Takin’ Love by the Horns: I Wool Always Love You, Part II – A Big Smooch

Once we had sealed our letters in the box, we went back to our positions at the front, once more holding hands. I could tell Mr Big was getting nervous – I know I was! It was time to exchange our vows.

As an aside, when Mr Big and I got to thinking about our vows, we both agreed we wanted to write them ourselves. Not being a wordsmith, Mr Big was a little nervous about writing his vows. So when he was the first person to say them, he was feeling the pressure! I think he did pretty well though. Celebrant J also suggested we read our own vows to each other without repeating after her, which meant she was holding up our vows as we read.

Celebrant J:

We now arrive at a special moment, the moment where you try to bundle all of your experiences and emotions into words. The symbolic vows you’re about to make are a way of saying to one another that you both believe in all the things you promised, hoped and dreamed for one another. It is not just a proclamation of your love to one another, but a reflection of your relationship with each other.

Grant, will you now pledge your vows you’ve written for Eileen with the following:

“I call upon the persons here present
To witness that I Grant
Take you Eileen
To be my lawful wedded Wife.”

Mr Big:

I promise to put you first in everything I do,
To be the excited high-five when you’re happy, and the comforting arms when you feel sad.

To truly listen when you need to talk, and to give good advice when you need to listen.
To be your superhero when you’re afraid, and to bare my soul when you see I hurt.

 

To be yours and you mine from here til’ the end of the verse.
Eileen, I love you.

After Mr Big said his vows, Celebrant J turned to me.

Guys – I thought I’d cry going down the aisle, and when I didn’t, I was pretty confident I’d be ok with my vows. The moment Mr Big said his though; I felt the tears start to build. So when it was my turn, I had to stop, breathe deeply, and then continue lest I start bawling.

Celebrant J:
Eileen, will you please respond with the vows you’ve written for Grant with the following:

“I call upon the persons here present
To witness that I Eileen
Take you Grant
To be my lawful wedded Husband.”

Miss Big:

Grant, I don’t like clichés.
I like to think that I’m more imaginative than that, but when I think about you, all I can think about is the clichéd, typical semblance of romance – of a girl who loves a boy so much that everything is just so cliché.

So when I say that you are my rock, you are the man of my dreams, the thing I look forward to in the morning and one of the last thoughts I have at night, I am telling the whole clichéd truth. Like one great spy said to another, you are a gift, a gift that I will treasure forever.

You are my sanctuary, my happily ever after, and my above and beyond. I know that with you I’ll always be truly happy. With you I can be exactly who I am with no judgement and no reservations. 

See that face? That’s the “don’t you dare cry while you’re saying your vows” face.

You make me a better person and I will strive with all of my heart, my mind, and every fibre of my being to be the best partner, lover, friend, and wife that I can be. There are no promises I can make that will ever encompass the love I have for you, so I’ll make it brief. I promise to laugh with you in the good times and stand with you in the bad.

I promise to stand by your side as we walk through life together, hand-in-hand.

But most of all, I promise to love you fiercely and proudly forevermore.

I’m pretty sure he almost cried too.

At this point, Mr Big went in for a kiss. It was unexpected, and caught most people off-guard (including our photographers, there’s no picture of it, haha!). At that point Mr Big stated: “Got an early one in”. This managed to make just about everyone – including the both of us – laugh.

With the mood lightened, Celebrant J continued on with the ceremony, asking BMan Hunter for the rings:

Grant and Eileen, marriage is a state in which two people come together and create a union that is greater than the mere sum of two individuals. It is difficult to express in words the profound relationship that is love. These rings are a symbol of your love and regard to one another. From time immemorial, the circle has been an emblem of the sincerity and permanence of a couple’s love and regard for one another and their union. The ring is the symbol of the commitment which binds these two people together.

The act of giving and receiving of rings reminds us that love itself is an act of giving and receiving. These golden circles are the natural symbols of enduring love. They represent an inward belief and trust in togetherness and an outward sign of love and commitment.

Grant, as you place this ring as a visible sign of your commitment in marriage on Eileen’s finger, please repeat:

‘Eileen, I promise to love, respect, and honour you.
I will always be there for you, with you, and beside you.
Let this ring be a symbol of our love, may it represent our today, our tomorrows, our future and our past.
As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you.
As I have given you my hands to hold, so I give you my life to keep.’

Eileen, as you place this ring as a visible sign of your commitment in marriage on Grant’s finger, please repeat:

‘Grant, I promise to love, respect, and honour you.
I will always be there for you, with you, and beside you.
Let this ring be a symbol of our love, may it represent our today, our tomorrows, our future and our past.
As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you.
As I have given you my hands to hold, so I give you my life to keep.’

As I slipped the ring on Mr Big’s finger, I could see the look of excitement on his face as Celebrant J began the next section of the ceremony: 

Grant and Eileen, marriage is the joining of two people, the union of two hearts. It lives on in the love you have for each other and never grows old, but thrives in the joy of each new day. 

Today, before your family and friends, you have openly declared your love for each other. You have joined your hands, pledged your vows, and exchanged rings. You have not only made a commitment to each other, but to yourselves, to face life’s journey together. And so it is with great joy that I now declare you Husband and Wife.

Congratulations, and best wishes from all of your family and friends here today!

Grant, you may now kiss your bride!

And he did!

We’re not done yet guys!

[All photos by the fantastic Studio Something.]

Need to catch up?

• Laugh, weep, and celebrate with us by watching our wedding video.
• I am a delegating ninja! (I’m really not.)
• We have a “nice” morning of Car-Tetris fun!
• I tell you guys about the frenzy that is the lead-up to our wedding day.
• We practice walking and talking.
• We eat a loooooot of meat.
• I celebrate my last night as a Miss.
• I talk to you about a major wedding regret.
• The girls get their pretty on.
• The guys clean up nicely.
• I get all fancy with my duds.
• We cut some ribbon.
• I walk down the aisle.
• We drink wine!