Pigs Take Wing: 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.