"Ethan and Sera, please join hands - well join both hands, I see you're already holding hands. Look at each other now and remember this moment."
Ethan turned to face me and I him. He took both my hands, we looked at each other for a moment. It would have been so easy to have become lost in his eyes and forget where we were. And I would have except for the officiant who decided to start talking again.
"Now I know you wrote your own vows, so Ethan you start."
Ethan squeezed my hands, "Sera, our path here was not normal in any way. In this beautiful garden I dedicate myself to you. Although our lives may change like the seasons, I promise to love you. As our love grows like a seed to a beautiful tree, I promise to love you. When the storms of life blow through, I promise to love you. We will stand together through all of life's storms, strong and nurtured by each other's love until the end. To help you remember this promise, I want you to help me plant a tree, right in this spot where we are standing." Ethan motioned and a gardener who I hadn't noticed brought a small tree forward with two shovels.
Ethan leaned forward and whispered "This will now be our official tree but it will be a few years before it will be big enough to hide behind."
I was a bit shocked, we hadn't discussed this and I never thought I'd plant a tree in a wedding dress, but here we are. He'd totally planned this and I could see an area of ground just in between us and the officiant where the earth had been loosened. We both dug some ground and put the tree in the dirt. The gardener then packed the dirt around it and whispered that he'd make sure to water it after we were done. Then he cleaned up the area and left. The gardener had done the dirtiest part so I was still pretty clean, amazingly enough.
"Well that I must say is a first. I've never seen a tree planted at a wedding before. Quite a bold thing to do with your bride's white dress." Ethan shrugged. The officiant motioned for me to start my vows.
"I don't have anything quite as memorable as planting a tree, but here goes. Ethan, I promise to stand by your side and sleep in your arms" Ethan waggled his eyebrows at this statement "To learn with you and and grow with you, even as time and life change us both. I promise to laugh with you in good times and cry alongside you in bad times. I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual and a partner. I promise to support your dreams and respect our differences. May we have many adventures and grow old together. Today I choose you to be my husband and offer myself in return. I will care for you and share with you all of life's adversities and joys from this day forward."
"Ring bearer, please bring the rings."
Ethan took my ring and placed it on my finger, "Sera, with this ring, I thee wed. With my body I thee worship. I take you as my wife to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, in joy and sorrow, and I promise my love to you."
After he had placed the ring on my hand he pulled it up and kissed it.
I took his ring from the pillow and while putting it on him said "Ethan, with this ring, I thee wed. With my body I thee worship. I take you as my husband to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, in joy and sorrow and I promise my love to you."
I also kissed his ringed finger after I'd finished speaking.
Honestly it was his idea for the first two lines of the ring ceremony. He really liked the second line and wouldn't give it up. He was able to sway everyone to his side by saying it was how most of the people in their family had said their vows through the generations. How can you argue with tradition? Of course the way he smiled as he recited it and I repeated it reaffirmed my suspicion as to why he wanted it said. I blushed slightly at the thought. My thoughts were interrupted as the officiant continued the ceremony.
"To make your relationship work, it will take love. It will take trust, to know that in your hearts you truly want what is best for each other. It will take dedication, to learn and grow together. It will take faith to go forward without knowing exactly what the future brings. It will take nurturing, just like this little tree that you put into the ground, your marriage will need to be diligently cared for.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Ethan and Sera, Husband and Wife. And now for the moment everyone is waiting for: You may now kiss the bride."
Ethan pulled me into his arms and took a step forward. We'd discussed this, he wanted to be romantic and dip me while we kissed. He wrapped his arm around my waist and one hand between my shoulder blades. Once his lips touched mine I let him maneuver however worked best. We hadn't just discussed it, we'd practiced as he really didn't want to drop me. He held me there, his lips claiming mine and mine his. It was magical and I wished it would never end. And then he broke the kiss as he brought me back up. Everyone cheered and he held our hands up in the air in victory.
"Congratulations, Friends and Family, I am so pleased to present the newlyweds: Ethan and Sera Maxwell." Everyone clapped and then the music started playing. Shauna handed me back my bouquet and Ethan walked me back up the aisle. When we got to the house he picked me up and carried me across the threshold.