Weddingbee Blog

Okay.

Let’s get to it already: the (veggie) meat, the grit, the heart of the day. Yes, I’m talking about our ceremony. It was my favorite part of the day and by far the most magical outpouring of love I’ve ever felt. They (who?!) say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I certainly hope so, because I have trouble coming up with any that accurately capture, contain, or recreate the magic. But I’ll do my best.

Our first few guests to arrive caught us off guard, and it was just a little awkward—you know, *shy wave, yup, this is me in my bride clothes, okay, I’m just gonna mosey on over to the “bridal chamber” and hide from you guys now type of awkward. And exciting. Our guests were showing up for our wedding which was mere moments away from really happening. It was totally surreal.

We stayed sequestered in the bridal chamber (really, the storage room for our excessive decor) with Team Awesome and family. We indiscriminately slapped bow ties on a whole bunch of people. We realized our pink flamingos hadn’t been used, and my nephews went on a last minute mission to find them a home (thanks guys!). We nervously called for beer, but I’ll be honest, a shot would have been just about perfect.

And then it was time to go (get married!):

We proceeded en masse down the dirt road and towards our lovely circle of guests.

It was pretty magical walking towards this. Just pretend we’re not there yet, as it wasn’t quite literally thatmagical.

BM J took charge of passing out giant balloons to Team Awesome.

Love Gets Sweeter Everyday, by Finley Quay, started and my family headed for their seats. Despite her hours of practicing with her super special Here Comes the Bride flag, my little niece fell asleep pre-ceremony, and had to be carried down the aisle. She later said, “Auntie, auntie, when do I walk down the aisle with my flag?” and my heart melted/broke just a little. Poor kid.

Team Awesome went next giant (Heart shaped! Can you tell?) balloons in hand.

And suddenly it was our turn! Hilarious and true, when everyone stood up W Stripes started shrieking (okay, maybe whispering) Why are they all standing? Why are they all standing?

But before we could walk, we had one small (and very confused) little boy to deal with. Poor Elijah stopped midway down the aisle, his mom (W Stripes’ sis) in front of him and his dad (waiting to walk W Stripes down the aisle) behind. He was torn. I don’t honestly remember which one he chose, but crisis averted, our music,Take My Heart, by Soko commenced.

We took a deep breath and took our first steps towards being married ladies. If you don’t count all those steps we took to get to this point, of course.

I kissed my dad on the cheek and continued on to meet W Stripes in the center of the circle. Getting married in a circle surrounded by your loved ones is seriously the BEST!

Welcome Friends & Relatives. It is my honor to welcome you to the ceremony that will unite Tabitha and Cynthia as a married couple.

We are all blessed to be here and witness the union, commitment, and love between Tabitha and Cynthia. They have asked us all to bless their commitment to one another today as they embark on oneness.

Marriage is one of the happiest gifts in life. When one finds someone to share their love and life with, they are giving themselves freely and openly. As their community, we are here to relish in that love and to support their union. Marriage is a friendship, a partnership, and the togetherness of two individuals that birth oneness.

Today they will take on a new form as a married couple, and in that new form, they become a part of their community in a new way. And we are all here to bear witness and join in that new community.

Suneel sang our opening prayer in both Sanskrit and English:

that is perfect, this is perfect
out of perfect only perfect comes
after removing perfect from perfect
that is perfect which remains

And baby Anjali hung out while her dad sang, using her magical baby powers to make sure everything went just perfect.

Next up: We reveal more of our uber nerdiness… We had not one, not two, but four readings during our ceremony!

Catch up:

• Love & Stripes: Nice to See You (Again)
• Love & Stripes: The Days Before
• Love & Stripes: The Day Before
• Love & Stripes: Getting Pretty
• Love & Stripes: Getting Crafty
• Love & Stripes: Our Smug Mugs
• Love & Stripes: Bridal Details+
• Love & Stripes: Team Awesome

All photos by the amazing Kirsten Ellis