Friday, March 15, 2013

Bubbling With Joy: Ceremony and Celebration

As I took Mr. C's hand at the front of the aisle, I felt a huge sense of relief.  We were finally here!  It was finally happening!  He looked so handsome, and I felt as beautiful as I think I may ever feel.  It was almost like an out-of-body experience.  All of our preparations had led to this, and we were going to be married in a matter of moments.

The ceremony that we prepared together was meant to be a mix of traditional and light-hearted elements.  We wanted it to be not-too-formal, personal enough to mean something, and memorable for everyone.  I think we achieved that, as I heard from many guests afterward how much they enjoyed the ceremony.  Most of all, they commented on how un-stuffy and "real" it all was, and how much laughter and love they felt.  (Me, too!)  Here is how it all went down.


As the judge introduced the ceremony and welcomed our guests, the rain started coming down harder, and I remember watching the water run down the windows in sheets.  It's hard to see in our photos (in fact, it kind of looks sunny and wonderful outside!) but in this picture you can see that one of our photographers caught me watching the rain.


The judge read some words I had prepared for him thanking our parents and our guests for being there for us, and then he asked the guests to stand, and asked us to turn and face our guests.   He talked about us having found each other and the guests' role in witnessing our union and supporting us as we began our relationship as husband and wife. 


Chicago J later told me that my dad had been crying as the ceremony began; she said he got her all teary, it was so sweet.  I of course didn't see any of this since my parents were basically sitting behind me, but I do have this photo of him holding his glasses in his hand during this part of the ceremony.   My dad is not generally the emotional type, so knowing that he was so wrapped up in everything meant a lot. 


While we were all standing, we also asked the guests to acknowledge their support for our marriage by saying "we do."  This was such fun for us - getting to see everyone smiling up at us was awesome!    


After our guests were seated again, our friend K came up to the front to read The Master Speed, by Robert Frost.  K and I were grad school classmates, and she has accompanied Mr. C and I out on our sailboat a number of times.  It meant a lot to have her stand up and read for us.  This poem was originally written by Frost to celebrate the marriage of one of his daughters.  We chose it not only because of its close ties to our sailing hobby, but also because it's a beautiful poem!  


No speed of wind or water rushing by
But you have a speed far greater. You can climb
Back up a stream of radiance to the sky,
And back through history up the stream of time.
And you were given this swiftness, not for haste
Nor chiefly that you may go where you will.
But in the rush of everything to waste,
That you may have the power of standing still—
Off any still or moving thing you say.
Two such as you with a master speed
Cannot be parted nor be swept away
From one another once you are agreed
That life is only life forevermore
Together wing to wing and oar to oar.

After K's reading, we moved on to some words of wisdom from the judge.   He shared some of his thoughts on marriage, commitment, and life with the one you love.  He was also quite funny, as these photos show.   I think at least one of these might have been taken after he commented about my baking habit and how I should definitely keep those chocolate cupcakes coming for Mr. C and everything would be just fine.  (I baked chocolate cupcakes for Mr. C's birthday a couple of weeks after we first started dating, and it's become a yearly tradition.  How the judge found out about that, I'm not sure, but it cracked us up!)



Next came our statement of intent and vows.  We decided not to write our own vows, as we both preferred this part to be simple and traditional, so I chose my favorite version of some traditional wording.

Miss C and Mr. C, do you, with these family and friends as your witnesses,
Present yourselves willingly and of your own accord to be joined in marriage?
[WE DO]

Mr. C, please repeat after me
I, Mr. C, take you, Miss C,
to be my lawfully 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,
as long as we both shall live.

Miss C, please repeat after me:
I, Miss C, take you, Mr. C,
to be my lawfully 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,
as long as we both shall live.

Then it was time for the rings!

Mr. C, please place this ring on Miss C's finger and repeat after me:
“Miss C, I give you this ring
as a symbol of my love for you,

my faith in our strength together,
and my commitment to our marriage. 
I am honored to call you my wife.”

Mr. C giving me my ring was funny (he had a joke in his pocket for me which made me laugh)...   


but it was sentimental, too. 


When it was my turn to give Mr. C his ring, it was apparently just funny.   I remember asking him "are you sure about this?" before sliding the ring on.  I think that is probably what prompted the laughter...


However, I cannot for the life of me remember what Mr. C or the judge must have said after that, which had everyone in stitches, and me bent over laughing.  I am sure one of the guests or bridal party members will remind me at some point!


Rings now on our fingers, we had one more reading, by our friends K & A.  They are Mr. C's quasi-aunt and uncle, though they aren't actual relatives of his.  They have visited us many times in New York, and we have visited them in the Netherlands as well.  K & A read an adorable Ogden Nash poem - I Do, I Will, I Have.  They alternated lines and had a total blast, and everyone got a chuckle out of it, which is what we had hoped for.  


