Robert's Wedding Vows

The moment you’ve all been waiting for…Robert’s Vows! Here, you can see his fun loving personality shine, and he even provided a little comic relief and earned much deserved and appreciated laughs.

          Amberly, thirteen years ago, almost to the day, our young, blossoming souls touched. I now believe, we were given a vision of our future and also received wonderful, loving memories to help us endure our hard times to come. This moment was always meant to be, but, sadly, we needed to go through the final stages of understanding ourselves, and our purposes in this world, without each other to allow us to truly cherish the blessing we would receive; the blessing we are receiving today. Then, when we desperately needed a true friend, desperately needed the strength, passion, support, and unconditional love our souls had found all those years ago, a modern miracle happened. Our souls, tired of our stubbornness, reached out and found each other in a way I had all but forgotten, AOL instant messenger. Once our souls reconnected, this moment was sealed in fate. I knew without any doubt that we had found our soul mate.

This ring signifies my approbation of my soul mate and with this gesture I promise to be your best friend, to continue striving to communicate honestly and openly, to love you unconditionally, and love no other greater then I love you, to be there when needed, to continue trying to just listen, to support you, and to respect and cherish all aspects of the woman you are; spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally.

I promise to continue being an individual part of our union and to forever appreciate your contributions to the life we are creating for ourselves. I promise this in front of those whom we hold most dear. For today, tomorrow, and everyday to come.

Amberly's Wedding Vows

We decided to write our own vows for the ceremony, so they would be authentic and a meet the needs of the writer and recipient. I also think they portray each of our personalities and love of each other well. Like many things where our AD/HD enters the scene, these were finished last minute (well, as last minute as our more organized officiant, Tricia, could stand). Instead of polishing them up or editing them in any way, I think I’ll stay with the authenticity and present them to you in the form they were read and are kept in our wedding binder (a beloved wedding gift from Tricia). I am posting in them, like our wedding poems, in the order in which we chose to read them in the ceremony. We concluded each of our vows with the ring exchange, so I am posting those pictures as well. Enjoy!

Robert,

As the moon and the sun compliment each other in their heavenly journeys, so, too, do we thrive when our lives are united.

                        I believe you are in my life for many reasons. You have taught me how to love and accept the person I am. I promise to continue developing my individual self and offer you the same loving acceptance to continue developing yourself. Your have taught me how to play and enjoy life. I promise to keep looking for opportunities to look at life with a light heart and a curious mind. You inspire me to nurture my goals and believe in my dreams, and I offer you that same support.

                        As we have been together, I have discovered the value of openly expressing love. I promise to give affection and attention to you and your needs, while tending to my own. I promise that with you, I will continue to nurture our relationship from which many of our needs are met.

                        The moon dances through the sky in her ever-changing guises, and the sun casts his mirthful light as he steadily marches through the sky celebrating each season. They are forever circling and complimenting each other-sometimes making space for each other and sometimes being intimately close. These cycles demonstrate the natural rhythms of two individuals as they pledge with their hearts to enter into marriage. Like these cycles, this ring symbolizes the promises I make to you now and will keep forever.

Robert's Wedding Poem

Here is the poem that Robert chose, which was read by his friend, Patrick:

Wondrous Moment

            By Alexander Pushkin

The wondrous moment of our meeting
I well remember you appear
Before me like a vision fleeting,
A beauty's angel pure and clear.
 
In hopeless ennui surrounding
The worldly bustle, to my ear
For long your tender voice kept sounding,
For long in dreams came features dear.
 
Time passed. Unruly storms confounded
Old dreams, and I from year to year
Forgot how tender you had sounded,
Your heavenly features once so dear.
 
My backwoods days dragged slow and quiet
Dull fence around, dark vault above
Devoid of God and uninspired,
Devoid of tears, of fire, of love.
 
Sleep from my soul began retreating,
And here you once again appear
Before me like a vision fleeting,
A beauty's angel pure and clear.
 
In ecstasy the heart is beating,
Old joys for it anew revive;
Inspired and God-filled, it is greeting
The fire, and tears, and love alive.

Photo by Kristina Strane

Photo by Rachel Beasley

Photo by Rachel Beasley

Photo by Rachel Beasley

Photo by Rachel Beasley

Photo by Rachel Beasley

Amberly's Wedding Poem

We both picked out a poem to be read aloud during our wedding. Here is what I chose, read by my dear friend, Kimberly:

A Birthday

            By Christina Georgina Rossetti

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a daïs of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.

Photo by Rachel Beasley

Photo by Kristina Strane

Photo by Rachel Beasley

Photo by Rachel Beasley

 

 

Photo by Rachel Beasley