Timothy R. Birdsall

Who gives Tara to be wed to Seth? (Tara’s Daughter, Grace)

Let’s pray:

Father God, we give thanks for the miracle of life that you bestow upon us on this glorious day. We give thanks as you weave the spirit of love throughout every heart, mind, body and soul under the sound of my voice. May the blending of our hearts prepare us to remember the truth of Oneness as we bear witness to the sacred ceremony of marriage. May the radiance of joy on this special day, overflow with peace and harmony throughout the rest of Tara and Seth’s life together as husband & wife. And may peace and harmony continue to expand, bringing joy to their families and friends and to all others who enter their home and circle of life. For it is in the name of Jesus we pray.

Amen

(Please be seated.)

Welcome, Friends, Family, and Honored Guests.

I’ve heard it said that true love is a friendship set on fire. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here, today, to add our combined fuel to a blaze that was set on October 2nd, 2024, between Tara and Seth, and re-affirm their bond of marriage.

We’ll start today’s ceremony with a reading, chosen by the couple, called “Marriage Is Not Beautiful.”

“Marriage is ugly, you see the absolute worst in someone. You see them when they’re mad, sad, being stubborn, when they’re so unlovable they make you scream. But you also get to see them when they are laughing so hard that tears run down their face, and they can’t help but let out those weird gurgling noises. You see them at 3am when the world is asleep except you two, and you’re eating in the middle of the kitchen floor. You get to see the side of them that no one else does, and it’s not always pretty. It's snorting while laughing, it’s the tears when it feels like it’s all crashing down, it’s the farting, it’s the bedhead and bad breath, it’s the random dances, it’s the anger and the joy.

“Marriage isn’t a beautiful thing, but it is amazing. It’s knowing that someone loves you so much and won’t leave you even though you said something nasty. It’s having someone have your back no matter what. It’s fights over stupid things, like someone not doing the dishes or picking up after themselves. And it’s those nights you fall asleep in each other’s arms, feeling like there will never be enough time with them. It’s cleaning up their vomit, or just rubbing their back when they’re sick. It’s the dirtiest, hardest, most rewarding job there is. Because at the end of the day you get to crawl into bed with your best friend, the weirdest, most annoying, loving, goofy, perfect person that you know.

“Marriage is not beautiful, but it’s one heck of a ride.”

The declaration of wedding vows is a solemn pledge and will affirm your love for one another as you join in marriage. Tara and Seth will, first, read to each other vows that they have written.

These are the vows you have made to each other:

Tara, will you take Seth 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? (I will) Will you love and honor him, comfort and keep him, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live, so help you God? (I will)

Seth, will you take Tara 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? (I will) Will you love and honor, comfort and keep her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live, so help you God? (I will)

Tara and Seth, the two outer candles symbolize your separate lives, your separate families, your separate sets of friends, and, truly, each of you as separate beings. As you each take one candle and, together, light the center candle, take time to reflect on the very real union that is symbolized by the flames. Just as the individual candles represent your individual lives before today the lighting of the center candle represents that your two lives are now joined to one light, guiding you both home, one heart, where once there was two.

Tara will now do reading from “I Will Be Here,” by Steven Curtis Chapman.

To symbolize and bind your love we exchange rings. These rings are made in a circle, which has long been a symbol of everlasting love, as 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:

I give you this ring ** as a token of my love ** and as a symbol ** of my never-ending devotion, ** with all my faith, **all my hope, ** and all my love.

Per the couple’s request, I will now read "The Art of Marriage" by Wilferd A. Peterson.

“The little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say, "I love you," at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of the spirit.

“It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.”

Tara and Seth, to make your relationship work will take a lot of love. Continue to date each other. Take time to show each other that your love and marriage will grow stronger with time. It will take trust to know that, in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other. It will take dedication to stay open to one another and to learn and grow together. It will take loyalty to go forward together, without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment to hold true to the journey you have both pledged today.

Yoko Ono, once said, “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” For you, and everyone in your life, that reality began on October 2nd, 2024, and continues for the rest of your lives!

Tara and Seth, you came to me in October, of your own free will, and in the presence of your families, to declare your love and commitment to each other. You gave and received a ring as a symbol of your loyalty. Today, you strengthened that union in front of these fine witnesses, and we will all continue to celebrate the covenant you have made. By the power of your love and commitment to each other, and by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you, again, and still, husband and wife. Seth, please, kiss your bride.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now my pleasure, my privilege, and indeed my honor, to formally introduce to you all: Mr. and Mrs. Seth and Tara Konkol!