August 23rd, 2008, 6:30 PM
Shorham, NY
I’d like to thank everyone for being here, on behalf of Bud and Theresa, they really appreciate your love and support and are thrilled to share this day with you. If ever there were such a beautiful day that equalled its significance, this is that day. August 23rd, 2008, Vincent Spadola and Theresa Starke will celebrate their wedding day. And we, as friends and family, will not only make this day memorable for them, but we will make this day happen because marriage is not a private affair; It is a social convention. It is true that Bud and Theresa announce their undying love for one another today. It is true that they will say their vows and accept each other as their one true love. But it is us, their friends and family that acknowledge this- that make it valuable- It is all of us here today, August 23rd, that not only witness this event, but as observers of this ceremony, we actually make it something special.
Bud and Theresa fell in love years ago. Their relationship has evolved thus far and it will continue to grow into the future. They will have peace of mind in knowing that the other will always be there for them- that they can lean on the other and provide strength to the other. No matter what happens in this world- be it bills, be it health, be it change- they will always have each other.
But lets be reminded that this marriage should not dissolve their individuality. After all, it was this very individual that they each fell in love with. Just like when you’re playing music in your band Jebus, you challenge each other to sound better, to perform better and to be a better musician. This marriage ought to help you grow as individuals as much as it does unify you and your families. As yet another milestone in our lives, this marriage will nourish all of us. Especially to Bud and Theresa, it will strengthen fundamental principles of life; namely, hope, love and trust. And as they grow to be better people, they will affect the world in their interactions just as everyone’s interactions with them thus far has led to this event. I know for sure that Bud and Theresa have influenced me in ways they don’t even know. As friends, I take them seriously and honestly. And so it is with great honor that I am here today to help make their wedding day come true. They have gathered their closest friends and family to share in this moment and together, we can all celebrate in the union of these two individuals, these two friends of ours.
And to unify this couple and make this official, I will rely on some traditions to make it so. The first is an ancient Celtic tradition called handfasting.
Know, before you go any further, that since your lives have crossed in this life, you have formed eternal and sacred bonds. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real the ideals that to you, give meaning to this ceremony and to the institution of marriage. With full awareness, know that you are not only declaring your intent to be handfasted before your friends and family, but that you speak that intent also to the universal powers. The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years.
Do you still wish to enter this ceremony?
Bud and Theresa- this cord is a symbol of the lives you have chosen to lead together. Up until this moment you have been separate in thought, word and action. As your hands are bound together by this cord, so too shall your lives be. (Cord is bound)
Bud, if you would, please repeat after me:
I Bud, choose you Theresa, to be my wedded wife; to love and to cherish, to honor and respect, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, from now and forever more.
Theresa, if you would, please repeat after me:
I Theresa, choose you Bud, to be my wedded husband; to love and to cherish, to honor and respect, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, from now and forever more.
As it is, you cannot always be physically joined.
(Cord is removed without untying it)
And so, we use the wedding ring to symbolize that connection; it is a constant reminder of the sacred bond between husband and wife.
Who holds the rings? (rings are given to bride and groom)
Bud and Theresa, you hold here in your hands the wedding rings that you will exchange with one another. These rings are a symbol of your eternal love, a love that, like a circle, has no beginning and no end.
As you understand this and wish to affirm the love that the giving and receiving of these rings represents, please exchange your rings with one another and state for each, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
(Bud and Theresa exchange rings)
In as much as you have consented together to enter the bonds of matrimony and having pledged and sealed your vows by the giving and receiving of rings, your lives are joined in a union of love and trust. Above you are the stars, below you the earth. Like the stars, your love should be a constant source of light and like the earth, a firm foundation on which to grow. It gives me great pleasure to announce the following:
By the power vested in me, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride!!