Our wedding ceremony was great.  Because we had already seen each other and taken photos with our bridal party, the jitters were not all that bad. Of course, it’s still nerve-wracking, because this is The Ceremony!  It’s going to be official after this!  Plus, none of our guests had seen us yet, so there were a few butterflies, but it wasn’t that bad.

We wrote our ceremony with our officiant, Reverend Deborah Ashe (who we found on Weddingwire), and planned it to be fairly short, sweet, and very “us”.  Not too mushy, not too religious, but a nice balance of love, friendship, companionship, and family.

This part of the wedding was kind of a blur.  I was down the aisle before I knew it, and then we were standing hand in hand.  My brother walked me down the aisle (my dad passed away almost 10 years ago), and we hugged before I handed off my bouquet and faced Hydrangea Dude.  I could hear my mom sobbing behind me, but didn’t dare turn around.  I knew I’d start crying too.

My brother walking me down the aisle

Hydrangea Dude and I just looked at each other, smiling, while our officiant welcomed everyone and then we had a moment of silence for loved ones not with us. Then our friend Ruth came up for a reading, Called The Key To Love.  Revered Debi suggested this reading, and we really loved it.  It’s by an Anonymous writer in 1^st Century China, and still resonates today.

After the reading, we did a unity candle with a twist.  We had our moms come up to light the taper candles, representing us as individuals, then together, Hydrangea Dude and I lit the large pillar candle.  But, we left the individual candles lit as well, to indicate that while we are now one, we still maintain our own interests and uniqueness.

Hugging moms during their part of the ceremony

Then came the vows, which we wrote ourselves.  We both said the same thing to each other, and we composed our vows by taking bits and pieces of other vows: traditional, nontraditional, and adding in our own words as well.  Hydrangea Dude went first – I remember he was sweating, and his lip was quivering.  He was so nervous and emotional!  Who knew I’d be the one to hold it together?  After he said the vows, I said them back, and then we exchanged rings.

Exchanging rings

After a quick blessing, we had our first smooch as husband and wife and practically ran up the aisle, apparently.  I don’t remember walking fast, but the proof is in the video (and everyone else’s memory!)  What can I say?  I’m naturally a fast walker!  I was excited to get to the party!

First kiss

We're Married!

Up Next: The Ceremony Words (Reading and vows)