We livestreamed our wedding. Below is the transcript of the ceremony.
Celebrant:
A very warm welcome to this joyous occasion, and on behalf of Matthew and April Faye, thank you to all of you who are here present, and to all of you who are joining us livestreaming, for being here!
Love, in all its many forms, is a precious gift. Our ability to give and receive love is also a large part of what makes us human. Therefore, when two people find each other, fall in love, and want to commit themselvesto spending the rest of their lives together, it is cause for celebration!
It is in that spirit that we are gathered here together today to celebrate Matthew and April Faye’s joining together in matrimony. And as we do so, I’d like to bring to mind all those friends and family members who are not with us here today. We know they are celebrating with us in spirit, and in the hearts of those who love them.
Remarks
Celebrant:
In the history of some European traditions, the joining of two people was marked by a simple ceremony called a handfasting in which just the two partners would join hands and their wrists would be tied with a cord or sash, symbolizing the binding together of their individual lives. It is from this practice that we get the expression “tying the knot”.
The handfasting commitment was binding for a year and a day, allowing time for an itinerant priest to make his rounds from town to town, solemnizing weddings, baptizing babies, and anointing the dead. Once that time period had past, if the couple wished to continue their commitment to each other, the church and the family would recognize and celebrate their forever union.
A year and a day ago, the world was a very different place. A global pandemic had us in its grip, we were masked and socially distanced, and it wasn’t safe to gather together. Yet true love always finds a way no matter what the challenges are.
And so – following that early tradition – a year and a day ago, Matthew and April Faye chose to join their lives legally in marriage in a private handfasting ceremony for just the two of them. A year and a day later, with the threats of the pandemic largely behind us, we are acknowledging and celebrating that union of Matthew and April Faye today.
Declaration of Intent
Celebrant (to gathering):
First comes love, then comes marriage, or so the children’s rhyme begins. And we know that marriage is perhaps the single most gratifying and challenging of human relationships.
<To Matthew and April Faye> However, no ceremony can create your marriage; only you can do that. What this ceremony can do is to witness and reaffirm the choice you two made to stand together as lifemates and partners. Since you have already made that choice, I will now ask you to reconfirm your intent to be married with your families as your witnesses:
Celebrant to Matthew:
Matthew Joseph, do you come to this ceremony willingly and with an open heart, to once again take April Faye for your lawfully wedded wife, to live in the estate of matrimony?
Matthew:
I do.
Celebrant to April Faye:
April Faye, do you come to this ceremony willingly and with an open heart, to once again take Matthew Joseph for your lawfully wedded husband, to live in the estate of matrimony?
April Faye:
I do.
Celebrant to the guests:
Do you, the family members of Matthew, accept April Faye into your circle, vowing to support her and encourage her as Matthew’s wife, for as long as they both shall live? If so, please respond “We do.”
Do you, the family members of April Faye, accept Matthew into your circle, vowing to support him and encourage him as April Faye’s husband, for as long as they both shall live? If so, please respond “We do.”
Exchange of Vows
Having reconfirmed their intent to be married, Matthew and April Faye will now make their vows to one another. And as they do so, I invite all of you who are already married to take the hand of your loved one, and in your hearts and minds, reaffirm your own vows.
Matthew:
I, Matthew Joseph, take you, April Faye, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, keeping faithful to you, as long as we both shall live.
April Faye:
I, April Faye, take you, Matthew Joseph, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, keeping faithful to you, as long as we both shall live.
Celebrant to couple:
Do you swear to care for any children that come of this union, and put them first until they come of age, no matter what happens between you?
A&M: We do.
Do you swear to care for each other in old age, until you are too feeble or death takes you?
A&M: We do.
If you ever find that your time for loving has passed, do you swear to treat each other with respect and kindness and do everything in your power to part as friends?
A&M: We do.
Exchange of Rings
It is tradition in most cultures for bonded couples to wear an outward symbol of their commitment to each other. In our culture, the ring has been chosen to symbolize those vows spoken in marriage.
Traditionally the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, because the left hand is closer to the heart, and because at one time it was believed that there was a single blood vessel that extended directly from that finger to the heart. In keeping with that tradition, Matthew and April Faye will now exchange the rings that will symbolize the pledges that they have made to each other here today.
<To couple:> As your rings are made of special materials that endure for all time, so may you be reminded of how special and enduring is the love you share. As they encompass your fingers, so may your love encompass your life together. As they form an endless circle, so may your love be endless.
