Timothy R. Birdsall

Welcome.

Weddings, almost notoriously, do not go exactly as planned. There is always something that goes awry, to some degree, that forces us to change the way things are done, in order to achieve the desired result: Marriage. This was never so true as in these times we’re living in right now. Marriage involves much the same mindset: Things aren’t always going to go exactly the way they are planned, so there are times when we need to “go with the flow,” and take what the situation gives us. Whether the wedding is a three-day cultural event, or a short ceremony with family, the marriage that results is the same covenant, the same commitment. Marriage is not be entered into lightly, but with careful thought and consideration, both for one’s self, as well as one’s partner, and with the knowledge that love, loyalty, and understanding are the foundations of a happy and enduring home.

I’ve heard it said that true love is a friendship set on fire. We are gathered here, today, to light this friendship ablaze, and join Shreeya and Kishan together in marriage.

The declaration of wedding vows is a solemn pledge, and will affirm your love for one another as you join in marriage. Please join hands, look into each other’s eyes, and repeat after me:

(Kishan)

Kishan, will you take Shreeya to be your wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health? Will you love, honor, comfort and keep her and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?

(Shreeya)

Shreeya, will you, likewise, take Kishan to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health? Will you love, honor, comfort and keep him and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him, as long as you both shall live?

The wedding ring is a symbol of never-ending love; it has no defined beginning, and it has no end. As you place the rings on each other’s finger, I ask that you repeat after me:

With this ring, I thee wed, ** with all my hope ** all my faith ** and all my love.

John Lennon once said, “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” For you, and everyone in your lives, that reality starts right now.

Shreeya and Kishan, you have expressed your commitment to one another, and exchanged rings to seal that commitment. In accordance with the laws of Iowa, and the United States of America, and by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. Kishan, you may kiss your Bride!

And the two became one.

With that, it is my pleasure, and my honor, to introduce, for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Kishan and Shreeya Raghu!