lawfully wedded.

We were so lucky with the weather on our wedding day. Sure, it was 30 degrees and achingly hot, but at least it didn’t rain. During our short outdoor ceremony, there was thunder, threatening clouds, and a strike of lightning over the Brokenback Mountain Range.

We’d written cards to each other to read while we were getting ready. Words of mushy stuff like “what I about love you”, which we were originally thinking about saying during our vows, but decided to keep private.

Our ceremony site was set up simply, with 2 plants, a lemon and a tangelo tree (only this past winter I discovered that tangelos are OMG delicious).

Kez wrote a beautiful ceremony for us…

excerpt from the ceremony, by Kez:
Chanel and Paul stand before you today, to declare their love for one another and to make promises for their future together. They also stand between a lemon tree and a tangelo tree that Chanel and Paul bought specially. While in pots now, these trees will one day flourish and stand glorious in their own garden, in their own home, bearing fruit, offering shade and also as a reminder of the day they became husband and wife.

We didn’t write our own vows in the end. We had read a few online that happened to be perfect, so we combined various parts to suit us.

I call upon persons here today to bear witness that I, Chanel, take you, Paul, to be my lawful wedded husband.
Paul, you are my best friend and my one true love. I will take you in my arms when you need to be held. I will listen when you need to talk. I will laugh with you in times of joy, and comfort you in times of sadness. I will love you for who you are, and help you to become all that you can be. I will grow old with you. I will love and honour, protect and respect you for the rest of my life.
Paul, I give you this ring as I give you my heart to keep and my hand to hold for the rest of our lives.

all images by the wonderful Andrew & Sarah of Follan Photography

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