Laurie & Santiago's Big Fat Geek Wedding Ceremony!

Prelude

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, J.S. Bach
Ave Maria, Franz Schubert
Suteki da ne (Isn't It Wonderful?), Nobuo Uematsu & Kazushige Nojima

Processional

Opening Words

JB:Mawwiage. Mawwiage is wot bwings us togedder today. *clears throat*

Dearly beloved, we have been invited here today to share with Laurie and Santiago a very important moment in their lives. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife.

As we begin the ceremony, we would like to take a moment to remember those who are here in spirit and those who have passed on. [short pause]

"You have come here today from your varied life experiences to make public the commitment you have made, each to the other. You come to combine your two separate lives into one. Although you will be sharing one life, never forget, you are two separate people. Cherish and affirm your differences. Love each other. Keep your commitment primary. Together you will laugh and cry, be sick and well, be happy and angry, share and grow. Grow, sometimes together, sometimes separately. But never remain stagnant. Love and life are always changing, always new. If you will insure a healthy lasting marriage, always, always value each other. Although you will disagree, remember to respect each other's feelings, needs and wants. And above all, never, never lose your sense of humor." ¹

Laurie, before your family and community, do you affirm your intention to take Santiago as your husband?

Laurie: I do.

Santiago, before your family and community, do you affirm your intention to take Laurie as your wife?

Santiago: I do.

Sand Ceremony

JB: Today two people from very different backgrounds join their lives together: An Ashkenazic Jew and a Latino Catholic, a liberal arts student and an engineer, a longtime vegetarian and a dedicated omnivore, one from the suburbs and one from the city, from a large family and a small one, one who has traveled across the world and one who has just begun to explore -- yet, despite their many differences, their hearts and lives are unified in love.

[Laurie hands bouquet to Kimberly.]

[Laurie and Santiago alternate pouring purple and gold sand from small heart bottles into larger heart bottle and cap it off.]

Reading - Best Man

Ricky: Santiago has asked me to share this passage on unity with you:

"A Declaration of Principles," by J. Michael Straczynski

"The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not Narn, or Human, or Centauri, or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope; it speaks in the language of trust; it speaks in the language of strength, and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always, it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors, speaking through us, and the voice of our inheritors, waiting to be born. It is the small, still voice that says: We are one. No matter the blood; no matter the skin; no matter the world; no matter the star; we are one. No matter the pain; no matter the darkness; no matter the loss; no matter the fear; we are one. Here, gathered together in common cause. we agree to recognize this singular truth, and this singular rule: That we must be kind to one another, because each voice enriches us and ennobles us, and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light the way to a better future. We are one."

Definition of Marriage

JB: In marriage, we give ourselves freely and generously into the hands of the one we love, and in doing so, each of us receives the love and trust of the other as our most precious gift. But even as that gift is shared by two people who are in love, it also touches the friends and family members who in various ways support and contribute to the relationship. All of you are Laurie and Santiago's community, and each of you has played some part in bringing them to this moment. This is why gathering as a community is such an important part of a wedding ceremony, because they are now taking a new form as a married couple, and in this form, they become part of their community in a new way. ² In a way, though they have already been a couple for nearly 5 years, their marriage today could be seen as the birthday of this new stage of their lives together.

Reading - Matron of Honor

Kimberly: Laurie has asked me to share this poem with all of you.

"A Birthday," by Christina Rossetti

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;
My heart is like an apple tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a dais of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleur-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.

JB: The vows through which you accept each other as life partners have no hidden meaning within themselves. Only to the extent that they express in words your continuing intention and commitment do they have meaning. I invite you now to join hands and face one another as you exchange your vows.³

[JB wraps ribbon lasso in a loose figure-eight around Laurie & Santiago's wrists and hands them their vows.]

[These words are spoken first by the groom and then by the bride:]

I promise to be your lover, partner, companion, and friend,
your greatest ally, your biggest fan and your toughest critic,
Your comrade in adventure,
And your accomplice in mischief.
I vow to laugh with you in joy,
To be your comfort in sorrow and to turn to you in my need,
To grow, yet remain young with you in love,
To be slow to anger and quick to forgive,
And to love, respect, and cherish you through all our days.

JB:Mr. and Mrs. Brunner, do you welcome Santiago as a member of your family circle and pledge your support to this new home?

Mr. and Mrs. Brunner: We do.

JB:Mrs. Rivas, do you welcome Laurie as a member of your family circle and pledge your support to this new home?

Mrs. Rivas: I do.

JB: And I ask all who are gathered here, do you promise to support Laurie and Santiago in their new shared life? If so, please answer, "We do."

Everyone there: We do.

Exchange of Rings

JB:Laurie and Santiago have chosen rings in the shape of Moebius strips. Moebius strips have a unique property: They have two sides, but only one surface. Likewise, a marriage joins two separate lives to create one shared life. The Moebius strip expresses transformation and non-duality, as a marriage transforms the lives of two individuals and makes them one in love and spirit. Plus, the mathematical equation describing this phenomenon is seriously geeky and cool. :)

[Ricky gives the rings to JB, who hands them one at a time to the bride and groom.]

Laurie: Santiago, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and a lifelong reminder of the vows we have taken today. [puts ring on his finger]

Santiago: Laurie, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and a lifelong reminder of the vows we have taken today. [puts ring on her finger]

All, a la Finding Nemo: Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! [audience participation!]

[JB removes ribbon lasso.]

Sharing of Wine and Bread

JB: The poet Kahlil Gibran said: "Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup."
[pause while Santiago and Laurie fill each other's goblets and sip from their own]

"Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf."
[pause while Laurie feeds Santiago some challah, Santiago feeds Laurie some Cuban bread]

"Sing and dance together and be joyous."

Closing/Blessing

JB: Laurie and Santiago, you have now affirmed before your families and friends your love and your caring for each other. You have come from different backgrounds. You have walked different paths. You are different individuals. Your love has transcended these differences. In the years before you, may the richness of the traditions that have nurtured you enhance and brighten your lives as you help to create and shape the future.

"May the challenges of your life together be met with courage and optimism. May you learn from your failures and grow in your achievements. May life bless you with children, friends and family in a wide network of mutual support and enjoyment. If you must face pain, toil or trouble, may you face it with a stout but light heart. May you share with others the radiance of your seasons of joy and pleasure. May you always remember that laughter is the medicine of the gods.

"May the spirit of love be ever a part of your lives so that the union we here celebrate this day be worthy of continued celebration tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow."⁴

By the authority vested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife. [Santiago stomps on glass.]

Kiss and rejoice! [Laurie and Santiago kiss.]

[Kimberly gives bouquet back to Laurie. Recessional starts with Laurie and Santiago.]

Recessional

Star Wars Theme, John Williams