The Marriage License

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We chose to incorporate the signing of the marriage license into the ceremony for a few reasons. We wanted to emphasize the gravity and completeness of the commitment we were making in an additional way. We wanted to recognize all the dimensions of our marriage, spiritual, emotional, and legal. Also, I never understood the idea of signing either before vows are taken or after a couple is pronounced husband and wife (or husband and husband, or wife and wife, as the case may be).

So my dad built us a beautiful table that matched the arch on which to sign, and we bought a lovely white feather pen.

(My uncle Bill with the table my dad built)

Both items got rained on.

But the Best Man, Dan, graciously ran out into the downpour again to retrieve the pen.

(For all the things it might look like, this is Chris shaking the water out of the quill after Dan ran out and got it)

And we made it legal.

Rev. Nurya

Chris

Me

Dan

And Mandy

The Rings

“What symbol do you offer as a pledge for the fulfillment of these vows?”

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Picking out our rings was an amusing debacle. We made a number of trips to the Diamond District, and we scoured the internet, emailing images of rings back and forth. We didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend, but we both had very specific things in mind.

I wanted something featuring leaves or vines, something with a nature feel to it. He wanted a dark metal with the Gregory crest laser etched into it. We ended up going through Wedding Ring Originals (www.weddingrings.com) on Lex. I tried on about a dozen different “leafy” rings, and settled on the simplest one (it’s funny, at the time, I found all the others too flashy, but now I’m thinking I might have this one added on to in a few years, lol). It is absolutely beautiful.

Chris didn’t have it quite so easy. He found the perfect True Tungsten ring, but the etching technology that was within our price range was not nearly the quality we were looking for. I’m hoping to get him an etched ring for some future anniversary. But he loves the ring the way it is; it has an amazing shine to it. I had our names, wedding date, and “Always” (per the Bon Jovi song) engraved inside.
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“The circle of the ring speaks of love freely given: it has no beginning and it has no end. The circle of the ring declares the unity and the oneness of your two lives, which shall contain your devotion beyond every journey, that you may always return again to your togetherness.”




“I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness. With all that I am, and all that I have, I join my life with yours.”






“I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness. With all that I am, and all that I have, I join my life with yours.”



(And on my right hand you’ll see my engagement ring. I couldn’t settle on just one style, so I wear them on opposite hands)