Wedding Vows

For those of you who couldn't be there (which was pretty much everyone, because we eloped), here's what we said to each other two days ago. The ceremony took place on Monday, September 7, 2009 in the courtyard of the Casa de Solana in St Augustine, Florida. The officiant was Betty Crosby, a charming lady who reminded me of my late great-aunt, Brenda Crosby.

Our vows were adapted from old Celtic rituals by Anna.

More pictures on Anna's Flickr site.

Opening

Officiate:
Marriage is an act of faith. It requires great trust to pledge oneself to a lifetime with another person. Today Anna and Matt demonstrate their faith and trust by pledging their love to each other.

Do you, Anna, take Matt to be your husband,

To be his constant friend,

his partner in life, and his true love?

To love him without reservation,

honor and respect him,

protect him from harm,

comfort him in times of distress,

and to grow with him in mind and spirit?

Anna: I do.

Do you, Matt, take Anna to be your wife,

To be her constant friend,

her partner in life, and her true love?

To love her without reservation,

honor and respect her,

protect her from harm,

comfort her in times of distress,

and to grow with her in mind and spirit?

Matt: I do.

Wedding Vows:

Officiate: Anna and Matt, will you now face one another and join hands.

Matt:

I, Matthew David Kelland,

in the name of the spirit and Will that resides within us all,

by the life that courses within my blood,

and the love that resides within my heart,

take you, Anna Mary Young,

to my hand, my heart, and my spirit

to be my chosen one.

To desire and be desired by you,

to possess you, and be possessed by you,

without sin or shame, for neither can exist in the purity of my love for you.

I promise to love you wholly and completely,

in sickness and in health,

in plenty and in poverty,

in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again.

I shall not seek to change you in any way.

I shall respect you, your beliefs, your people, and your ways as I respect myself.

Bride:

I, Anna Mary Young,

in the name of the spirit and Will that resides within us all,

by the life that courses within my blood,

and the love that resides within my heart,

take you, Matthew David Kelland,

to my hand, my heart, and my spirit

to be my chosen one.

To desire and be desired by you,

to possess you, and be possessed by you,

without sin or shame, for neither can exist in the purity of my love for you.

I promise to love you wholly and completely,

in sickness and in health,

in plenty and in poverty,

in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again.

I shall not seek to change you in any way.

I shall respect you, your beliefs, your people, and your ways as I respect myself.

Introduction of Rings:

Officiate:

The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond. It is a seal of the vows Anna and Matt have made to one another."

Matt (placing ring on Anna's finger):

I take you, my heart

At the rising of the moon

And the setting of the stars,

To love and to honour

Through all that may come,

Through all our lives together.

In all our lives,

May we be reborn

That we may meet and know

And love again,

And remember...

Anna:

I thank you for this ring and I accept it as a symbol that we are one with each other. I will wear it with love all of my life. From this day forward the world will know that I am yours and you are mine.

Anna (placing ring on Matt's finger):

I take you, my heart

At the rising of the moon

And the setting of the stars,

To love and to honour

Through all that may come,

Through all our lives together.

In all our lives,

May we be reborn

That we may meet and know

And love again,

And remember...

Matt:

I thank you for this ring and I accept it as a symbol that we are one with each other. I will wear it with love all of my life. From this day forward the world will know that I am yours and you are mine.

Handfasting Ceremony:

Officiate:

Matt and Anna, please join your right palms,

and then your left palms. This forms the symbol of infinity between you.

Officiate wraps cord around the joined hands.

Now you are bound one to the other

With a tie not easy to break.

Take the time of binding

To learn what you need to know -

To grow in wisdom and love.

That your marriage will be strong

That your love will last

In this life and beyond.

In times past it was believed that the human soul shared characteristics with all things divine. It is this belief which assigned virtues to the cardinal directions; East, South, West and North. It is in this tradition that a blessing is offered in support of this ceremony.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the East.

Communication of the heart, mind, and body

Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun.

The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South.

Warmth of hearth and home

The heat of the heart's passion

The light created by both to illuminate the darkest of times.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the West.

The deep commitments of the lake

The swift excitement of the river

The refreshing cleansing of the rain

The all encompassing passion of the sea.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the North

Firm foundation on which to build

Fertility of the fields to enrich your lives

A stable home to which you may always return.

Each of these blessings emphasizes those things which will help you build a happy and successful union. Yet they are only tools. Tools which you must use together in order to create what you seek in this union.

Declaration of Marriage:

Officiate:

Now that Matt and Anna have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, by the virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the State of Florida, I pronounce you husband and wife.

The Kiss:

You may seal your vows with a kiss.