Weddingbee Blog

Folks, I must admit—this post has been sitting in my drafts folder for nine months. I was on such a roll, then I realized that I was missing a key piece: The Baconator’s vows! He typed them up on a computer that died shortly after the wedding so I had to wait until we got our video so I could transcribe them. Well, then I was out of the groove and kept letting things pop up and talk me out of blogging: like our new dog last April, then our new apartment over the summer, then Halloween, then Christmas, then New Years. But now, here we are in March and I have made a promise to myself to stop leaving everyone hanging!

So without further ado, let me introduce the rest of the Bacon recaps! Da da da daaaaaaaa!

(I am going to include our ceremony in its entirety since we handcrafted so much of it and when we were planning, I wished that I had more Bees’ weddings to refer to when putting it all together. This post will be pretty text heavy.)

So after we listened to our friends do the readings that we charged them with, and after we broke down into giggles and tears, we were finally ready to exchange vows and rings.

Consent of Marriage

Dave and Kelsey, will you release the past, bringing only those memories, desires and hopes which will belong to each other, into your future life together?

We Did!

Exchange of Vows

Dave and Kelsey, the covenant which you are about to make with each other is meant to be a beautiful and sacred expression of your love for each other. As you pledge your vows to each other, and as you commit your lives to each other, we ask that you do so in all seriousness, and yet with a deep sense of joy; with the deep conviction that you are committing yourselves to a dynamic growing relationship of trust, mutual support, and caring love.

Then it was finally time to say the magic words that would link us together forever: Our Vows. The thing to remember as you read these is that we wrote them without showing them to one another and months apart, so any similarities are purely accidental.

My Vows

Dave, I can’t believe that we’re finally standing here today. I feel like we’ve been building up to this since the day we met and I can’t believe that all my daydreaming is really coming to life. Four years ago today, we decided that we were going to take a chance and give up everything we’d come to know for the possibility that choosing each other would bring us happiness for the rest of our lives. We made the choice on a whim, on a hunch that what we found in each other was an ease, a peace of mind, a piece of ourselves that we could not live without. Today, I am standing here the happiest I’ve ever been. (Even though, I’m crying my face off.)

I love you because I know that when I’m with you I am the best I can possibly be. I love you because you push me and challenge me to try new things and step forward to take action. I love you because you teach me something new about life every single day. You teach me how to be the guy laughing the loudest in the theater at a chic flick. You teach me how to make the perfect omelet on a Saturday morning. You teach me how to calm the cats when nothing else seems to work. You teach me how to make the perfect shot of espresso and how to drink it before it goes bad and bitter. You teach me how to listen for the spectacular guitar solos in songs from a decade when we were still being potty trained. You teach me to understand that every major storyline out there really is a variation on Star Wars. You teach me to embrace the glory that is being a homebody. You teach me how to manage a budget without feeling like I’m taking a finance course. You teach me to ask questions and not accept the world as is. You teach me how to live bigger and better. You teach me how to love.

With all that we have yet to learn together, I cannot wait to start this next journey together with you. I vow to love you in that silly way that makes you laugh until you cry and in that serious way that lifts you up when life is holding us back. I vow to always be beside you no matter what adventure or misadventure comes our way and to never falter no matter what we encounter. I vow to care for you when you’re feeling down and to squeeze you tight when we say good night. I vow to be honest with you regardless of topic or importance. I vow to never take our love for granted and to love you unconditionally, with all my heart until the day I die.

The Baconator’s Vows

Because you know which of the Harry Potters is my favorite, when before I met you I hadn’t seen one. Because you know that I can watch the Empire Strikes Back every couple of weeks, and will still talk to me even though my incessant response to every statement is “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Because you know all my favorite hair metal ballads, but you aren’t surprised when I have a Ke$ha song stuck in my head. These are the reasons that I love you.

There have been things: the long distance calls to California till 3:00 in the morning when I have to work at 8:00; the seven hour drives in six inches of snow; the days I’d wake up at 4:00 am and not see you until 9:00 that night; and learning how to be the guy that is 10 minutes late to everything who is with the girl that wants to be the last one at the party; these have been our challenges, but admittedly we aren’t blowing up the Death Star.

I vow to continue learning from you every day because musicals are your thing, but I’ve found ones starring pirates and Jedis. I vow to be honest with you because I’ll always let you know when your outfit looks dumb, as long as you always tell me when my mustache looks creepy. I vow to grow as a person with you because maybe, just maybe, we’ll appreciate modern art as much as we appreciate a well made Chicago dog. I have to admit, though—not seeing that one happening any day in the near future. I vow to be your partner in crime, whether it’s jumping out of airplanes, going to Africa, or buying a house and raising kids. Although, I’m glad I’ll definitely have the primer to have gone shark cage diving before I’ll ever have to teach our five year old that he won’t be able to cast a spell on the dog to turn it into a robot.

Finally, and most importantly, I vow to love you today, tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that, with all my heart, with every breath I take and every whisper of my soul. I’m luckier than anyone here could know because I get to spend my life with my closest friend, and the love of my life.

(OMG cue waterworks!!)

Exchange of Vows

Your rings are circles and a circle is the symbol of the sun, the earth, the universe, of wholeness, perfection, peace and unity. Like circles, your rings have no beginning and no end and in the sacred tradition of marriage rings have come to symbolize eternal love and the endless union of body, of mind, and spirit.

These rings will be worn by Dave and Kelsey to show to the world their love and commitment to one another. May the presence of these rings always remind you of the eternal love you have pledged and devotion you willingly share with one another from this moment on.

Dave, please repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.

You may now place the ring on her finger.

Kelsey, please repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.

You may now place the ring on his finger.

Letters of Unity Ceremony

Since The Baconator’s parents have both remarried, we wanted to create a unity ceremony that united all of us, not just our moms or generic sides of the family.

If the parents of the Bride and Groom will now join them at the front, Kelsey and Dave have written letters to each other that they’re going to include in this box along with letters written by their parents. They will read these notes next year on their anniversary after the box has been sealed with the lock that was passed along with their rings earlier today. Like the rings, the box symbolized their continued commitment to each other as they bring together their thoughts, hearts, and families in marriage. The box is sealed as a symbol of their vows to each other, unbreaking and never yielding, with this lock that you all can confirm is as strong as their love for each other.

The box and lock for the Letters of Unity (Photo by my Talented Cousin)

(Photo by my Talented Cousin)

Now that Dave and Kelsey have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Dave you may now kiss the bride.

It’s now my pleasure to now introduce to you Mr and Mrs Bacon!

Whew—with vows exchanged, rings on and the most official public display of affection, we were married! Now we can get down to all the fun of cocktails and reception!

**All Photos Courtesy of JordanQuinn Photography unless otherwise noted**

Did you miss a Bacon recap? Don’t worry, here are some links to catch up!

• We came back with some reminders on how we made it to the big day
• We whirled, we primped, we rehearsed, and we dined!
• The big day began with mascara and curlers
• We served lots of Chinese tea and did lots of kneeling
• My dress got her moment in the spotlight
• The Bacon Bridesmaids got glam.
• This Bacon finally got to put on Big White
• We lost the boys!
• We took a moment for bridal portraits
• The Baconator and I had our first look
• We took photos around the city (Kinzie St Bridge, Michigan Avenue, Wrigley Field)
• We shook off last minute jitters while we waited for guests to arrive
• Our ceremony begins, and went through the readings