With the photos finished and guests beginning to arrive, Deborah and I were ushered upstairs for a few minutes before the ceremony began. We watched some guests arrive for a while, and then it was time to go! The ceremony took place at the front of the Astin Mansion, and our reception was taking place in the house and out back. Our bridesmates walked around to the front, and Deborah and I got in a vintage red car from the 1930s which drove us around. The car was a last minute rental when we realized that we didn’t have a way to get to the back of the aisle! It was lovely, fitting, and the driver even began honking the horn as we rounded the corner. A great way to begin the ceremony!
In the car! About to get married!
Our music for the ceremony and reception was by the incredibly awesome Acoustic Production out of Houston, TX. Our bridesmates walked down to an instrumental version of ‘Im Yours’ by Jason Mraz.
Our flower girl, one of my current students, had always wanted to be a flower girl in a wedding since she was 5 years old. I thought it was really special that she was so enthusiastic about being a flower girl in our wedding. We had tons of extra die-cut fleur-de-lis from our ceremony programs, so we added those in with the red rose petals to make use of them– and it turned out to be a great combination.
She took her job very seriously and deftly paved our way with flowers and fleur-de-lis
And now, it was time for us to walk! I was trying my hardest to not be a ‘stage-manager’ about everything and focus on the moment instead of the timing of who was going and when. It was really hard, I’m not going to lie. But I think I did a good job once my dad and I started walking. Deborah and I never really had too many discussions on who was walking down the aisle when. Initially we wanted to do something that involved both of us walking at the same time from opposite sides and meeting in the middle. But, our venue layout didn’t really work with that idea, and it would’ve just been awkward. It worked out (things always do– remember that brides and grooms to be). I had always imagined watching Deborah walk down the aisle, so I went first and Deborah was second.
My dad told me to enjoy the adventure. He is a great and wise man.
Deborah's brother, John, joked about tripping her down the aisle to calm nerves. We both walked down to the instrumental version of 'All You Need is Love' by The Beatles.
Seeing Deborah walking down the aisle with a huge smile and full of excitement, I’m pretty sure I got teary eyed then. It was just this amazing moment that I will never forget. 
Our officiant, Spike Gillespie, encouraged us to do a family hug, instead of a traditional, hand-shaking, hand-off thing. We all came together, hugged, and thus began our ceremony.
Spike began with "We have come together today not to mark the start of a relationship, but to acknowledge and strengthen a bond that already exists." She is a fantastic officiant and really captured the spirit of our relationship and what our ceremony meant to us.
Our first reading was Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116, which was also on our wedding certificate. My dear friend, Will, gave the reading. He is a writer and playwright, so it seemed very fitting.
"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove: Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken."
Our next reading was done by all of our bridesmates. We chose I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg. Initially, we were going to cut it way down and have only one person read it. We just couldn’t. All of our friends are theatrical in some form or other (either in personality, hobby, or career) and it was so fun to hear them read the different verses in their own way.
If I pretend I am drowning, you pretend you are saving me. If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag, then you are getting ready to jump HOORAY!
On the 4th of July, I like you because it's the 4th of July. On the fifth of July, I like you too. If you and I had some drums and some horns and some horses, If we had some hats and some flags and some fire engines, We could be a HOLIDAY! We could be a CELEBRATION! We could be a WHOLE PARADE!
The verses ended up dividing out really well between all of our bridal brigades and left the final verse for us:
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and Over Again
Cue: Tears. Happy Tears. Tons of happy tears. Oceans upon seas upon rivers of happy tears! They didn’t stop! They just kept on keepin’ on for the rest of the ceremony. Our next reading which was Goodridge v. Massachusetts Department of Health (also know as the landmark ruling in Massachusetts where the state upheld the right for same-sex couples to marry). It was important to us to let those who were not as well acquainted with our passion for equality understand what we were fighting for. Our reader was an incredibly important person to both of us, but has a special place in my heart. She was a former student of mine, the president of our school’s Gay/Straight Alliance and one of the first students I came out to. She is a fierce and intelligent voice for equality in public schools and beyond. She already has and will continue to make waves in the fight for equality. I am so proud and happy that she was able to be an important part of our wedding.
It is undoubtedly for these concrete reasons, as well as for its intimately personal significance, that civil marriage has long been termed a “civil right.”
We had a few more elements happening that were interspersed between these three readings that culminated after our third reading, but since this post is broken up into two posts, you’ll read about those next!
Joy was ever present and our ceremony was full of moments of laughter!
All photos by Katherine O’Brien Photography.
Past Recap Posts:
Post-Portrait Shenanigans
Group Photos
Our First Look
Deborah Getting Ready
Michelle Getting Ready
Not only are you ladies FABULOUS, you’re using the same readings we are for our wedding in May. So clearly, you have excellent taste too!
So beautiful! And those bouquets are gorgeous!
Beautiful. Perfection.
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and Over Again..
- wishing you love and joy always!
Christina-
All of the same readings?! That is so cool! Congrats on your wedding in May :)
Tami- Thank you!
I LOVE the Goodridge ruling/reading. It was read at our wedding and TONS of our clients use it as well. You’d never know it was written by a lawyer!
I am so obsessed with your wedding!! Thanks for sharing so much, I love all your posts! Love the idea of reading the ruling in MA. We are from (and are getting married in) MA, I think that’s such a great idea.