Preamble to the vows
Many of our guests asked us to share the vows and readings that we created or picked out for the wedding.
We like the distinction of the vows to love, honor and cherish that are quoted below– the theme is that these vows are not static elements or feelings but dynamically present realities to live from in our relationship.
“To promise to Love your partner is to make the commitment to be present in the marriage. That means being there for each other every day, even when life intrudes and you’d prefer to be somewhere else or with someone else.
To promise to Honor your partner is to commit to acknowledging and respecting each other as you are, and not harboring intentions of changing the other person, or bending the other to your will.
Cherish is the way you express your love, respect, and compassion for your partner in your everyday life. Cherish involves action- the tangible tokens of your regard, the requests you say yes to, the truths you tell and live in words and action.
So these come together dynamically to form the real promise we make to each other through the marriage declaration: I make a commitment (love) to acknowledge you as you are (honor) and to perform the actions that enhance your life and our connection (cherish).”
Our vows are not just the words we say, they are the intentions, actions and promises we live in our life together – they create the context for our marriage.
Ali's Vows
I promise to:
- Bring passion, play and excitement to life every day
- Handle upsets and breakdowns with maturity Support your goals and dreams,
honor as important that which is important to you
- Listen you big; Be a source and a stand for your greatness
- Partner with you to continue creating a life filled with adventure and
discovery, with joy and abundance, with peace and love.
Keith, you are the most generous, forgiving, supportive person I have ever
known. You see the best in everyone, and help all of us get present to our own
greatness. You are a match for me in energy passion and adventure. You accept
and celebrate me, even when I think I don’t deserve it, and you inspire me every
day with who you are and what you stand for. You are my favorite dragon slaying,
building leaping, wizard/ /handyman/tech support and playmate. You are my best
friend. And, you’re very cute!
I am a calling for sensual adventures in the now. You are a calling for grand
master plans in the future. Together ours will be a sensual journey which takes
us to the future of our dreams, and this is a reality to which no fantasy could
ever compare. You’re not the man I dreamed I’d marry – you are so much much
better, and I couldn’t be happier to become your wife.
Keith's Vows
- Be your partner and husband
- Listen to all that you say for your commitment to beauty, excellence and
passion
- Bring a compassionate, supportive & playful spirit to our relationship
- Honor my word and yours in all that we do
- Love you with words and actions, even in the face of difficult circumstances,
so that you will always know the special place you hold in my heart
Ali you infuse beauty and sensuality into everything you do and it makes the
world sparkle when you pass through. Your wit and intellect are a match for me
and I relish the many exciting adventures you and I are capable of dreaming up
and sharing together. In you I found a playmate, a lover, a partner, a friend
and the sexiest damn muse in the entire world.
You inspire me to reinvent myself, to explore my own personal limits and to push
the envelope on my own comfort level to add an impeccable style to all that I
strive for. Life is vital and alive with you by my side and I get an intense joy
from your presence. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Marriage
From Goodridge Vs. Department of Health by
Massachusetts Supreme Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall
Marriage is a vital social institution. The exclusive commitment of two
individuals to each other nurtures love and mutual support; it brings stability
to our society. For those who choose to marry, and for their children, marriage
provides an abundance of legal, financial, and social benefits. In return it
imposes weighty legal, financial, and social obligations....Without question,
civil marriage enhances the "welfare of the community." It is a "social
institution of the highest importance." ...
Marriage also bestows enormous private and social advantages on those who choose
to marry. Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another
human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality,
companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family.... Because it fulfils yearnings
for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil
marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry
is among life's momentous acts of self-definition.
Soul mates
Excerpt from
The Bridge Across Forever
~ Richard Bach ~
A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our
locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out
and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are
and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other.
No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our
own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense
of direction. When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances
are we've found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to
life.