Kate and John's Wedding Vows

June 18th, 2005

Kate:

We have asked you here today to celebrate our marriage. This is a pledge of enduring love and an expression of our commitment to each other. It is the moment when falling in love is replaced by the arduous drama of staying in love. Selves may not intertwine; but lives do, and we have chosen to intertwine ours. Marriage is dedication. We give ourselves, our lives and love to each other, receiving in turn the the same back.

John:

In the scene where they first meet, Tarzan tells Jane, "I am Tarzan of the Apes. I want you. I am yours. You are mine. We will live here together always in my house. I will bring you the best fruits, the tenderest deer, the finest meats that roam the jungle. I will hunt for you. I am the greatest of the jungle hunters. I will fight for you. I am the mightiest of the jungle fighters. When you see this you will know that it is for you and that Tarzan of the Apes loves you."

Kate:

I love you,

Not only for what you are,

But for what I am

When I am with you.

John:

I love you,

Not only for what

You have made of yourself,

But for what

You are making of me.

I love you

For the part of me

That you bring out;

I love you

For putting your hand

Into my heaped-up heart

And passing over

All the foolish, weak things

That you can’t help

Dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out

Into the light

All the beautiful belongings

That no one else had looked

Quite far enough to find.

Kate:

I love you because you

Are helping me to make

Of the lumber of my life

Not a tavern

But a temple;

Out of the works

Of my every day

Not a reproach

But a song.

John:

I love you

Because you have done

More than any creed

Could have done

To make me good

And more than any fate

Could have done

To make me happy.

Kate:

You have done it

Without a touch,

Without a word,

Without a sign.

You have done it

By being yourself.

Perhaps that is what

Being a friend means,

After all.

John:

We are glad that our family and friends are here to participate in this wedding. The ideals, the understanding, and the mutual respect which we bring to our marriage have their roots in the love, friendship, and guidance, with which you have given us.

Sarah

Sings

John:

We come now to declare our love, and to be united in marriage, facing the world together. Wish for us, that we may learn to share life’s trials, and grow in understanding and devotion to each other.

Kate:

May love and companionship abide in our home .

John:

May we grow old together, in health and contentment, ever grateful for the union of our lives.

Kate:

May we wake up each morning full of joy to be next to each other.

John:

May we always need one another, not to fill an emptiness, but to help each other know fullness.

Kate:

May we embrace one another, but not encircle one another.

John:

May we have happiness, and may we find it in making one another happy.

Kate:

May we have love, and may we find it in loving one another.

John:

From this day on I choose you to be my wife. To live with you and laugh with you. To stand by your side and sleep in your arms. To serve you with my wit and my strength. To be joy to your heart, food to your soul and the unindicted co -conspirator of you life. I promise to love you, to accept you and to cherish you

Kate:

From this day on I choose you to be my husband. To live with you and laugh with you. To stand by your side and sleep in your arms. To serve you with my wit and my strength. To be joy to your heart, food to your soul and the unindicted co -conspirator of you life. I promise to love you, to accept you and to cherish you

John:

We have chosen to exchange rings as a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end.

Kate:

Love freely given has no giver and no receiver - for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings serve as a reminder of the vows we take here today.

John:

This ring, a gift for you, symbolises my desire that you be my wife from this day forward.

Kate:

This ring, a gift for you, symbolises my wish that you be my husband from this day forward.

John:

May the confidence, trust, and affection we have for each other on this day sustain us upon our journey of life together with its joy, its laughter, its sorrow, and its pain. May you fulfill your personal goals with each others help and guidance. May you dwell together in peace, love, and joy.

Kate:

We call on all who are assembled here with us to witness our vows of marriage and announce with great joy that we are from this time on, husband and wife.