Blayze Spooner

Dearly Beloved and Honored Guests,

We are gathered together here to join Isaac Vera and Deanna Krainik in the spiritual union of marriage.

This contract is not to be entered into lightly but thoughtfully and seriously, and with a deep realization of its obligations and responsibilities. Please remember that love, loyalty, and understanding are the foundations of a happy and enduring home.

Who gives this woman in marriage?

When we are young we are told stories that end with the star crossed lovers getting married, promptly followed by "and they lived happily ever after." But the question is, did they? Was everything never ending bliss? You see, marriage is a relationship where you must put in effort. It's a strange premise to think that being in love with someone isn't all that it takes, and that it takes understanding, compromise, and hard work to maintain the relationship.

Have you ever heard someone say, "Never go to bed angry with your partner." That's a phrase I'm sure we've all heard before. The problem however is that it is an impossible order to follow, because we misunderstand the sentiment behind it. The belief for "never go to bed angry" is that you must forgive immediately and let go of what the issue made you feel, but the reality is, you're going to have fights, arguments, misunderstandings, disagreements, and conflicts that are not resolved the same night. You are two people joining as one family. It's ok to be upset with eachother, but you must remember that even though you are upset with eachother, you still love eachother and want to build your future together, and work towards understanding eachother and how different situations make you feel and how to not hurt eachother going forward.

We are also told that marriage and relationships are a 50/50 venture, but the truth is some days one, or both, of you aren't going to have 50 percent to give. Some days you Deanna might come home and only have 10 percent and you Isaac might have to put more effort in to make up the difference, and vice versa. There will be days where you both come home and have 0 percent to give. When that happens, order takeout for dinner and take the time to enjoy eachother so you can start anew in the morning.

Isaac and Deanna, before you met, your lives were on different paths with different destinations. But love has brought you together and merged your separate paths into one. Each one of your friends and family here today has a small stone that represents their individuality and presence at your wedding. Each person here has played, or will play, a unique role in your relationship and marriage, which is why you have asked them to be a part of your wedding and this celebration of your love for each other. You also each have a stone of your own that symbolizes your previously separate lives, separate friends, separate families and the different journeys you once traveled.

I now ask that everyone take out the stone you have been given and pause to make a wish or blessing for love and happiness for the couple, for the future of their marriage. or any other wish or blessing you would bestow upon them. Your collective love will empower them as they set out on their journey together, as a married couple.

[Everyone pauses to make their wish]

Now we ask that as you walk out, after the ceremony, please place the stones into the

glass vase on the table, and and will then add their individual stones to the container as well. This vase will have a special place in their home and will be a beautiful reminder that each of you has joined them today in their celebration of marriage, and of your blessings and good wishes.

As the stones are combined with love into one container, so too are the couple's friends and family joined into one community. Your once solitary life's paths are now one. All that was once separate is now shared, and in this sharing you will find new strength and joy as you set out together on the path of marriage.

Minister: Will you take Isaac to be your husband, your life partner, and your best friend, and will you love, honor and cherish him for as long as you both shall live? Bride: I do.

Minister: Will you take Deanna to be your wife, your life partner, and your best friend, and will you love, honor and cherish her for as long as you both shall live?

Groom: I do.

The circle reminded the ancients of eternity, fashioned as it is without a beginning or end; while gold is so incorruptible that it cannot be tarnished by use or time. So may your union, at this time solemnized, be incorruptible in its purity and more lasting than time itself.

As you, Isaac, place this ring on Deanna's finger, please repeat after me: I give this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you and to our partnership in life.

As you, Deanna, place this ring on Isaac's finger, please repeat after me: I give this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you and to our partnership in life.

The commitment you two have made to each other today is deeper than the vows that you made. It is a personal commitment to a lifelong partnership. It is an agreement based on the trust that you both will support and nurture each other with the same intensity in 10, 20 or even 50 years from now. And, the love you two have shown for each other today is deeper than any of the readings or other words shared. It is a love that will allow the relationship to thrive through good times and bad. It is a love that will be a part of everything you do as individuals and as the wonderful couple we see before us today.

Now that you have spoken the words and performed the rites that unite your lives, I do hereby, in accordance with your beliefs and the power vested in me by the internet and United States of America, declare your marriage to be valid and binding, and I declare, Isaac and Deanna, to be husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.

At the starting of the ceremony, you joined me in welcoming them by their individual names; now join me in celebrating them as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Vera.