<The Celebrant then asks the Best Man to place April Faye’s ring in Matthew’s open palm.>
Matthew (placing ring on April Faye’s finger):
This is a token of my love, that you may never forget it and may always take comfort from its presence. With this ring I thee wed, I endow thee with all the worldly goods I possess, and with my body I thee worship, till death do us part. Where you are the wife, I shall be the husband, where you are the mother, I shall be the father; where I hold hall, you shall hold the keys.
April Faye: (placing ring on Matthew’s finger) This is a token of my love, that you may never forget it and may always take comfort from its presence. With this ring I thee wed, I endow thee with all the worldly goods I possess, and with my body I thee worship, till death do us part. Where you are the husband, I shall be the wife; where you are the father I shall be the mother; where you hold hall, I shall hold the keys.
Unity Ritual – Handfasting
Celebrant:
Matthew and April Faye, in celebration of the commitment you made to each other a year and a day ago, today we are including another handfasting ceremony in which your parents will participate, as we know that a couple’s marriage is always stronger with the support of their parents.
For our livestreamed guests, you will have the opportunity to participate as well. Please have your keychains completed up to the final step, so you will be ready for when we all pull the knot tight together.
Matthew and April Faye, your cord is a symbol of the connection between your two lives.
(Hold cord aloft.) As you can see, the handfasting cord is made of three ribbons; representing Groom’s and Bride’s past, present, and future. The orange represents Matthew, the purple represents April Faye, and the white represents their joined life. The ribbons are woven together into a single cord in the way that Matthew’s and April Faye’s individual lives are now intertwined into this one married life together. You’ll note, though, that their cord is only partially braided, as they still have the rest of their lives to become intertwined.
Celebrant (to Couple):
I ask that you now join your left hands, the hands that are closest to your hearts. And then Matthew, please place your other hand over April Faye’s, as yours is now in a place of protection. April Faye, please place your other hand under Matthew’s, for yours is in a position of support.
(Couple joins hands. The Celebrant lays the braided cord over their hands.
Celebrant:
I ask now that Richard and Janice, Matthew’s parents, to join us here. Please place your braided ribbon over April Faye’s wrist – in the same way it will be woven and tied with the rest, April Faye will be woven into your family.
(parents lay their ribbon across April’s wrist)
I ask now that William and Marilyn, April’s parents, to join us here. Please place your braided ribbon over Matthew’s wrist – the in the same way it will be woven and tied with the rest, Matthew will be woven into your family.
(parents lay their ribbon across April’s wrist)
To our livestream guests, please get ready to pull your cords tight as I tie all of these ribbons into a single knot.
Celebrant (to Couple):
These are the hands that will love and cherish you throughout your life together. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as you build your future together. These are the hands that will comfort you and give you strength in times of sorrow and challenge. These are the hands that will support you and encourage you to pursue your dreams. These are the hands that will welcome your children into your life and then help them to fly from the nest on their own. These are the hands that when wrinkled with age, will still be reaching for yours providing comfort with the tenderest of touch.
Celebrant (to gathering):
I will now tie the knot. To our guests livestreaming at home, please pull tight the cords tied on your keychain as I pull the ribbons tight here. Here we go…..
(Celebrant ties the knot)
Thus, Matthew’s and April Faye’s hands have been bound by the knot. The knotted cord represents the marital bond. It is strong enough to hold you together during times of struggle yet flexible enough to allow for individuality and personal growth. As your hands were bound together to symbolize the bond of love between you, remember the knot as the symbol of your vows and the commitments you have made to each other here today.
Final Comments and Blessing
Celebrant (to gathering):
Today Matthew and April Faye are continuing their married life together, and what an adventure that will be!
A wise man once said that every relationship rests on three pillars: acceptance, support, and challenge. So this is what I wish for you as you continue this adventure: that through your life together, you will find in each other acceptance of the unique individuals that you are, support when you need it most, and the kind of challenge that keeps you growing better and stronger as a couple, and as individuals.
May you look to the future with joyful anticipation for what lies ahead, and with a shared vision for where you want to go together. May you always remember what attracted you to each other in the first place. May you find a haven in each other from the storms of life. May you have the loving support of your friends and family. And may you be blessed with a long life together full of peace, joy, and everlasting love. Amen.
Pronouncement of Marriage
Insomuch as Matthew and April Faye have consented once again to live together forever in wedlock, and have witnessed the same before this gathering, having renewed their pledges, each to the other, and having re-affirmed those vows by the giving and receiving of a ring, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce that they are still and always will be husband and wife.
Celebrant (to the couple):
You may now seal your vows with a kiss.
Celebrant:
Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my honor and privilege to present to you, using the conjoined name they have chosen to share as a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Joseph and April Faye Rhyzley!
After a very lovely ceremony, we took a trolley and had photos in the park. It was a lovely, HUMID day.
