AND SO THEY WERE MARRIED

By Jo and Atonia

The carriage stopped in front of the boarding house. Toni had been hearing the music for sometime. The fluttering in her chest was getting stronger as Charlie Prince helped her and her father from the carriage. Ivy met her at the corner of the building.

"Toni, you look wonderful," she hugged her. "I’ve sent Jim and Richie around and they should be going down the aisle now."

"There’s no time to waste," said Michael, lifting his brows.

Toni took a deep breath. "Okay."  Ivy walked with them until they came to the clearing. The music changed and Ivy walked down the aisle, taking her place by the altar. Toni and her father came around the trees as the trumpet sounded the arrival of the bride.  She felt her eyes well up and blinked several times when the wedding march began. She was vaguely aware of people standing but everything became a blur when she started down the aisle and saw Richie standing by the altar. She bit her lip, determined not to let a tear fall, and took her father’s arm.

No longer fidgeting, Richie was standing still, watching his bride come toward him. He, too, saw a blurring of the people around him when he locked his eyes onto Toni’s.

Michael escorted his daughter to the altar. Patting her hand that squeezed his arm, he smiled at Richie and they all turned toward Reverend Alistair Harris.

The Ceremony:

Alistair smiled, looking each of the three people in front of him in the eye, then lifting his gaze to the people behind them, "Good day," he said, "it is my pleasure on behalf of Richie and Toni to welcome each and every one of you to this lovely place where we have come to celebrate their marriage. This is a day of new beginnings and it is fitting that we, all of whom are new to this place, most of whom are new to each other, have come together as a community to join in extending our good wishes and our support to this man and this woman who today begin a new life as husband and wife."

He paused briefly, then looked at Michael again, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" he asked.

Michael cleared his throat, "I do," he replied , then kissed his daughter’s cheek and, placing her right hand in Richie’s left, stepped back and away to the left where he sat by Gena.

"Richie and Toni, you stand here this day in the sight of God and in the presence of your family and community to join yourselves in a holy covenant, uniting two hearts and lives, blending all your interests and hopes, your dreams and your future. You bring to this relationship all that you have been before, all that you are, and all that you may be.  To everything there is a season and a time. This is your time to join your lives together, to take each other by the hand and travel forward into the future. I ask for you that you may be granted the grace whereby each of you will prefer the other’s good, and that you may always be too brave to be unkind." Alistair smiled, then continued. "May you always forget what ought to be forgotten and recall, unfailing, all that ought to be recalled. May each of you add their courage to the other and always have patient, gentle, and tender hearts for one another, not seeking so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand. May you each sow joy in the other’s sadness, light in each other’s darkness, faith in the other’s doubt. Do not defer or neglect any kindness, any good thing you can do for one another. And I ask for you the gift of finding joy everywhere and leaving it behind in the hearts of others when you go."

"Now, Richie and Toni, will you please face one another, hold both hands and look into each other’s eyes as Richie repeats after me."

Toni handed her bouquet to Ivy, smiling, and turned back to face Richie, looking up into his eyes.

Alistair began Richie’s vows, pausing after each phase so he could repeat the words. He was pleased that Richie spoke up loudly and clearly. Sometimes the groom spoke so softly he could hardly be heard, "Toni, you are my best friend…and the chosen companion of my heart,…I make you this solem vow…that I will honor you…trust you…protect and care for you…I will make your cares my cares…your sorrows my sorrows…your triumphs my triumphs…I will grow old with you…in love and joy… and in all the great things life has to offer…I make a commitment to you…to be faithful to you…to share with you my thoughts and feelings…to be by your side…through life’s joys and challenges…I will try always…to be a good husband to you…You are my home and I join my life today to your life…with gladness and unending love in my heart…Toni, I take you now…to be my lawful wedded wife.

Toni’s lip was quivering and her eyes threatened to erupt. Richie held her with his eyes and thus held her together.

Alistair turned his gaze to Toni, "Toni please repeat after me. Richie, you are my best friend…and the chosen companion of my heart…I promise you…that whatever comes…I will remain by your side…to laugh with you…weep with you…and celebrate with you…I will love you…and be faithful to you…for the rest of my days…I pledge to stop and say to you…the things I feel in my heart…I will honor you…and trust you…with all that I am…I promise to do my best…truly to see you…and to leave nothing undone…that would brighten your life or lighten your load…You bring peace and direction to my life…You are my rock…and I join my life today to your life…with joy and gladness in my heart…Richie, I take you now…to be my lawful wedded husband.

It was Richie now whose eyes were damp and they looked wet-eyed into each other's.

"For thousands of years, couples have exchanged rings as a token of their vows. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness , wonder and surprise."

"Richie, do you have Toni’s ring?"

Jim reached into his pocket and with a smile opened a small box and handed the ring to Richie. Richie nodded and took the ring.

"Richie, please repeat after me as you place the ring on Toni’s finger. I offer myself to you, Toni, as your husband…and I give you this ring as token and symbol of my eternal love…as a symbol of strength and of the trust I hold in you…This I promise for as long as we both shall live."

Richie slipped the ring easily on her finger and winked.

"Toni, do you have Richie’s ring?"

Toni turned to Ivy, who slipped the ring off her little finger and handed it to Toni. Toni looked up and saw the tears running down Ivy’s face and smiled.

"Toni, please repeat after me as you place the ring on Richie’s finger. I offer myself to you Richie, as your wife…and with this ring I pledge my love and faithfulness to you today, tomorrow, and always…Remember as this ring encircles your finger so my love encircles your heart."

Richie’s lips were parted as she slipped the ring on his finger and he squeezed her hand.

"I ask the blessing of the Lord God Almighty on this marriage and on the covenant made here today between this man and this woman. And now, Richie and Toni, inasmuch as you have made public pledge and promise each to the other, by the power invested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. Richie, you may kiss your bride!"

Richie slowly pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, pulled away and kissed her again. The guests began clapping and they parted, flushed, and turned toward the community then both smiling, walked back down the aisle holding hands.