We truly had an amazing day! It was something out of "Ever After". The day couldn't have been more perfect! The rain even stopped and the sun came out just before the ceremony and it stayed out until the last person left at the end of the day!

Pro pics coming next week!  But I took these:

DH took this one:

These are some of the pics a friend took.

I met Cary last May (08) through a personal ad on Craigslist. I came home one Friday night and was sick and tired of being lonely, so at 2:00 in the morning, I wrote my ad. The next day I got his response. It must have been fate because he was the first - and only - one to respond. We wrote to each other every day for three weeks. He works offshore and was in Trinidad at the time. When we finally got to meet, I felt like I had known him forever. Unfortunately, the day we met was the day after I lost my mom to cancer. He was the light in the most darkest moment of my life.

Cary and I in Panama City Beach, FL - March 2009

My company's Holiday Party - December 2008

Celebrating Cary's Birthday at the Texans/Titans Game - December, 2008

Cary posing with the concrete toad at the Houston Zoo - February 2009. We have quite a collection of him posing with concrete animals. Strange...

I actually got three proposals. The first was three weeks after we started dating. We were hanging out in the hot tub and he kissed me and told me he loved me. He asked me what the date was and said, "Well, June 6 of next year, if you aren't sick of me yet, I'm going to marry you."

The second time was the day I was moving my stuff into his house. He grabbed me and hugged me and asked me to marry him. I asked him if it was an "official" proposal and he kept answering my questions with questions. LOL

The "official" proposal came in October. Cary was in Amsterdam for six weeks for work - the first time he'd been away that long. When he came home, we had romantic evening and he looked into my eyes and asked me to marry me. Again, I asked him if it was an "official" proposal and he said "yes" that he hated being away from me and realized that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

The dress. I LOVE IT! It has such a Renaissance look to it. It's perfect! Went for the first fitting. Wasn't too impressed, but with a new crinny and makeup/hair done, I am vey pleased!

This is a traditional Renaissance/Celtic circlet that I will be wearing with my veil and the necklace/earrings.

My "Cinderella" shoes and "Wedding Crocs" - just in case the feet start a-hurtin'.

A sample of what the cake will look like. We are doing three teirs with pastel daisies. And a sample of our cake monogram (cKv).

Our serving set / champahne flutes - a gift from my sister/MOH

Our Monogram.

Bride's bouquet, invitation and rings / Bride's Bouquet and MOH Bouquet

Our Invitations. We used a red wax seal to close and mail them.

We are having white silk fans with ribbons and ribbon wands with bells for our favors.

Our door hanger for the wedding night at the hotel...

I have a degree in graphic design and I do create monograms for other brides. PM me if you are interested! Be sure to send me your name / FI name (his first and last) / wedding date / wedding colors and theme (if any).

Here are some samples I've been working on and some I did for other PW brides. I also have more samples and information on my website.

We got our marriage license today! May 12, 2009 

11 MORE DAYS TO GO!

Bride’s Processional        All stand for the Bride

Greeting
Minister:  (seats the guests)     Friends, we have come here today from many walks of life, from many distant places – all of us drawn by our affection for Victoria and Cary.  We are a special community called together by two persons we love – to share this moment with them.  We know this couple in a variety of ways.  Some remember them in childhood; a few of us came to know them as students; while others have memories that reach across all their years.  It is not so much their past – their history – that brings us here but their present – and their future that we come to celebrate.  As a community of those who love them as individuals, we are asked now to commit ourselves to them as a couple, a family, a partnership in the life that they are called to live. 

This marriage we are about to celebrate has emerged from long hours of association in which Victoria and Cary have shared their past, spun dreams of their future, and have come to love each other.  They have committed themselves already to life together and come now to give public voice to their promise.

We are here to give thanks that they have found each other, that they have arrived at this point where they want us to share their joy.  We are here to witness before God and man this growing relationship that now seeks our blessings and prayers; that it may mature in a new environment of constant caring and constant responsibility. 

Some of us here today stand on the other side of this ceremony and know both the joys and pains that marriage brings.  We are aware of how precious, yet how frail human love is when we try to keep our promises made before the altar.  This ceremony gives us an opportunity to renew our vows as Victoria and Cary make their confession of love and faith in each other.  Let us all remember that this holy state of marriage is a serious endeavor calling for humility, patience and a forgiving spirit.  We come here joyfully today to offer our prayers to God that the newborn love of Victoria and Cary may be rich, strong, faithful and enduring. 

Come then, let us be about our purpose.  Victoria and Cary have brought us here to celebrate their love.  Let us rejoice!

Declaration of Intent

Minister:      Cary and Victoria I charge you both as you stand in the presence of God to remember that love and loyalty alone will avail as the foundation of a happy home.  If the solemn vows which you are about to make be kept faithfully and if steadfastly you endeavor to do the will of the Heavenly Father, your life will be full of joy, and the home you are establishing will abide in peace.  No other ties are more tender, no other vows are more sacred than those you now assume.  I encourage you both to seek the help of God in this sacred moment, and to look to him steadfastly for his love and grace, which will make your marriage rich in comfort and fruitful in service.

Cary, will you have Victoria to be your wedded wife, to live together in the holy state of matrimony?  Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and health; and forsaking all others, keep yourself only for her so long as you both shall live?

Cary:                I will.

Minister:    Victoria, will you have Cary to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy state of matrimony?  Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only for him so long as you both shall live?

Victoria:            I will.
 
Handfasting Ceremony

*Handfasting* is an ancient Celtic tradition that symbolized the joining of two souls across time and space, before birth and after death.

Minister:     Know now, before you go further, that since your lives have crossed in this life you have formed ties between each other. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real the ideals, which give meaning to both this ceremony and the institution of marriage.

The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union; they will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth.

