WELCOME
Vivian and John are getting married!
June 27, 2015
in
Malibu, CA
What is said about Love?*
- Death cannot stop true love. It can only delay it a little while. – Westley in “The Princess Bride”
- “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”-Robert Frost
- “You know you’re in love when you don’t want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” -Dr. Seuss
- “The only thing that matters is what they feel, and how much they feel, for each other. And if it’s half of what we felt — that’s everything.” – Spencer Tracy in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”
WHAT IS LOVE?
- Some say love is a chemical reaction
- Some say it’s a joining of two people with common interests
- Some say it’s a meeting of two souls
- I like the last one best
We can see love
- The way two people look at each other
- Couples having a picnic at the park
- The way couples hold hands
- The way they laugh when they’re together
We don’t know what love is…
- We can’t really define love
- But we know it when we see it
- And we see it in this couple
This Day
- Is a celebration of their love
- We thank them for inviting us to share in this celebration
- Mixed in with this celebration is a marriage ceremony
Marriage is Serious Business
- It’s not a promise to love each other forever
- It’s a statement of hope
- Hope that your love will last forever
Saying “Forever” is a mistake
- I know a little bit about love, and love is not forever
- Love is a gift given for a second and a minute and an hour and a day
- Love is not forever. Love may last forever, but it has to compete with life’s distractions, and love may not last unless Love comes first in your lives
It’s easy to lose your way
- Careers and work pressures
- Money pressures
- Acquiring stuff—the things you’re told to want
- Family pressures
What’s the Key to Success?
- Say out loud that love is your priority
- Assume that every day is the last day of your love
- Make that last day a day to remember
- It doesn’t have to be spectacular, just special
What Is A Special Day?
- It’s nothing special
- Look into your lover’s eyes and look into your lover’s soul
- Tell your lover that you love him or her—go slow—respect the moment
- Touch your lover’s hand—human contact is everything
- Enjoy those moments and know that those moments are special. They can happen when you’re:
- Making dinner together
- Taking a walk together
- Watching TV together
- The key is “together”
The End of Every Day
- Take a moment to recognize that you just spent a day in love—that is a spectacular earth moving event
- Take a moment to think about the day in terms of love
- If there is baggage, get it out and get it over with
- Tell your lover that you love him or her
- Forgive each other for missing moments
Challenges
- Realize that winning or losing or failing or succeeding—they are a part of the ride
- Remember that when you lose or fail, love makes it more bearable
- When you win or succeed, love adds to the joy—you get to share it with someone who loves you
- Sharing life in love is as good as it gets
It All Adds Up
- I’ve said before that life happens in the moments between all those so called important events in life—new jobs, raises, your first house, births, deaths.
- Those little moments between the big ones make up the days that matter
- If you are in love every day, soon you will find that you’ve been in love for years and then a lifetime
- And as long as you don’t take love for granted and you keep love first, you will have a beautiful life together—and the ups and downs of the ride won’t matter
Let’s get you married
(respond with “I promise”)
- Vivian
- Do you promise to keep love as the priority in your life?
- Do you promise to gaze into John’s eyes at least once a day, and at that moment tell him you love him?
- Do you promise to touch his hand every day, and at that moment tell him you love him?
- When you are feeling the greatest strains of life’s other pressures, do you promise to share those pressures with John so he can help you see that love is more important and more powerful than any of life’s other pressures?
- When you are feeling the exhilaration of success, do you promise to share that joy with John so the joy is magnified by the power and pleasure of your love?
- John
- Do you promise to keep love as the priority in your life?
- Do you promise to gaze into Vivian’s eyes at least once a day, and at that moment tell her you love her?
- Do you promise to touch her hand every day, and at that moment tell her you love her?
- When you are feeling the greatest strains of life’s other pressures, do you promise to share those pressures with Vivian so she can help you see that love is more important and more powerful than any of life’s other pressures?
- When you are feeling the exhilaration of success, do you promise to share that joy with Vivian so the joy is magnified by the power and pleasure of your love?
The Rings
- They are a symbol of this celebration
- When you look at them you should be reminded of this day and of your promises
- John, place the ring on Vivian’s finger and say, “with this ring, I thee wed.”
- Vivian, place the ring on John’s finger and say, “with this ring, I thee wed.”
The Final Statement
- By the power vested in me by the State of California, I pronounce you
- HAPPILY MARRIED!
- Please feel free to kiss!
By Jack Sheridan (aka “Dad”)
*following four quotes borrowed from www.offbeatbride.com