Thomas Anthony Bowles

ANNOUCEMENT

Everyone. The ceremony is about to begin. The greatest gift you can give Jake and Jenna today is to be truly present. So, please silence your phones, put your cameras away and enjoy this special moment.

PROCESSION

WELCOME

Welcome everyone. We gather here today to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments. The joining together of two people, Jake and Jenna. Because a celebration is really what a wedding is about. A celebration of love, of commitment, of friendship, and of two people who have made the choice to share their lives with each other. To bring family and friends together and to deepen the love, the connection, and the relationship that already exists. Today you won’t hear me give any advice, or explain the formula for a marriage to work. That’s not what a celebration is about. And it’s not what love is about either. There is no formula or rule book for love. That’s because love is simply about space. The space to be you.

Family, friends and loved ones, Jake and Jenna thank you for your presence here today. They ask for your blessing, encouragement and lifelong support, on their decision to be married. We would like to take a moment to recognize those that could not be here today. While they may not physically be with us, Jake and Jenna feel their love and support and know they are here smiling, watching over as they say “I Do”.

JAKE AND JENNA

“Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always. A promise. Like a reward for persisting through life so long alone. A belief in each other and the possibility of love. A decision to ignore, simply rise above the pain of the past. A covenant, which at once binds two souls and yet severs prior ties. A celebration of the chance taken and the challenge that lies ahead. For two will always be stronger than one, like a team braced against the tempest civil world. And love will always be the guiding force in our lives. For tonight is mere formality. Only an announcement to the world of feelings long held. Promises made long ago. In the sacred spaces of our hearts.”

That is, as Jenna put it, “From the best show of all time…. One Tree Hill”. And on the surface, could be taken as just that…words from a TV show. But if you take a moment to really think about the words, they really are a beautiful explanation of love, life and the partnership of marriage. All of us have our own love stories. Some are short, others long, while some are yet unwritten. There are chapters in all of our stories that are sad and disappointing – and others that are exciting and full of adventure. Let these words be a reminder that no matter the sadness, the false hopes, the what ifs, in the end love is the guiding force of our lives. And if we choose to embrace that, in the end we will thrive.

I’ve had the pleasure of watching Jenna grow up. She is the youngest of my nieces and nephew, and because of that, when she was young, she was the one trying to keep up. The one my nephew Johnny would pick up and hold for pictures or standing on my niece Samantha’s feet as they danced together or battled with her older sister Amber, like all siblings do. And then, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, this young girl who handled anything life threw at her with strength and courage, was all grown up and heading to college. During college at Salisbury University, Jake and Jenna met, and according to everyone else they both had a thing for each other, even though neither of them realized it. The summer of 2017 is when things seemed to change…at least for Jake. They spent a lot of that summer together as friends, but as Jake put it, that was the summer he fell in love. Near the end of her senior year, things changed for Jenna too. They survived a long-distance relationship, buying a home together, two dogs and the birth of JJ in June of this year. Their story is an example of building a partnership based on friendship, trust, excitement and love.

VOWS

Jake and Jenna, we have come to the part of the ceremony where you are going to say your vows to one another. It is with these words you express your promises to love and cherish.

Please face one another and recite your vows.

Jenna’s vows to Jake

Jake’s vows to Jenna

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

Jake and Jenna, you will now exchange rings as a sign of your love and commitment. May these rings forever remind you of your pledge to one another. May your compassion and kindness for one another always be like these rings, with no beginning and no end. May your relationship always be like these rings, separate but close, simple but beautiful.

Jenna, please place the ring on Jake’s finger and repeat after me – Jake, this ring is my promise (stop) to accept your imperfections (stop) and appreciate all that makes you unique and handsome.

Jake, please place the ring on Jenna’s finger and repeat after me – Jenna, this ring is my promise (stop) to accept your imperfections (stop) and appreciate all that makes you unique and beautiful.

PRONOUNCEMENT

Jake and Jenna, love is a journey, so when things get too heavy, remember this moment. No one but you can declare yourselves married. You started that here today by speaking your vows before your family and friends and you will do it again in the days and years to come, standing by each other, sharing all the sweet and the bitter of life. Each tender act, each loving word, will be the declaration of what was made here today.

Therefore, in the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done her today, and by the power bestowed upon me, it is my honor and privilege to pronounce you, husband and wife.

Jake, you may kiss your bride.

PRESENTATION OF COUPLE

Friends and family, it is my pleasure to present to you for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. Jake Baldwin.

RECESSION