Our Ceremony
[All music throughout the ceremony was performed by indie folk artist Sufjan Stevens. The bridal party processional was the instrumental song "Redford" and Sharon entered to "The Dress Looks Nice on You."]
Welcome family and friends as we gather here today in celebration of Tim and Sharon. The vows a bride and groom recite are a reflection of the people they are, and the love they have. Tim and Sharon have prepared their own vows, which they will now share with each other, and with us.
Tim, anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm not really one for tradition. I've always hated cliches. I never believed in love at first sight. I always laughed and rolled my eyes when people told me, "when you meet the right person, you just know." That was, of course, until I met you.
I love telling the story of the day we first met when we explored our new city together. That day we wandered through Chinatown, Telegraph Hill, the Embarcadero, Alamo Square and more. I probably would have followed you just about anywhere. I was instantly won over by your warmth, your intelligence, your thoughtfulness, and the ease with which we talked - all of the things I still love and admire most about you.
We're not very spiritual people. But I believe in signs. I believe that there are many things in this world that we can't explain. And I believe in gut feelings. On the day that we met, I knew that my life would never be the same. I had spent a number of years moving all around the country, and for the first time, I felt on some unexplainable level, that my journey had lead me to the right place and that I'd be continuing on, with you at my side.
On this momentous day we embark on the next steps of our journeys together. Wherever our paths take us, I vow to always be there for you. I will support your decisions and entertain your whims. I promise hugs after the hard days, and laughter on the good ones. We will work together to solve problems, to openly and honestly communicate, and to challenge and inspire each other.
I vow to keep all of the love, happiness, energy, and cliche-ridden magic from our first date alive throughout all of our days together. I promise these things in front of our family and friends, as I ask you to be my husband.
Sharon, I did not know how deeply I could love until I met you.
When I moved to San Francisco, I did not come here looking to find love. To be honest, I didn't know what I was looking for. But I knew immediately when I found you. From the first day we met, to now, and long into the future, there is nothing I love more than exploring our new home together. Whether walking through the city streets, gazing out into the Bay, or scrambling up a dusty hill, at each other's side we can go anywhere.
We can go anywhere, because we lift each other up. Knowing you inspires me to be a better person and do the most good with my life that I can. I am honored that you have chosen me, and I want to do everything possible to make you as proud of me as I am proud of you.
We may not always see eye-to-eye, and it can be hard when we feel passionately, but differently, about something. But it is our passion, our commitment to do the right thing, and our love that brings us together. For all of our differences, at our cores we are one.
So I promise to walk with you for as long as we can walk, to lift you up and to follow you, to be passionate and committed, to love you and to hold you. I promise that our life together will always be full of laughter, new adventures and special surprises. I promise to be with you always and forever.
I promise these things in front of our family and friends, as I ask you to be my wife.
Before completing their vows to one another, Sharon and Tim will plant a tree in a ceremony symbolic of the marriage they are coming together to create and nourish. Together, and with help from their families, they will plant a tree in this pot, which will be transplanted into the earth on their first wedding anniversary. As we prepare for this portion of the ceremony, Sharon’s bridesmaids—Karen, Kathy, Sarv, and Amy—will be reading an abridged selection from “The Little Prince,” Sharon’s favorite book, and one befitting the occasion.
[Narrator = Amy; Prince = Sarv; Rose = Kathy; Fox = Karen]
On the little prince’s planet there had always been very simple flowers, decorated with a single row of petals so that they took up no room at all and got in no one’s way. They would appear one morning in the grass, and they would fade by nightfall. But one day, from a seed blown from no one knew where, a new flower had come up; and the little prince had watched very closely over this small sprout which was not like any other small sprouts on his planet. One morning, precisely at sunrise, she suddenly showed herself. The little prince could not restrain his admiration.
Oh! How beautiful you are!
Aren’t I? And I was born at the same moment as the sun... I think it is time for breakfast. Would you be so kind as to tend to me?”
And the little prince, completely abashed, went to look for a sprinkling-can of fresh water. So, he tended the flower. He continued to tend to the flower until one day when he decided to leave his planet. On this new planet, the little prince walked for a long time through sand, and rocks, and snow, when at last he came upon a garden, all a-bloom with roses. The little prince gazed at them. They all looked like his flower.
Who are you?
We are roses.
And he was overcome with sadness. His flower had told him that she was the only one of her kind in all the universe. And here were five thousand of them, all alike, in one single garden!
I thought that I was rich, with a flower that was unique in all the world; and all I had was a common rose.
It was then that the fox appeared. The fox taught the little prince important lessons on how to care for someone, and what it meant to tame someone.
What does that mean— “tame?”
To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.
I am beginning to understand… There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..."
Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret.
The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.
You are not at all like my rose. You’re lovely, but you’re empty. One could not die for you. An ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you. But my rose all on her own is more important than all of you put together. Since she’s the one I’ve watered; Since she’s the one I put under glass; Since she’s the one I sheltered behind the screen; Since she’s the one I listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing at all. Since she’s my rose.
And he went back to meet the fox.
Here is my secret. It’s quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.
[During the tree-planting, the song "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti" played. We planted a redwood sequoia seedling and each of our parents contributed a scoop of dirt to the pot.]
Sharon and Tim will now exchange rings, as a symbol of their unity. May I have Tim’s ring? Sharon, please place the ring on Tim’s finger as you complete your vows. Do you, Sharon, take this man Tim to be your lawful wedded husband?
I do. Tim, with this ring I promise my unconditional love to you for as long as we walk this earth together. I ask you, will you be my husband?
I will.
May I have Sharon’s ring? Tim, please place the ring on Sharon’s finger as you complete your vows. Do you, Tim, take this woman Sharon to be your lawful wedded wife?
I do. Sharon, with this ring I promise my unconditional love to you for as long as we walk this earth together. I ask you, will you be my wife?
I will.
By virtue of the authority vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
[Kiss! Applause! Our recessional is "Chicago" and we sign our license at the nearby picnic tables.]