A Temple City Park Wedding, in the Gazebo!

 Processional  Greeting Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join J... and D... in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore – is not by any – to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly – but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show lawful reason why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace.  Giving of the Bride Who brings D... here today and gives blessing to this marriage? Michael“I do.” Please all be seated.  Opening message It is customary to offer the couple instruction on the nature of marriage: Never marry but for Love William Penn (1644-1718) Never marry but for love; but see that thou lovest what is lovely. He that minds a body and not a soul has not the better part of that relationship, and will consequently lack the noblest comfort of a married life. Between a man and his wife nothing ought to rule but love. As love ought to bring them together, so it is the best way to keep them well together. A husband and wife that love one another show their children that they should do so too. Others visibly lose their authority in their families by their contempt of one another, and teach their children to be unnatural by their own examples. Let not enjoyment lessen, but augment, affection ; it being the basest of passions to like when we have not, what we slight when we possess. Here it is we ought to search out our pleasure, where the field is large and full of variety, and of an enduring nature; sickness, poverty or disgrace being not able to shake it because it is not under the moving influences of worldly contingencies. Nothing can be more entire and without reserve; nothing more zealous, affectionate and sincere; nothing more contented than such a couple, nor greater temporal felicity than to be one of them.  Exchange of Vows J..., please take D... hand and repeat after me: I, J..., take you, D..., to be my wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live. D..., please repeat after me: I, D..., take you, J..., to be my husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.  Unity Candle J... and D... have chosen to perform a unity candle ceremony. Their Daughter will participate by lighting the couples individual candles to symbolize that she too, is a member of the family that is being joined here together. J... and D..., the two lighted candles symbolize your separate lives, your separate families and your separate sets of friends. I ask that you each take one candle and that together you light the center candle. The individual candles represent your individual lives before today. Lighting the center candle represents that your two lives are now joined to one light, and represents the joining of your two families and sets of friends to one. D... and J... will now extinguish their own candles, thus letting the center candle symbolize the union of their lives. As one light cannot be divided, neither will their lives be divided.  Exchange of Rings Do you have rings to exchange? J..., repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands. D... Repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands.  Closing Prayer Let us pray together…As this community is brought to understand God each in his own heart, and to ask for His blessings and to give thanks in His name, we ask for His love to include and support love within this marriage, and to warm them when they grow cold, and to strengthen them when they weaken, and to nourish them when they hunger. And we give thanks that they have found each other and found love in each other and have promised to preserve that love before us all.” AMEN  Declaration of Marriage By the power vested in me by the State of California, I pronounce you to be husband and wife. Please kiss your Bride.  Introduction It is with pleasure and pride I introduce Mr. And Mrs. J....

Supreme Court Decision on DOMA and Prop 8

Finally! After months of waiting and years of fighting, the court upheld the decision to strike down prop 8. This should effectively allow genderless or same-sex weddings to return to California. And the law that allows the government to tax differently, and otherwise discriminate between different kinds of marriage is out. Imagine if the government could decide which people you could marry! It always has, and it's been in my lifetime that it would not allow whites to marry non-whites and other absurd limitations. The funny thing in my humble opinion is the lies the prop 8 proponents told to trick voters into passing prop 8, like that gay history would be required in school. I never heard the idea until they brought it up. Sounds great, California Dept of Education will be implementing it anyway! And that churches would lose their tax exempt status if they refused to marry same sex couples! Thats as silly as saying the catholic church would lose it's status if they refused to marry protestants. What a load. I do hope that voters realize that the lies were told by liars, because believe this, they are still coming for you! They want to take away your choices and your control of your body- like what kind of birth control you use. Not just to stop pregnancy but to treat infertility. They are still coming for you!