By Carey, IW Bride Blogger
I’ve been asked a few times now what was my favorite part of the wedding, and I have to say it was the ceremony. We were so happy to have Nathan’s father, Mr. Bob Griffin, marry us in front of our friends and family. My father-in-law can weave a story together so naturally that you can’t help but be inclined to give your undivided attention. Nathan and I always knew that we wanted him to tell our story and bring us together on our wedding day.
The ceremony was perfectly us – sweet, loving, awkward, funny (I cannot believe how many laughs were had), honest – and just beautiful. We asked Bob to say a bit about the importance of love, marriage, and family (where he spoke to his long and loving marriage with his wife Debbi), and then we read our vows to one another. Nathan and I have always written to each other – even before we formed a romantic relationship. We created a journal space where we could write to each other; we leave notes (on Post-its) for each other around the house; and we have a box filled with correspondence. The funny thing about Nathan’s vows is that he lost them the night before the wedding and had to rewrite them hours before our ceremony!! Well, technically he lost his iphone which the vows were saved on. But even still he did a great job at writing them again last minute.
My vows:
Nathan, I think we are rare. Pure. But even moreso I think you are. I think all of these things you do daily are so true, and wonderful. The motions you have made to be present for us. The ways you love me. The million-billion-gabillion ways you let me know. I think about our love today, our love tomorrow. And, even when I think it’s impossible I love you more.
Because I love you I promise to be your best friend.
I promise to encourage you, your endeavors – and all 300 of your art projects.
I promise to listen to you, and love you the way you need to be loved.
I promise to laugh with you often – in the kitchen when we are making dinner, at the bus stop when we are trying to forget how cold Chicago is, and all those moments in between when nothing but a laugh will do.
I promise to be patient with and for you – I promise to live in the moment with you.
I promise to be your loving partner in all our adventures, and I intend to keep my promise that I made to you the first time we met.
Because I know I will love you for the next 85 years. And, then some.
Nathan’s vows:
There are few relationships in life which simply make sense; peanut butter and jelly, wine and cheese, hot chocolate in winter and you and I. Days after we met, I wrote to you and said, “I think I may be falling in love with you. I don’t want to let you go. I feel close to bursting. I don’t want to leave here, this place, your company.” And two years later, standing here beside you, nothing has changed. I am still falling in love with you and I still don’t want to leave your side. We are lucky, you and I.
So my one promise to you is this… with each passing moment, my love and devotion to you and our future together will not waver. It will only grow as we grow, tenderly nurtured through constant dialogue, great sex and the occasional moment when the courage to say “I was wrong, I’m sorry” makes all the difference.
I love you.
We ended up hugging and kissing quite a bit during the entire ceremony. At one point I remember saying: “I don’t think we are supposed to kiss this much.”
And, then we were Nathan and Carey Griffin!!
It was such a beautiful moment.
