Now on with the vows….
Here are some cool overview shots of the ceremony from Randy.
Randy even ran up to the second floor for some shots.
Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us that at the beginning of creation God “made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. Consequently they are no longer two but one flesh.” You have come to be made husband and wife. Will you join hands, and repeat these vows after me?
Kris repeated,
“I, Kris, take you Vanessa, to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death; as God is my witness, I give you my promise.”
I then repeated,
“I, Vanessa, take you Kris, to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death; as God is my witness, I give you my promise.”
I look so serious in this shot.
Another important thing to me was that I didn’t want the word “obey” in the vows because I consider our marriage a partnership and we were choosing to be together for the rest of our lives in married bliss.
We then went into the sand ceremony. When I bought our set they included a saying that we ended up using at the wedding.
Kris and Vanessa have chosen to take part in the sand ceremony as a symbol of them joining together as bride and groom and the uniting of their love.
The bride and groom have chosen this day in which to join together and proclaim their love for one another as they marry. Just as this sand unites as one it also retains its own individuality in each grain of sand, as do the bride and groom.
Today you are making a life-long commitment to share the rest of your lives with each other. Your relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand; one representing you, Vanessa, and all that were you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other representing you, Kris, and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be.
Once we started the sand ceremony, I was done pouring my sand way before Kris, so I had to kind of pause before I put my vase down. That was when I noticed his dad’s rose on the table instead of on the chair. At first I freaked out a little, but then realized that no one else would notice. After Kris was done I motioned for him to circle around the back because I wanted the music to continue a little longer because as we were actual pouring the sand we had the portions of the song, “The Wedding Song” by Noel Paul Stokey (from Peter, Paul, and Mary) played.
It’s from the 1970s, but I have always loved this song. Here is a link to the version that we played at the wedding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1v84WKC6Pg
Here are the words:
He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubadour is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits, here, has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love, there is Love.
A man shall leave his mother and a woman leave her home
And they shall travel on to where the two shall be as one.
As it was in the beginning is now and til the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.
And there is Love, there is Love.
Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife?
Is it love that brings you here or love that brings you life?
And if loving is the answer, then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before?
Oh there is Love, there is Love.
Oh the marriage of your spirits here has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love, there is Love.
The song was faded out about halfway through, we used the CD player for this one too. My cousin did a great job as the “sound man” plus with the Rotunda we didn’t need a regular sound system. We then went right back into the ceremony and exchanged our rings.
The word of God describes the kind of love we are to have, each for the other, “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
Having this love in your hearts, you have chosen to seal your vows by the giving and receiving of rings.
Bless, O Lord, this ring to be a sign of the vows by which man and woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
Then we each repeated the following as we exchanged rings. I give you this ring , as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you; in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Here were the guys standing up; I know some people don’t like that stance, but I think they all look very proper
The girls looked a little bored
The ceremony then concluded with a prayer.
Eternal God, Creator, and Preserver of Life, Author of Salvation, and Giver of all Grace, look with favor upon this man and this woman whom You make one flesh in holy matrimony. Grant that their wills be so knit together in Your will, and that their spirits be so knit with Your Spirit, that they each may grow in love and peace with You and with one another all the days of their lives. Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each other’s forgiveness and Yours. Make their life together a sign of Christ’s love to this sinful and broken world. Give them such fulfillment and mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others.
Now that Kris and Vanessa have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, before us and before God as witness, and have shown their affection and trust by the giving and exchanging of rings and by joining hands, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate, Amen. You may kiss your bride.
Closing prayer:
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord look upon you with His favor, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may so live together in this life, that the in the world to come you will have life everlasting through Jesus Christ, Amen.
I now present to you Kris and Vanessa, as husband and wife. (This was the only way we could think of to announce us since I kept my last name.)
Then we were officially married!!!!!!
How true, I never thought about that before with the song, it was a perfect fit
and at work I might add so I'm sure I look a bit silly. 
I am so glad that you shared that with us. Your friend did an awesome job! I can't wait to hear more so I can cry some more at work.
