Weddingbee Blog

As a refresher, so far you’ve seen the girls and me get ready, my dress, all the pretty details, and my walk down the aisle.

Upon reaching each other, our hands, like magnets, were instantly joined and our eyes locked onto one another’s (mine were trying very hard to hold back tears).

The Judge jokingly stated, “I was going to ask you both to join hands, but it seems you beat me to it!”

It put a smile on our faces and gave our guests a good laugh while he proceeded to begin the ceremony…

“We are gathered here at this time to witness and to celebrate the coming together of two separate lives.

We have come to witness the joining of Sarah and Craig in marriage, to be with them in the making of this important and everlasting commitment.

This commitment is the taking of another person in his and her entirety—as lover, companion, and friend.”

Mom and sis looked on (apparently they were having just as hard of a time holding back the tears).

It is therefore, a decision which is not to be entered into lightly, but rather, undertaken with great consideration and respect for both the other person and for oneself. We give ourselves in love, but we do not give ourselves away. We do not destroy our individuality-that which brought us together initially.

Now we will take a moment to perform the unity ceremony, read by the best man, Harold.

“Today, Sarah and Craig, have chosen to commemorate their marriage through the celebration of the Sand Ceremony. This ceremony symbolizes the inseparable union of Sarah and Craig into a new and eternal marital relationship.

Sarah and Craig will simultaneously pour separate containers of sand into a common vessel. Each grain of sand in their separate containers represents a unique and separate moment, decision, feeling or event that helped shaped Sarah and Craig into the separate and unique individuals that they are today…

At that point we weren’t quite sure on whether or not we were supposed to pour the sand yet (hence the smirks), but we went with it anyway.

As they pour their separate containers of sand into a common vessel, those separate and independent individuals will cease to exist. Instead they will merge into a loving and supportive marital community…

Sarah and Craig, just as the grains of sand can never be separated into their individual containers again, so will your marriage be.”

We then took a moment to walk back to the arbor.

Then we settled back into our places to listen on while my dear friend, Shannon, shared a reading of Pablo Neruda’s Sonnet XVII.

I don’t love you as if you were the salt-rose, topaz
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as certain dark things are loved,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom and carries
hidden within itself the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving

but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

We stood there listening, staring at one another, knowing full well that in a few moments it would be time to share our vows. Vows, need I remind you, that I had just finished composing moments prior to the ceremony. Vows, that were so wonderful they are deserving of their own post, and because of this you must wait another day (I promise it won’t take months this time).

Did you have other rituals or readings during your ceremony? Were you anxious about reciting your vows?

**Photos courtesy of Anna Simonak Photography