie Trainor unless noted otherwise*
Do you need to catch up with the hotness?
We plan on doing this at our ceremony as well. It just seems to be sweeter and much more sincere that doing a unity candle or sand pouring. Thanks for sharing!
Mrs. Hotwings…first off, a big Congrats to you and Mr. Hotwings! Secondly, I want to say that your wedding ceremony from start to finish is truly an inspiration! I adore the idea of the wine/love letters box and I will definitely incorporate that into my own wedding. I love reading your posts…thanks for sharing!
What a lovely ceremony to do! You hear about these things but you never see them done. I love it’s meaning!
I really love how your incorporated your parents into this ceremony!
Your ceremony looked beautiful! I love the chandeliers hanging from the hooks…mind telling me where you found those?
@Maire: My aunt got them at a wholesaler for florists and designers. But I noticed that Save-on-crafts.com has some for sell as well.
I am really lovin your ceremony, Hot Wings.. both the guests acknowledgement and the wine bottle ceremony!
Perfect timing as I plan mine out.
I love reading your posts, I hope you don’t mind that I’m probably going to incorporate most of your ideas into mine. 
OMG I love this idea of the box and the sealed letters. We’re doing a DW and we were considering the sand ceremony, but I was having a hard time making a final decision because…well, what do I do with the sand after the ceremony? LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea!
@Ms. Sparkles: I’m flattered!! Of course you can take any ideas you want. I’m glad it could help. I’ve gotten tons of help from other people, so it’s the least I can do to pass it on.
This is beautiful. I love how you incorporated your parents as well, and how you can constantly replenish & renew the box as the years go by!
I love this! We’ve been planning on using this at our ceremony and this will be a great starting point for the wording. I love how you included your parents, I’ve been trying to find a way to do this and this is perfect!
I love the spin you’re putting on the wine box. I’ve always loved the idea of love letters and wine if you’re struggling, but what if you’re not? Do you never get to read the letter? I think your plan is great - the tradition has a set end date, and if something comes up, you can always see it sooner.
Also I love your wedding in general.
[...] semi-DIYed our wine box for our Love Letter and Wine Box Ceremony. We searched high and low for an affordable box. Remember, we’re cheap. I kept thinking that [...]
I love the wine box ceremony! We didn’t incorporate it into our wedding ceremony, but we did our own little spin on it alone!
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Mrs. Hot Wings, Chicago/San Diego Age and Occupation: 28, Professor Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Instructor Engagement Date: December 20, 2008 Wedding Date: August 2010 Venue: Ocean View Villas/Jasmine Seafood Restaurant About Me: I am a psychology grad student living in Chicago and planning my wedding to a fellow psych grad student. I am a Sunny So-Cal bred gal who trudged across the country to follow her love of psychology and ended up finding a partner in the process. I am overly passionate about anything I involve myself with. I am an activist, a foodie, a reality TV watching junkie, an over-analyzer, a photography obsesser, and am utterly cheesy to the core. This is a story of what happens when a boy and a girl meet, fall in love over academic dorkiness, and a shared love for life. We (mostly I) are planning our semi-destination wedding in my hometown of San Diego. We are excited to bring our families and friends together from across our lifespans to celebrate our future in a grand 400+ person culturally blended affair!
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