Do you seek to enter this ceremony?

Victoria and Cary:        Yes, we seek to enter.

(Victoria and Cary hold hands, crossing them to form the infinity symbol.)

Minister:     Communication of the heart, mind and body. Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun. The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences.

Warmth of hearth and home. The heat of heart's passion. The light created by both to lighten the darkest of times.

The deep commitments of the lake. The swift excitement of the river. The refreshing cleansing of the rain. The all encompassing passion of the sea.

Firm foundation on which to build Fertility of the fields to enrich your lives. A stable home to which you may always return.

Each of these emphasize those things which will help you build a happy and successful union. Yet they are only tools. Tools which you must use together in order to create what you seek in this union.

I bid you to look into each other eyes.

Minister:                Cary, Will you share her pain and seek to ease it?
Cary:                    I will.
Minister:                Victoria, Will you share his pain and seek to ease it?
Victoria:                I will
Minister:                And so the binding is made.

Minister:                Victoria, will you share his laughter?
Victoria:                I will
Minister:                Cary, will you share her laughter?
Cary:                    I will
Minister:                (To Both) Will you both look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?
Victoria & Cary:     We will
Minister:                And so the binding is made

Minister:                Cary, Will you share her dreams?
Cary:                    I will
Minister:                Victoria, will you share his dreams?
Victoria:                I will
Minister:                (To Both) Will you dream together to create new realities and hopes?
Victoria & Cary:     We will
Minister:                And so the binding is made.

Minister:                Victoria, Will you honor him?
Victoria:                I will
Minister:                Cary, Will you honor her?
Cary:                    I will
Minister:                (To both) Will you both seek to never give cause to break that honor?
Victoria & Cary:     We will
Minister:                And so the binding is made.

Minister:                    
The knots of this binding are not formed by these cords, but instead by your vows. Either of you may drop the cords, for as always, you hold on your own hands the making of breaking of this union.
Exchanging of Vows

Minister:    Marriage requires much of generosity, unselfishness, flexibility, forbearance, and forgiveness from both the husband and wife.  Under it lies the sober responsibility of home and community, but when it is supported by all the strength and commitments of  love and faith, those burdens are a joy.  The reality and happiness of your marriage depends upon the inner experience of your heart and integrity of your commitment.

Cary:          WROTE OUR OWN

Victoria:      WROTE OUR OWN

Minister to Cary:      Cary,  please repeat after me this vow:  In the presence of the Lord, and before these friends, I Cary, take you Victoria, to be my wedded wife. I promise to be your loving, and faithful husband, in prosperity, and in need, in joy, and in sorrow, in sickness, and in health, to honor, and cherish you, and give encouragement, as long as we both shall live. 

Minister to Victoria:      Victoria,  please repeat after me this vow:  In the presence of the Lord, and before these friends, I Victoria, take you Cary, to be my wedded husband. I promise to be your loving, and faithful wife, in prosperity, and in need, in joy, and in sorrow, in sickness, and in health, to honor, and cherish you, and give encouragement, as long as we both shall live. 

Minister collects up the rings:

Exchange of Rings

Minister:       These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love.  Love freely given has no beginning and no end.  May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken and be an outward reminder of the love for each other that you carry within.

Minister to Cary:      Cary, Please place this ring on Victoria’s finger and repeat after me:  Victoria, this ring I give to you in token and pledge of our constant faith and steadfast love.  As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you.

Minister to Victoria:      Victoria, Please place this ring on Cary’s finger and repeat after me:  Cary, this ring I give to you in token and pledge of our constant faith and steadfast love.  As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you.

Minister:     Your gift to each other for your wedding today has been your wedding rings, which shall always be an outward demonstration of your vows of love and respect and a public showing of your commitment to each other.

You now have that which remains the most honorable title to exist between a man and a woman; the title of “husband and wife”. 

Cary and Victoria, if there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, it is that it was love that brought you here today, it is only love which can make it a glorious union, and it is by love that your marriage shall endure."

Prayer

Minister:     Dear Heavenly Father, you presence is the joy of every occasion.  Lord, we pray that you be here with us today as Victoria and Cary unite in holy matrimony, that they may truly be joined as one with your blessing.  As you have brought them together in your providence, sanctify them with your Holy Spirit, giving them a new mind and heart for their life together, and grant to them, now and always, the promise of your guidance and support.  Amen.


Reading of Scripture – 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.   Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Prayer

Minister:      Let us pray.  Dear Heavenly Father, give Cary and Victoria the understanding, the patience, and the skills to fulfill your purpose in their lives.  We ask your continued presence be with them that they may learn the art of lasting love.  We thank you for their families and friends who have helped shape their lives.  We thank you for the opportunities and events which challenge them to their life’s work.  We thank you for their ever-deepening relationship and their decision to share the future together.  We pray that we, as family and friends, might do our best to help them keep their promise and  find real joy in the fulfillment of their lives together.  Amen.

Pronouncement and Benediction

Cary and Victoria, we have heard your promise to share your lives in marriage.  We recognize and respect the covenant you have made.  It is not me standing here before you that makes your marriage real, but the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done here before your friends and parents and in the sight of God.  On behalf of all those present we acknowledge that you are now married and by the power vested in me by the State of Texas and the Church I pronounce you husband and wife.  Those whom God hath joined together let not man put asunder.

Now the ceremony is over, and the experience of living day to day as married people is about to begin.  And now go forth into the world in peace.  Be of good courage.  Hold fast to that which is good.  Render to no one evil for evil.  Strengthen the faint hearted, support the weak,  help the afflicted, show honor to all.  Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.  And the blessing of God Almighty,   The Father, The Son, And the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you forever.  Amen

Presentation of Husband and Wife

Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Cary Kelley.

Recessional