Michael Eric Rydberg

ABOUT THIS WEDDING

"I only recently met Jeff and Hilary about a week ago. But I like them already. All of you have known them for years so I don’t have to tell you that they are a unique couple. Just one look at the venue will tell you that. When I asked the couple how they met, how they fell in love…I learned that it was not one of those cliché “Love at first sight” stories. This was more of a slow burn kind of stories. I learned that Jeff and Hilary met at Pembroke Hospital where they work where Jeff was assigned to train Hilary. Initially there were no sparks. There was no flirting, nothing like that. This does not come as a surprise to you who know Jeff. You know that at work he is the consummate professional – all business. But there were some occasions, outside work, where some socializing took place and Hilary started to notice that there was something more to her co-worker than his boring work persona. The relationship started to heat up when they realized their shared obsession with Horror Movies. Their first date was to go see a restored version of Stanley Kubric’s “The Shining”. And although it was Hilary who first noticed that there was something more to this relationship, it was Jeff who did the pursuing. When he resolved in his mind that Hilary was the only girl for him, he secured his grandmother’s wedding ring made some adjustments and chose the most romantic setting he could think of to propose. He chose the “Halloween Horror Night” theme park in Orlando. He even got a character “Sam” from Hilary’s favorite movie “Trick or Treat” to help out. And even though this man is poet who writes song lyrics, the only words of proposal he could blurt out were “Ring” Hilary got the message. And here we are today…getting married in a haunted camp ground in Hanson MA. You see how life just works out sometimes? When Jeff and Hilary asked me to officiate at their Horror themed wedding I asked if they were planning on dressing as Frankenstein and bride of Frankenstein and if I was supposed to dress as Beetlejuice or something. And they assured me that the Horror theme was just something to make the celebration something uniquely their own, but they desired a traditional religious with a religious officiant because they desired to take their vows before God. I respect that. So…let us begin. "

Michael Eric Rydberg