Original Date MAY 25, 2003 - New Date TBD

 

Wedding Gown

Delustered Satin gown with halter neck trimmed with beaded Soutache.

A-line skirt is banded with beaded Soutache at hemline.

 

 

Bridesmaid Gowns

Floor length cornflower blue dress with a crepe tiara french satin court neckline, empire satin bodice with wide satin straps, and A-line crepe skirt embellished with jewel accented asymmetrical drape.

 

ALISONS VOW OF INTENTION   Marc, You have been my best friend, mentor, playmate, confidant, and my greatest challenge.  But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible...You have made me a better person as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live my life.  So I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together. I, Alison, take you, Marc, to be my husband, my partner, my friend, my confidant, my soul mate. I pledge my all to you. We have already been through a lot together, and I believe that has been preparing us for this moment and for our future together. I promise to keep the good memories alive, and to let the bad ones die. I vow not to let the sun go down on our anger, and to treat each morning as a new day to love you, the gift I have been given. I will not forsake you or these vows that we have made, but rather strive to show you my love for the rest of our lives. This is my promise to you.  I love you.   WEDDING CEREMONY   GIVING OF THE BRIDE
Question	"Being assured that your love and your choice of each other as lifelong companions are in God's will and that you have your families' blessings. I now ask. Who gives this beautiful woman to be married to this wonderful man?"
Response	"Her family, friends, and I do."

 

Wedding Message

 

Marriage is a supreme sharing of experience, and an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. It is the joyous union of two people whose comradeship and mutual understanding have flowered in romance. Today Alison and Marc proclaim their love and commitment to the world, and we gather here to rejoice, with and for them, in the new life they now undertake together.

The joy we feel now is a solemn joy, because the act of marriage has many consequences, both social and personal. Marriage requires "love," a word we often use with vagueness and sentimentality. We may assume that love is some rare and mystical event, when in fact it is our natural state of being.

So what do we mean by love? When we love, we see things other people do not see. We see beneath the surface, to the qualities which make our beloved special and unique. To see with loving eyes, is to know inner beauty. And to be loved is to be seen, and known, as we are known to no other. One who loves us, gives us a unique gift: a piece of ourselves, but a piece that only they could give us.

We who love, can look at each other's life and say, "I touched his life," or, "I touched her life," just as an artist might say, "I touched this canvas." "Those brushstrokes in the comer of this magnificent mural, those are mine. I was a part of this life, and it is a part of me." Marriage is to belong to each other through a unique and diverse collaboration, like two threads crossing in different directions, yet weaving one tapestry together. 

The secret of love and marriage is similar to that of religion itself. It is the emergence of the larger self. It is the finding of one's life by losing it. Such is the privilege of husband and wife - to be each himself, herself and yet another; to face the world strong, with the courage of two. 

To make this relationship work, therefore, takes more than love. It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both. While love is our natural state of being, these other qualities are not as easy to come by. They are not a destination, but a journey. 

The true art of married life is in this an inner spiritual journey. It is a mutual enrichment, a give and take between two personalities, a mingling of two endowments which diminishes neither, but enhances both. 

 

Alison and Marc have written personal vows of intention to exhange before you, their friends and family.

 

Personal Vows of Intention

 

Alison reads her vow of intention

Marc reads his vow of intention

 

Exchange of Vows

I, Marc, take you Alison, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. 
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.
 I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep.

I, Alison, take you Marc, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today,
tomorrow, and forever
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep.

Handfasting & Declaration of Intent

 

Know now before you go further, that since your lives have crossed in this life you have formed ties between each other. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real, the ideals which give meaning to both this ceremony and the institution of marriage.

With full awareness, know that within this circle you are not only declaring your intent to be handfasted before your friends and family, but you speak that intent also to your creative higher powers.

The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union; they will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth.

Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?

Yes, We Seek to Enter.

In times past it was believed that the human soul shared characteristics with all things divine. It is this belief which assigned virtues to the cardinal directions; East, South, West and North. It is in this tradition that a blessing is offered in support of this ceremony.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the East. Communication of the heart, mind, and body Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun. The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South. Warmth of hearth and home The heat of the heart's passion The light created by both To lighten the darkest of times.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the West. The deep commitments of the lake The swift excitement of the river The refreshing cleansing of the rain The all encompassing passion of the sea.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the North Firm foundation on which to build Fertility of the fields to enrich your lives A stable home to which you may always return.

Each of these blessings from the four cardinal directions emphasizes those things which will help you build a happy and successful union. Yet they are only tools. Tools which you must use together in order to create what you seek in this union.

 

Ceremony of the Rings

Traditionally, the marking of the passage to tile status of husband and wife is marked by the exchange of rings. These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken.

 

The Exchange of rings

As the rings have no end so your love should have no end. As the rings are made of gold symbolizing purity, so should your marriage have purity. As often as either of you see them, you will be reminded of this moment and the endless love you promised." "Alison, what token to you give that you will perform your vows?" (Matt receives ring and says to bride.) "Alison_, do you receive this ring in token of the same?"

BRIDE	"I do." (Groom places ring on Bride's finger.)
Matt with Groom Repeating	"Alison, this ring I give to you in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love."
MATT	"Marc_, what token to you give that you will perform your vows?" (Minister receives ring and says to groom.) "Marc, do you receive this ring in token of the same?"
GROOM	"I do." (Bride places ring on Groom's finger.)
MATT WITH BRIDE REPEATING	"Marc, this ring I give to you in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love."

 

Declaration of Marriage:

In as much as you have each pledged to the other your lifelong commitment, love and devotion, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.
Marc, You may kiss your bride!

PRESENTATION
	"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Marc Tyson Brackett