the knot has been tied. the broom has been jumped. the thang has been did.

we did the thang.

amyru and i are now a married couple.

my family (dad, grandmother, and sister) and i arrived at the church around 1:15 PM, a little over an hour before the ceremony was to begin. since amy and i were to have some pictures taken beforehand, i naturally had to eschew the whole "don't see the bride in her dress she walks down the aisle" bit. i took a look at her and . . . blam. she was gorgeous. seriously. whatever physical attraction that had dwindled for her over the last five years all came rushing back when i saw her.

the ceremony itself . . .

as the "Theme of Love" from Final Fantasy IV played, she was walked down the aisle by her grandfather . . . her "Poppy", as she affectionately calls him. when they got to me, and he "handed her over" to me, i felt a great weight of responsibility come upon me . . . even more than i felt when zoë was born. it was like he was saying "she's been ours so far. now she's yours. take good care of her." hope i don't let them down.

after paul (our pastor) said a few introductory words, we ascended the stairs to the stage. i took her hand, and the vows began . . .

me:
I, Raenald, choose you, Amy, to be my wife.

With deepest joy, I receive you into my life that together we may be one.

As is Christ to His body, the church,
so I will be to you a loving and faithful husband.
Always will I perform my headship over you even as Christ does over me,
knowing that His Lordship is the highest desire for our lives.

I promise you my deepest love,
my fullest devotion,
my most tender care.

I promise I will live first unto God rather than others or even you.

I promise that I will lead our family into a life of faith and hope in Christ Jesus.

Ever honoring God’s guidance by His spirit thought the Word,
and so throughout life, no matter what may lie ahead of us,
I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful husband.

her:
I, Amy, choose you, Rae, to be my husband.

With deepest joy I come into my new life with you.
As you have pledged to me your life and love,
so I too happily give you my life
and in confidence submit myself to your headship as to the Lord.
As is the church in her relationship to Christ, so I will be to you.

I will live first unto our God then unto you,
loving you,
obeying you,
caring for you,
and ever seeking to please you.

I will strengthen,
help,
comfort,
and encourage you.

Therefore, throughout life, no matter what may be ahead of us,
I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful wife.

we stepped over to a small table to our right. on it were our rings, two slim candles (one lit by her mother, and one by my father at the beginning of the ceremony), one larger unlit candle betwixt them, a small loaf of bread, and a wineglass about three-quarters full of grape juice. we went through the traditional ring vows ("with this ring," etc). we each took a candle, lit the larger one, and extinguished the flames on the slim ones. after that, paul officially pronounced us husband and wife.

(that was a "whoa" moment.)

after that, paul said a few words, and opened the floor up for people in the audience to give some encouraging words, some scripture, or something of the sort. (it's a sort of tradition in our church to do so before a baptism, so we decided to try it out with a wedding.) my dad took the lead by encouraging us to pray together daily. our friend russ then stood and said something about how marriage and the family is an earthly picture of Christ's relationship to his Church. my grandmother seconded my dad's exhortation to pray daily together, and to constantly forgive one another for whatever wrong we may perceive from the other. my sister, stephanie (unsuburban), really did us in, though. she told us how obvious it was that we loved eachother, despite the troubles of the last couple of years . . . and promptly started crying . . . which then, of course, made a few tears fall from us. (damn you, stephanie!!) to lighten the mood, our friend vickie stood and said "when the spark feels like it's burning out, get a babysitter and keep the romance alive!" (essentially reminding us to keep our sex lives healthy and lively) katrina rounded it out by telling us how proud of us she was in how far we'd come.

we turned back toward the table, and paul asked everyone to stand and come toward the stage (or come up onto the stage if they wanted). after a few words about its significance, amy and i took part in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. our first meal together as husband and wife. it was beautiful.

paul then said a prayer (including a special blessing upon zoë) . . . then concluded by introducing us: "Mr. and Mrs. Rae Whitlock". another "whoa" moment. we exited. we did it. we were married.

i love my friends who came from all over to support us.
i love my family.
i love my family-in-law.
i love my daughter.

and, yes, i love my wife.