Saturday, October 6, 2012 - Part Two (Ceremony)

Every breath I had taken since meeting a boy at the tender age of only 17 years had led to this moment. As my dad and I walked out from our hiding spot behind the lemon tree, the beauty of Craig Armstrong's Portuguese Love Theme swelled inside of me. One step at a time, clinging to the only man who had ever meant as much to me, I made my way down to round the corner of the long sidewalk, wanting nothing more than to see Clinton's face. Finally, at long last, after waiting for 20 hours, after waiting for 9 years, I came around the curve, and I could see him. I'm sure that the seats were filled, but I had eyes only for him. I could not stop smiling, I could not stop crying, I could not stop the heaving in my chest that was every single emotion I had ever felt for him all bubbling to the top at the exact moment when it all should. He was crying, and he was gorgeous, and he was about to be my husband.

The walk seemed to last forever - the walk seemed over in an instant. Finally - suddenly - I was at the proverbial altar, hugging my father and watching him shake hands with the new most important man in my life.

All of our parents stood and voiced their support and blessing of our marriage, and our officiant asked us to stand together, facing our guests, and he welcomed them all on our behalf.

We are all here to learn about loving and being loved, and to watch the miracle of love exchanged enriches every one of us. Therefore, we appreciate the opportunity to witness the shared love of this beautiful couple. Their enthusiasm is contagious, their certainty of their destiny together is inspiring and their great expectations give us all a glimpse of the heights love can reach.

We spent a lot of time looking at each other, smiling at each other. My dad had knocked the flower off of Clinton's boutinniere when he hugged him and so I touched his lapel a few times. Our ceremony was pretty short - the vows were the most important part to us and we didn't want to take away from that so we didn't do a unity candle, a sand ceremony, or any special readings. We had a couple of meetings with our officiant where we chose exactly what we wanted him to say and wrote our own simple vows.

I choose you, Whitney, to be my wife.
I have emptied my heart of all others,
It is only filled with you.
You're my best friend and my only love,
And I'll cherish you for the rest of my life.
I choose you, Clinton, to be my husband.
I have emptied my heart of all others,
It is only filled with you.
You're my best friend and my only love,
And I'll cherish you for the rest of my life.

We held hands and made promises to love and respect each other, to share our lives and our dreams, to build a home and a family together, to be everlasting companions, to share in successes and failures, happiness and sadness, and to always give each other our unwavering support.

Our officiant added a few words here and there of his own that he had added in as a little gift to us - things we had discussed about the way we met, things we had done together, the time we had spent together - he said how lucky we were to have had Fruitcake Happened, and we cried.

I give you this ring as a reminder that I will love, honor, and cherish you.
In all times,
In all places,
And in all ways, forever.
You are the love of my life,
And you are my very best  friend.

Getting these words out was a bit of a challenge - we were both crying so much. We had waited so long, and it was finally happening. I could hardly tear my eyes from his face, but I'm told that there wasn't a dry eye to be seen during our ceremony.

The rings were on, the vows were said, and all I wanted was to kiss the perfect face in front of me, but there were a few more words to be said.

May your lives be filled with wisdom, blessed with good health, and abundant with miracles.

May you eternally have your amusement, remembering how to play, and may you always see the connection that brought you both together.

Today, you are embarking on a new journey. This is a journey no two have travelled before; it is unique to you.

It is up to you to make the most of your life together. Dream big dreams, love like there's no tomorrow, and become the best people you know how to be.


In my presence and in the presence of your family and friends, you have exchanged vows and made promises. You have opened your hearts to one another, declared your love and friendship, and have united yourselves with the exchanging of rings.

Therefore, with the blessings of God, it is my pleasure to now pronounce you husband and wife.

You may now kiss the bride!

And now, to all the friends and family who have come to celebrate this marriage, I would like to present, for the first time anywhere, Mr. & Mrs. Clinton and Whitney Reissig!

And suddenly, finally, at long, sweet last, we were married.

Photos courtesy of Tea Ho of Dreambox Photography