the ceremony (part 3)

(for part 1, see part 1. For part 2, please see part 2)

The ceremony started with Ben singing "I Will" and Tony playing. I had both my parents walk me in, which was, no joke, a walk of about 10 steps. Or less. There was some confusion over who would go first in the hallway and since Chris and basically everyone else could see us, it must have been pretty funny. At some point we figured it out and we all entered. My mom started crying like a baby while we were waiting in the hall. It was sad. I had to tell her to stop lest *I* start to cry.

Ben started the ceremony with the traditional,

"Maw-waige. Maw-waige is what bwings us togevah today."

It was awesome.

Every one loved Ben. He was so good. He was funny and charming and meaningful and it was perfect. I am so glad we got him ordained over the internet and legalized to perform marriages in Ohio. It was the best decision ever. At one point he was saying something about the journey we've gone on to get to where we are today and then he added, "so much so that I thought about using a quote from the band 'Journey'." That was like the one really NEW things he added and that I didn't know was coming (I had read his original script so I knew pretty much everything) and I laughed a lot. I just love Ben.

So, the rest of our ceremony included Shakespeare readings by Emily and Ginna (sonnets 115 and 116, respectively), Greg singing I Will Follow You Into the Dark, Jason singing I've Just Seen a Face and Rick Blunt reading our dinosaur book, A Lovely Love Story. Every one started crying when Greg was singing, either because they could see our faces (like in the picture on the right) or because they saw Greg see our faces and choke up mid-song, OR because Greg is the best guy singer ever, or maybe because the song is really, really good. Or maybe all of the above. Our friend Dennis put his sun glasses on. I was able to stop crying, especially because I held up the dinosaur book to show the pictures while Rick was reading. Jen was, luckily, armed with tissues for me, though.

Next up we come to a little things called "vows." As you may have read in part 2, I made a bullet point list the night before of my vows because I couldn't imagine reading them off the paper. I was honestly standing around before the ceremony, asking people's opinion on whether or not I should read the original vows or do the bullet point list. They must have thought I was crazy. I WAS crazy! Talk about last minute. I decided to do the bullet point list.... but when it came time to do them, I couldn't even read THOSE! I literally could not READ the paper. What happened seems almost a dream right now and in some ways I feel like I must have blacked out because I hardly remember anything that I said past, "This is going to be weird for every one else because I say these things to you every day." I know I threw the paper at Ben, I know I buried my head into Chris's chest and said that I couldn't READ it (I don't mean that I was illiterate for a few moments, I mean that reading them felt wrong and that I had to come up with stuff right then and there to say)... I improvised my vows. I told him I'd take care of his asthma-y lungs. I told him that I loved him more than anything else, ever. I don't know what else I told him. I don't know how I ended them. I might have said, "the end." I don't know.

Chris's vows, on the other hand, were AMAZING. He said he felt like a jerk reading them off the paper after I made such a big deal about NOT reading mine, but his were good to begin with. I mean, REALLY good. Like, they were the best thing I've ever heard in my life. I told him that when he finished. He gave them to me later. I will take them everywhere.

After that, to his own amazement, Ben pronounced us husband and wife and we went into the hallway and hugged people and then went outside to take pictures in the windy 58 degree weather.... in the sunset.