Our Wedding Vows

We are gathered here today to witness the formal joining of Susan and James in the legal state of Matrimony. 

You are to be married according to the orders, customs, and the authority granted by the Government of the Province of Alberta. Matrimony, as understood by us, is a state enriched by a long and honorable tradition of devotion. According to the law each participant is equal and supports the common rights of one another to the marriage. 

Marriage is not just a ceremony, here today it is a commitment for life. This union, then, is most sacred and serious, because it will bind you together in a relationship so close and so intimate that is will profoundly influence your whole future, with its hopes and with its disappointments, its successes and its failures, its pleasures and its pains, its joys and its sorrows, is hidden from your eyes. You both know that all these elements are intertwined in every life and are to be expected in your own. 

And so, not knowing what is before you, you take each other for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death. Therefore, it is not to be entered into thoughtlessly or irresponsibly. There must be a desire for a lifelong companionship. 

Marriage means caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about your own well being. Marriage also means working together to create and sustain a home in which the marriage may flourish. Couples will support and comfort each other, through the changing experiences of life. May you laugh together in joy, grieve together in sorrow and grow together in love. 

With this understanding Susan and James wish to be joined in marriage. Therefore if any persons can show just and sufficient reason why these two person may not be joined in matrimony, let them declare their reasons now, or from this time forward, keep their peace. 

Do you, James, promise to give to this woman the love of your person, the comfort of your companionship, and the patience of your understanding? Will you share with her equally the necessities of life as they may be earned or enjoyed by yourself; and to respect the dignity of her own personal rights? At this time James you have something to say to Susan? 

I do, I take you Susan to be my constant friend, my faithful Internet partner, and my one true love. On this special day, I give to you, in the presence of our friends, and fellow chataholics, my pledge to stay by your side as your husband. In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well though the good times and the bad, through Internet disruptions and chat-a-thons! I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve your goals, laugh and cry with you. Grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you and cherish you for as long as we both shall live. 

Now I ask you Susan the same question and understand you have some vows to share with Jamie? 

I do, When we first met online no one could have predicted the outcome of our new found friendship. We began as friends and over hours of chatting we realized how many of the same things we wanted in life.  Once we got over the age difference and began to appreciate each others soul and mind, we made promises to each other. Promises that I took seriously then and promises I take seriously now. 

We knew then, no matter what happened we would always be best friends, at the very least, roommates and wonderful lovers. We have accomplished all three. You are my best friend, my roommate, soul mate and my only lover. 

We have taken a big step today, to unite as one. For the first time you are speaking these vows, committing yourself and for the first time I am speaking these vows to a man I truly love. 

Though there is no Utopia in this life, we have promised each other to always try, to talk things out, to tell each other how we feel and to never go to bed angry or leave the house angry. We have agreed to disagree at times, but never deny each other the right to our own opinion, realizing this has no reflection on our relationship. 

I have committed my life to you, to love you, to care for you, to be here for you. To always respect your opinions and respect you as my husband, my friend and my love. 

I firmly believe any relationship can mature and prosper as long as two people are willing to open up to each other and try. As long as we remember to laugh and have fun and never take each other for granted. 

I promise you all these things. Provided of course you continue to pay the Internet bill!

I do not take my love for you or your love for me lightly and we both have given a lot to be with each other. Our relationship was based on total honesty and you will always have that from me. I love you Jamie and I look forward to sharing our lives together from this
day until the day we leave this earth.

 

[  Ending Ceremony ]