Kay Annette Camp

MARRIAGE OF TANYA WHICKER & KRISTEN SHERER

PROCESSIONAL (flower guy - Micah, Tanya's party, Tanya, Kristen's party, flower girls, Kristen & mom - Shirley)

OPENING REMARKS

Welcome to the family and friends who traveled from near and far to be here today. We are here to celebrate the marriage of Tanya Dawn Whicker and Kristen Brooke Sherer. I know your presence means the world to them.

A wedding is a very special ceremony. For Tanya and Kristen, this ceremony expresses that they will count on one another, that they will treat one another with care, and that they will continue to share their lives with each other as partners, as friends, and to go on building their future together.

ACKNOWLEDGING/REMEMBERING MOMS

Whenever a family gathers to celebrate an important milestone in the lives of loved ones, there are those who, for a variety of reasons, cannot be present. Today is no exception. There are those we would wish to be here who are not. Among those absent family members, Tanya particularly wishes to remember and appreciate her mom, Bonnie Bloom.

Both Tanya and Kristen’s mothers have provided endless hours of unconditional love, unyielding strength in times of hardship and selfless sacrifices. Their mothers have supported them and provided guidance as they grew from children into adults and became the people that they are today. For this, they wish to recognize them with a token of their love. Tanya and Kristen know that although Bonnie Bloom is not here physically, she is with us all in spirit, particularly at this important time in their lives, as they build on the lessons of the living, and the departed, to create their own family. (Tanya and Kristen share roses)

AFFIRMATION OF THE FAMILIES & FRIENDS

(Tanya and Kristen turn around and face the people)

Those of you who are gathered here have come, because you love and care for Tanya and Kristen. You have sustained them in the past with your thoughts and prayers. Your love and care continue to be very important, as they move into this new phase of their journey. So, on this, their wedding day, I am asking you to make a promise, too. I ask you to give your blessing to them and to remain steadfast in your support of them.

Will you, as friends and family, give Tanya and Kristen your blessings now as they enter into this new relationship and do you promise in the days and years ahead to give them your deepest love, understanding, and support during both good times and bad? If so, please say, “WE DO.”

READINGS

At this time Tanya and Kristen have asked Micah and Kai to share something with you:

*Micah

Bob Marley once said:

"You may not be her first,

her last, or her only.

She loved before

she may love again.

But if she loves you now,

what else matters?

She's not perfect—you aren't either,

and the two of you may never be perfect together

but if she can make you laugh,

cause you to think twice,

and admit to being human and making mistakes,

hold onto her and give her the most you can.

She may not be thinking about you every second of the day,

but she will give you a part of her

that she knows you can break—her heart.

*Kai

So don't hurt her,

don't change her,

don't analyze and

don't expect more than she can give.

Smile when she makes you happy,

let her know when she makes you mad,

and miss her when she's not there.

Love with your whole being when you receive love.

Because there are no perfect girls, but there will always be a girl who is perfect for you."

WEDDING MESSAGE

Thank you, Micah and Kai. In today's world, there are plenty of wonderful ways for a couple to spend their lives together that don't include marriage. So why get married? Is it an excuse to throw a great party? A way to get friends and family from far away to visit? Those things certainly matter, but it's deeper than that.

Dr. Seuss says: “We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”

From where I stand, marriage is one partner promising to the other that in addition to loving them, they want to commit themselves to the other for the rest of their lives, mutual weirdness, and all. It is stating that they will be there for their partner when they need them most. That they will provide comfort, a kind word, and a shoulder to cry on. And when times are good, as we hope they always are, it's a promise that the two of them will be there to laugh together. Marriage is saying that not only do you want to be partners, but you want to be partners for life.

Many things in life have rules, otherwise known as guiding principles. Marriage is no different. So, let me share with you 3 rules for a happy marriage:

1. Never be angry at the same time.

2. If one of you has to win an argument, let it be your spouse.

3. Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.

UNITY TREE

Home is a special place; a place where you bring beautiful flowers, plants, and trees to establish them, to nurture and care for them, that they may forever surround you with beauty. And into this place where we stand, you have brought something else beautiful: the relationship that is becoming your marriage. Here you are declaring it and pledging it, promising to establish and nurture it. We are aware of the special beauty between the two of you, just as we are aware of the special beauty of this place.

As a symbol of your coming together, you have brought soil from each of the locations where you are from: Tanya - Colorado and Kristen - Alabama. As you caringly chose to combine the soil here to symbolize the joining together of your lives, so remember the lessons of the tree and soil.

A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches into the sky. The taller and bigger a tree becomes, the deeper its roots take hold. Being grounded helps the tree withstand the strongest winds without being uprooted. Alice Walker reminds us, "In nature, nothing is perfect, and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful." Dr. Seuss had it right the whole time: you can be weird and beautiful at the same time.

The soil, on the other hand, is the foundation of who you are and the love that you share. All those here, family and friends, also helped to make them who they are. Now, through marriage, we are joining your two families together and all that has gone before now blends here towards your becoming. This tree is a symbol of your new life, and how you will grow for years to come based on that fertile foundation.

*VOWS

At this time, Tanya and Kristen have prepared vows to exchange.

RING EXCHANGE

May I have the rings? (Micah hands these to me)

A circle is the symbol of the sun and of the earth and of the universe. It is a symbol of wholeness, of perfection and of harmony. The rings you give and receive this day are symbols of the unbroken circle of love into which you enter together.

(please repeat after me:)

Tanya: I give you this ring as a sign of my love, and as a symbol of our unity, now and always.

Kristen: I give you this ring as a sign of my love, and as a symbol of our unity, now and always.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF MARRIAGE

Tanya and Kristen, as you have chosen to join together in marriage and have pledged yourselves to each other in the presence of all these witnesses, it is my joy and privilege on behalf of the state of Alabama and as an ordained minister to declare that you are now legally married!

KISS

INTRODUCTION

Friends, on this the 25th day of April in the year 2021, I present to you Tanya and Kristen Whicker!

RECESSIONAL