The Ceremony

Prelude

Music: “White Wedding” by Billy Idol, “Going to the Chapel” by The Crystals

Processional

“Time After Time” Instrumental by Cyndi Lauper and Sarah McLaughlin

“Bridal Chorus” by Wagner

Of course, all the music got scrapped because of the monsoon.

Opening Words

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to unite this man and this woman in the ‘bonds of marriage, a source of joy to those who enter into it and of great good for our common life. Solemn words and symbolic acts are but the outward sign of what is here meant; for a true marriage is a union of lives, established in respect, love, and devotion; a dedication of each to the other, and of both to the wider community of which their lives are a part.

Charge to the Couple

• Chris and Amanda, the covenant which you are about to make with each other is meant to be a beautiful and sacred expression of your love. As you pledge your vows, and 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. Remember, then, that your decision this day is your act of faith in one another. Your faith must not be a vain hope in what the other will do or will not do, might

  

  become or not become. Yours must be that deeper faith that you each will be acceptable in the other's eyes despite the changes of the years and the assaults of the world. Such faith requires that you honor yourself as well as attend to the needs of the other. Such faith requires that you learn to listen before you speak. Such faith requires that you each be open to that divine spark within you, and be willing to be guided by the grace of its light. Your pledge to one another is a devotion in freedom, and not a license to control. Your covenant will endure the trials of time only as you keep to that sacred integrity.

What do you mean, "it's raining?"

Finally, just minutes before we were scheduled to start I got into my custom Demitrios dress. Dina and Wen had gone with me dress hunting, and when the woman at the boutique brought this one out on the hanger, we all grimaced and said, "no." Beads and lace? Not exactly my style. But, as it turns out, she really knew what she was talking about. The second I put it on, all three of us knew it was the one even though it was well outside of what I had been hoping to spend. I ended up having it massively altered, but I was soooo happy with it in the end.

I was informed that the guests were arriving just shortly before I was informed that what had been a beautiful sunny day up to that point was quickly turning rainy. Chris was brought in blindfolded so that we could decide what to do. The ultimate decision was that the rain wasn't going to let up in less than a 1/2 hour, and we were not about to postpone the wedding beyond that when everyone had already come out for it, so we'd go on in the rain.

The tent was standing room only since we hadn't counted on having to fit everyone in, and the wedding party was getting rained on lined up all nice for the processional. We had to scrap the music because the sound system had to be covered up - and no one would've been able to hear it anyway.

My glorious entrance as a bride involved running down the yard supported by my mom on one side and dad on the other, under Mandy's umbrella (one of the only two in the whole place). Chris tried to taunt me into doing the ceremony with him in front of the arch in the downpour. My dad seconded the idea - it was a gorgeous arch that he made for us. The groomsmen followed suit. I was not about to oblige. Nor were the bridesmaids. It was really, really pouring. If I'm not mistaken it was the heaviest rain of the summer to that point.

Eventually, Reverand Nurya Love Parish wrangled everyone into some semblance of the order we were supposed to be in, and the ceremony kicked off.