How wise I am to have instructed the butler to instruct the first footman
to instruct the second footman to instruct the doorman to order my
carriage;
I am about to volunteer a definition of marriage.
Just as I know that there are two Hagens, Walter and Copen,
I know that marriage is a legal and religious alliance entered into by a
man who can't sleep with the window shut and a woman who can't
sleep with the window open.
Moreover, just as I am unsure of the difference between flora and fauna
and flotsam and jetsam,
I am quite sure that marriage is the alliance of two people one of whom
never remembers birthdays and the other never forgetsam,
And he refuses to believe there is a leak in the water pipe or the gas pipe
and she is convinced she is about to asphyxiate or drown,
And she says Quick get up and get my hairbrushes off the windowsill,
it's raining in, and he replies Oh they're all right, it's only raining
straight down.
That is why marriage is so much more interesting than divorce,
Because it's the only known example of the happy meeting of the
immovable object and the irresistible force.
So I hope husbands and wives will continue to debate and combat over
everything debatable and combatable,
Because I believe a little incompatibility is the spice of life, particularly if
he has income and she is pattable.

Now all that was left was the pronouncement of our marriage, and of course, the kiss.  I actually got two kisses...he went back in for another.  I'll just show you the first one, though.


Woohoo!  We are married!


The walk back down the aisle was a joyful one...I just remember all the smiles, again, and the feel of Mr. C's arm in mine.



And with that, it was official!  The Cauldrons got hitched!

***All photos by Lindsey & Beto Photography.***
Bubbling With Joy: Making an Entrance :  wedding austin pictures pro pics recap Bubblin06 bubblin06
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Bubbling With Joy: Making an Entrance

We made it to the pavilion, a little damp, but really no worse for wear!


After ditching the umbrella and making some readjustments, we kept going, and I heard the first notes of Reckless Kelly's "Wicked Twisted Road" coming from Stephen's guitar.  Mr. C and I are both big fans or Reckless Kelly, and I chose this song because of its beautiful guitar work, but also because I wanted Mr. C to recognize the music rather than just have it be background noise.  Now it has even more of a special meaning for both of us.


Hooray, we made it!


Mr. C was all smiles, and I don't think I took my eyes off him as we walked up the aisle. 




I love so many things about this next picture: all the smiles, how Mr. C and his mom are making almost the same face (hilarious!), and how Mr. C's stepsister is taking pictures of the parents' reactions.  Love it. 


At the top of the aisle, my dad gave me a big hug, which was lovely, but he managed to pull my veil out of my hair.  Oops!


No worries, it wasn't too hard to get back in there while he shook hands with Mr. C. 



 Handover completed and veil refastened, Dad took his seat.


Let the ceremony begin!



***All photos by Lindsey & Beto Photography.***

Missed a Cauldron wedding day recap?  So far, we've had: 

Final Preparations
We All Assemble

Monday, March 11, 2013

Bubbling With Joy: We All Assemble

While I waited with my butterflies, the ceremony was getting underway in the pavilion.   Here is what it looked like all set up before the guests arrived.

Glorious glass wall!
The site coordinator, day-of-coordinator, and florists all did an amazing job making it look beautiful indoors.  I couldn't have imagined it any better, really.  With all those windows, it even felt like we were outside, but without the rain, mud, and mugginess.  Perfection!   Here are a couple more shots of the flowers:

These would have gone on the arch outside, but worked just as well here over the wooden doors.

Mason jars hanging from the end of several rows lined the aisle. 

Once our guests arrived and got settled, our prelude music began.  We chose Stephen Bright, a cathedral guitarist in Austin, to play for the ceremony.  He was lovely to work with, and he even learned a special song for my walk down the aisle.

Stephen and his very cool guitar.

He started off with "#3" by Ben Harper, as Best Man S escorted my Grandma down the aisle first:


Then Mr. C's dad and stepmom made their way to their seats:


And then his mom and stepdad:


Then Mr. C made his entrance, escorting my mom to her seat, and taking his spot at the front:


Once Mr. C made it to the front, there was apparently a giant BOOM from a thunderclap outside.  Being the ham that he is, he made like he was going to run.  


But then he decided to stick around.  Such a goofball.


Judge Watson (a family friend who presided over the ceremony), Mr. C's brother P, and Best Man S made their way up to the front: 


And then my girls NYC J and Chicago J walked down (to a piece called "The Canaries"): 




Only two people left...my dad and me.   We were still back in the bride's room waiting for our green light. 

A few words of wisdom as we were waiting to go outside. 
And, just before we headed outside, the rain (heralded by that large thunderclap!) started up.  So we got to bust out the fun clear umbrella that Mr. C and I had picked up the day before. 

Rain doesn't get us down!
And then we were headed out under the arbors to the pavilion, ducking raindrops and giggling the entire way.  I will never forget that walk.