Love Under the Moon: The Coyote Ceremony (Part 1)

Putting together our ceremony was an extremely difficult task. Our officiant provided us with a ridiculous amount of examples and then it was our job to sift through them and choose the passages we wanted. It was incredibly time-consuming, but totally worth it to have a ceremony that truly reflected our personalities and our views on marriage. I know that many couples write their own ceremonies now and so I will be sharing ours in its entirety with the hope that it may assist or inspire future couples.

On behalf of Jason and Cristina, thank you for joining us. We have been brought together today for an occasion of great joy and a cause for great celebration. 

Having found each other, Jason and Cristina have built the kind of relationship that will serve them well as the foundation for their marriage. Each of us knows that a marriage is not created by a law or a ceremony; rather it occurs in the hearts of two human beings. It is through loving, kindness, caring, and sharing that a successful marriage is created. A good marriage takes patience, dedication, humor, and forgiveness. You keep your love alive through the choices you make moment by moment, day after day, and year after year.

 

Through practice, you learn how to love yourselves and each other with devotion and freedom.
And so, we are here to witness and to celebrate the coming together of Jason and Cristina as their lives, which began on separate paths, will be joined as one. Inspired by their love let each of us rededicate ourselves to the loving relationships in our own lives. May we all be enriched for having shared this day together.

Let us pray. Dear Lord, thank you for this beautiful day and for fulfilling the desire of Jason and Cristina’s hearts to be together in this life. We pray that your blessing will always rest upon their home; that joy, peace and contentment would dwell within them as they live together in unity, and that all who enter their home may experience the strength of your love. Father, help them to follow and serve you with an ever growing commitment because of their union. Guide them into greater love and sacrifice as they care for each other's needs, knowing you will care for them. May they always be as keenly aware of your presence as we sense it today on their wedding day. And may their devotion in marriage be a radiant reflection of your love for them.

AMEN.

Jason, do you take Cristina to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?   
 

Jason: "I do."

Cristina, do you take Jason to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?     

Cristina: "I do."

 (Guest photo)

It is now time to exchange your vows. Repeat after me:

"I, Jason/Cristina, take you, Cristina/Jason, to be my wife/husband. All that I am, I give to you. I promise to love you, be your partner and your best friend. I promise to support you and challenge you, encourage you and inspire you. I promise to always laugh with you and make you laugh when you need it most. I promise to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle, always be understanding, and trust in you completely. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, for always." 

Jason and Cristina have asked Cousin A to read a poem called "Union" by Robert Fulgham.

 

Cousin A: "You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks - all those conversations that began with, 'When we're married', and continued with 'I will' and 'you will' and 'we will' - all those late night talks that included 'someday' and 'somehow' and 'maybe' - and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

"The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, 'You know all those things that we've promised, and hoped, and dreamed - well, I meant it all, every word.'

"Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another - acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same. 

"For after today you shall say to the world - This is my husband. This is my wife."

*All photos are by the fabulous Upstate Photographers unless otherwise noted.*

  
Miss a recap?

• I babble about being married and share our wedding video.
• We finish up some last-minute wedding tasks and pre-wedding jitters set in the day before the wedding.
• We practice getting married and then head to our rehearsal dinner where I shed my first tears of the weekend. We later wind down with our families back at the hotel.
• My bridesmaids get pretty and I get a special message from Mr. Coyote.
• I try to cope when things don’t go quite as planned, but thankfully I quickly bounce back and then it was time to become a bride. Meanwhile, Mr. Coyote was calm as a cucumber as he got ready with the dads and groomsmen.
• I finish getting ready and see an unexpected guest on my way to our first look.
• It was finally time to cross the street and meet my groom!
• We spend some time with our wedding party and then some time alone. Ceremony time was rapidly approaching.
• Our ceremony begins with the family and bridesmaid processional and continues with the bridal processional.