Kathryn A McMahon

INVOCATION

Welcome friends, family and loved ones, and thank you for being here to celebrate the marriage of TAYLOR and TERRAH!

Today is a celebration. A celebration of love, of commitment, of friendship, of family, and of two people who are in it for forever.

Despite all of our differences, love is what we all share. It's the great unifier - our one universal truth. That no matter who we are, where we've come from, what we believe, we know this one thing: love is what we're doing right. That's why you both are standing here.

We have all loved in our lifetimes, and in this moment, we're reminded that the ability to love is the very best part of our humanity.

All of us here today have our own love stories. Some are short, others long. Some are yet unwritten, while others are just getting to the good part. There are chapters in all of our stories that are sad or disappointing - and others that are exciting and full of adventure.

And that brings them here. A time to pause, look back, and smile at all the people and moments that brought them here. And a time to look ahead at all the moments that are still to come.

I'm here - we're all here - because we want those moments for you. We're here to hope with you, to support you, to be proud of you, and to remind you that love isn't happily ever after, love is the experience of writing your story. It's not one moment - not even this moment. It's every moment. Big ones like saying "I love you," moving in together, getting engaged - but mostly a million little ones that come in between the big moments and keep you going every day. Falling asleep next to one another, making dinner together, spending holidays with your families, binge-watching Netflix shows, getting a big hug when you get home from work… These everyday moments fuse together into one big experience.

And even though this experience is so incredible, words fail us when we try and explain it. That's just the way it is with love - it's meant to be felt, not described.

But trying to describe love is one of our favorite pastimes. F. Scott Fitzgerald once simply described it as “I love her, and that is the beginning and the end of everything.” We use the words we have to write stories, poems, and songs about love. And even though we describe love in different ways - and even though love can look different from one person to the next - we all know it when we see it. And we see it here.

So far, we’ve said a lot about love in general. But today we’re gathered at a special place as well, home. Home is where it all starts, all the memories we create, the events and triumphs we celebrate, and the hard times we endure together. Whether it be a birthday for the little ones, a Christmas that draws everyone near, or the passing of loved ones – it all happened here.

Home is a place that has the unconditional love of your family and where you can always feel secure. We all know that love is tricky - but I think that when done right, and when you’ve found the right one, it simply feels like home.

Without getting sentimental, Taylor’s house has always been my second home. This place is special not just because it holds 20 years worth of memories, but also because I know that I can walk through their door unannounced and be welcome. The smells will be familiar, and in the first 5 minutes I will be called kiddo and I will be asked how my parents are doing. The weekend I met TERRAH, I also met some of her family in Latrobe. I was surprised to be met with a similar atmosphere in their homes. It was the same warm feeling I have when I’m at the Thompson’s, a feeling that makes me feel welcome, cherished, and safe. I knew after that weekend Taylor and TERRAH were in this for good, plus TERRAH told me her plan on how she wanted to purpose – So...

You fell in love by chance, but you're here today because you're making a choice. You both are choosing each other. You’re choosing to share a life together, to take care of one another, to find happiness together. There's a simple premise to each of these promises: you're vowing to be there. You're teaming up and saying to the other, "Every experience I am going to have, I want you to be a part of."

DECLARATION OF INTENT

TERRAH and TAYLOR, please join hands, look at one another now and remember this moment in time.

Many years from now, I hope you look at one another and are able to say, “With you, I have lived the life I always wanted to live. With you, I have become the person I always wanted to be.”

TERRAH, repeat after me: I, TERRAH, take you TAYLOR to be my best friend/ my faithful partner, and my one true love/ I promise to encourage and inspire you /and love you truly through good times and bad/I will forever be there to laugh with you - lift you up when you are down – /and to love you unconditionally through all of our adventures in life together.

TAYLOR, repeat after me: I, TAYLOR, take you TARA to be my best friend, my faithful partner, and my one true love. I promise to encourage and inspire you and love you truly through good times and bad. I will forever be there to laugh with you - and lift you up when you are down – and to love you unconditionally through all of our adventures in life together.

Will you, TERRAH and TAYLOR , promise to keep these vows you have made?

Couple together: We will.

SAND CEREMONY

TAYLOR and TERRAH are now going to partake in a Sand Ceremony. In this ceremony both TAYLOR and TERRAH will each take their different colored sand, and pour them into this single glass. This keepsake will be kept with them so that every day that they look upon this glass, they will be reminded of the union and promise - that they make to each other today to live their lives together as one.

(During this time, Minister guides bride and groom to the table that holds three glasses.)

RING EXCHANGE

Rings are made of precious metal, but that same metal is also made precious by wearing them. Your wedding rings are special because they enhance who you are. They mark the beginning of your long journey together. Your wedding ring is a circle, a symbol of love never ending. It is the seal of the vows you have just taken to love each other without end.

TERRAH, please place the ring on TAYLOR 's left hand.

By placing this ring on her finger, you do this as a sign of your love that you have chosen her above all else.

TAYLOR , please place the ring on TERRAH's left hand.

By placing this ring on her finger, you do this as a sign of your love that you have chosen her above all else.

PRONOUNCEMENT

To make your relationship work will take love.

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 faith, to go forward together, without knowing what the future holds.

And it will take commitment, to remain true to the journey you both have pledged to begin today.

You both have stated your intent, you have declared commitment to one another, you performed the Unity Sand Ceremony, and have exchanged rings. There is now only one thing left to do...

By the power vested in me by the State of Indian and the American Marriage Ministries, I now pronounce you officially wives.

TERRAH, you may now kiss your bride.

END