Sara E.M. Small

Unplugged Statement

Officiant to guests

Hello everyone! On behalf of Nicole and Bao, we ask that you put your cameras and phones away during the ceremony. Nicole and Bao want you to be truly present as they share their best day ever with you. Plus, there may be a pop quiz after the ceremony, so you should really pay attention during the whole thing!

Procession / processional

Groom’s parents

Bride’s Grandparents

Groom and Groomsmen

Bridesmaids

Officiant to guests

Please rise

Bride with Dad

Invocation

Officiant To guests

Welcome, loved ones. We gather on this joyful occasion to celebrate love, laughter, and light on Nicole and Bao’s wedding day.

Each of you here represents a piece of Nicole’s and Bao’s lives. Whether you came into their lives years ago, or more recently, your presence here is a gift to them – and I know it means a lot to them. Thank you for being here!

Officiant to the Couple

Nicole and Bao, today, your lives blend seamlessly together and you’re about to embark on the greatest of adventures. A new path is ahead of you, and to navigate it well, there are skills to be learned and practiced daily.

Wilferd Arlan Peterson's “The Art of a Good Marriage” reminds us that a good marriage doesn’t just happen, one must be created. In marriage, the little things are the big things; like never being too old to hold hands – and remembering to say, “I love you,” at least once a day. It also takes patience, kindness… and fighting the urge to snarkily respond when it’s best to keep your mouth zipped.

On that note, a good marriage sometimes takes a really good sense of humor... as the following reading reminds us.

Reading: All I know About Love by Neil Gaiman

This is everything I have to tell you about love: nothing.

This is everything I've learned about marriage: nothing.

Only that the world out there is complicated, and there are beasts in the night, and delight and pain, and the only thing that makes it okay, sometimes, is to reach out a hand in the darkness and find another hand to squeeze, and not to be alone.

It's not the kisses, or never just the kisses: it's what they mean. Somebody's got your back. Somebody knows your worst self and somehow doesn't want to rescue you or send for the army to rescue them.

It's not two broken halves becoming one.

It's the light from a distant lighthouse bringing you both safely home because home is wherever you are both together.

So this is everything I have to tell you about love and marriage: nothing, like a book without pages or a forest without trees.

Because there are things you cannot know before you experience them.

Because no study can prepare you for the joys or the trials.

Because nobody else's love, nobody else's marriage, is like yours, and it's a road you can only learn by walking it, a dance you cannot be taught, a song that did not exist before you began, together, to sing.

And because in the darkness you will reach out a hand, not knowing for certain if someone else is even there.

And your hands will meet, and then neither of you will ever need to be alone again.

And that's all I know about love.

Declaration of Intent

Officiant to the couple

With this wisdom – and your love - in mind, I now ask you:

Officiant to Partner A

Nicole, do you welcome Bao to be your husband, and your cherished best friend?

Officiant to Partner B

Bao, do you welcome Nicole to be your wife, and your cherished best friend?

Exchange of Vows

Officiant to the couple

Before you pledge your vows to one another, let’s pause for a moment and take in the beauty that surrounds us here. Take a look at your guests and feel their love for you – as well as the love you have for each other.

Nicole, look into Bao’s eyes as you share your promises to him.

Nicole’s vows

Bao, please look into Nicole’s eyes as you share your promises to her.

Ring Exchange

Officiant to Partner A

Please place this ring on Bao’s finger and repeat after me:

This ring is a token of my love for you. Let it remind you that you’re always in my heart.

Officiant to Partner B

Please place this ring on Nicole’s finger and repeat after me:

This ring is a token of my love for you. Let it remind you that you’re always in my heart.

Pronouncement

Officiant to the couple

Nicole and Bao, by the love that has brought you here today, by the vows and rings you have exchanged in the presence of your loved ones, it is my delight and honor to pronounce you married!

You may seal your marriage with a kiss!

Presentation of the couple

Officiant to guests

Family and friends, it is my pleasure to present to you for the first time as newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Truong.

Recessional

Please keep your seats while the wedding party exits. Cocktails and snacks will be served across the way while the couple and their families take some photos.