Marriage Vows
Tunan & Hao
July 22, 2012
Windansea Beach
La Jolla
Will you please rise
As Tunan and her father reach the front of the aisle...
Please be seated
Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?
Tunan's Father: I do.
Will you please place the hands of your daughter into the hands of her groom.
Welcome! We are gathered here today in the presence of family and friends to share with Tunan and Hao the most important moment in their lives. Hao and Tunan and their parents are elated and grateful that you are all here to witness their marriage celebration.
We are here today to encourage, celebrate and support the promises these two special people have chosen to make. We rejoice in the ways life has led them to each other and brought them to the place where they now stand. The vast Pacific Ocean behind us once separated Tunan and Hao physically, -- is now a beautiful backdrop, witnessing their union in marriage. What joy!
Tunan and Hao met two years ago, by way of the wonders of the Internet. Seven thousand miles of oceans and earth could not keep them apart. Their love for one another has blossomed and deepened over time, leading them to this very precious moment.
Tunan and Hao, I congratulate you on the journey of your lives, and the love and the bond between you that has brought you here today.
Vows
And now ... for the "I do's"!
Hao, do you take Tunan to be your lawfully wedded wife?
I DO.
Do you promise to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?
I DO
Tunan, do you take Hao to be your lawfully wedded husband?
I DO.
Do you promise to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, for so long as you both shall live?
I DO
Rings
The wedding ring is a symbol of unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end. Today, Hao and Tunan give and receive these rings as confirmations of their vows to join their lives, to work at all times to create a life that is whole and unbroken, and to love each other without end.
Hao, take this ring and place it on Tunan’s finger, and state your
pledge to her, repeating after me:
With this ring I thee wed
With this ring I thee wed
I offer you my hand and my heart
I offer you my hand and my heart
Tunan, take this ring and place it on Hao’s finger, and state your
pledge to him, repeating after me:
With this ring I thee wed
With this ring I thee wed
I offer you my hand and my heart
I offer you my hand and my heart
Sand Ceremony
Hao and Tunan, you have just sealed your relationship with your vows and by the giving and receiving of rings. This covenant is a relationship pledge between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another throughout their lives. Today, this relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand. These two colors of sand are symbols of two individual people: one, representing you Hao, and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be. The other representing you, Tunan, and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be.
When you join these two colors of sand, you are joining your lives together. Go ahead and pour your sand, all at once, into the vase.
The individual grains of sand are still their original color – they have retained their identity, but just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be.
This vase will sit on your shelf at home, reminding you of this special day, and of how you have created a new life together.
As a collection of words, this ceremony would count for little, were it not for the love and commitment you pledged to one another here, at this beautiful place by the sea. Your vows may have been spoken in minutes, but your promises to each other will last a lifetime.
And now with the authority vested in me by the State of California, witnessed by your friends and family, I have the pleasure to pronounce you ...
Husband and wife!
Hao, you may now kiss your bride.
The KISS
Presentation:
And now Ladies and Gentlemen, I have the pleasure of presenting to you Mr. and Mrs. Hao ...