The alarm clock goes off Friday morning at 7:00. After taking a shower and getting dressed, I straighten up the apartment while Vin goes to the bakery and gets some croissants for breakfast. Jennifer and Matt arrive around 8:30, and they follow us to the hotel, where we pick up Mike and Karen. Arriving at the hangar, everyone boards the plane and we take off for Cozumel.
Landing a couple of hours later, we head to the hotel and get checked in. The others go on to the cottages while Vin and I stay and talk to the manager, going over the list of things that Vin has requested, then meet with the Judge that will be performing the ceremony. Once we're certain everything is on schedule, we head to our cottage to drop off our bags, then meet everyone at the hut to eat lunch. Before we realize it, it's time for the hotel staff to arrive and start setting things up at our cottage.
Staying out of the way, I park myself in the swing on the porch, watching the activities. Vin is inside, making sure that everything is set up the way he wanted it. When everyone left, I walked into the bathroom and started filling the tub. Vin came in and took a shower, then put on a pair of shorts. I finish my bath and sit at the dressing table to start getting ready. Vin comes into the bathroom and hands me a long velvet box.
"What's this?" Opening the box, I find a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet. Vin takes it out and wraps it around my wrist.
"It's gorgeous. Thank you," I say, standing up to kiss him. "But I don't have anything to give you."
"You've given me more than you know. You love me for me, and that is the best gift you could ever give me," he says, kissing me again. "I’m going to Mike's to dress, so I'll see you outside in a little while."
Jennifer and Karen came over and stayed with me while I got ready. And then it was time. Vin waited on the steps for me while everyone went out onto the beach. He’s wearing a navy Armani suit with a white button-up shirt. When he saw me walk onto the porch, he didn't move. Taking my hand in his, he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss to it.
"You're beautiful," he says.
"Thank you. You'd be amazed at what a little war paint can do for a person."
"Gwen, be serious."
"I can't. If I do, I'll cry."
We walk down to where everyone has gathered and the Judge begins the ceremony.
"Marriage is a supreme sharing of experience, and an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. It is the joyous union of two people whose comradeship and mutual understanding have flowered in romance. Today, Mark and Gwen proclaim their love and commitment to the world, and we gather here to rejoice, with and for them, in the new life they now undertake together.
The joy we feel now is a solemn joy, because the act of marriage has many consequences, both social and personal. Marriage requires "love," a word we often use with vagueness and sentimentality. We may assume that love is some rare and mystical event, when in fact it is our natural state of being.
So what do we mean by love? When we love, we see things other people do not see. We see beneath the surface, to the qualities that make our beloved special and unique. To see with loving eyes, is to know inner beauty. And to be loved is to be seen, and known, as we are known to no other. One who loves us, gives us a unique gift: a piece of ourselves, but a piece that only they could give us.
To make this relationship work, therefore, takes more than love. It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both. While love is our natural state of being, these other qualities are not as easy to come by. They are not a destination, but a journey.
Before you are joined in matrimony I have to remind you of the solemn and binding character of the vows you are about to make. Marriage is the union of one man with one woman, voluntarily entered into for life, to the exclusion of all others and should not be entered into lightly nor lightly to be put on one side. But further, it is also a solemn union to provide the love, friendship, help and comfort that each should have for the other, both in times of joy and in times of difficulty.
You may now state your vows."
Turning to each other and holding hands, Vin says, "With all of my heart, I take you, Gwen, to be my wife. I will love you through the good and the bad, through the joy and the sorrow. I will try to be understanding, and to trust in you completely. I will make you a part of me and in turn, become a part of you. Together we will face all of life's experiences and share one another’s dreams and goals. It is my intention to be your best friend, to respect and support you, to be patient with you, to work together with you to achieve those things that are important to us, to accept you unconditionally, and to share life with you throughout the years."
Wiping a tear away, I take a deep breath. "With all of my heart, I take you, Mark, to be my husband, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. On this special day, I give to you in the presence of God and these witnesses my sacred promise to stay by your side as your loving wife in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad. I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live."
"Will you be exchanging rings?" the Judge asks.
As we exchange our rings, he continues, "The ring is an ancient symbol, so perfect and simple. It has no beginning and has no end. It is round like the sun, like the moon, like the eye, like arms that embrace. It is a circle; for love that is given comes back round again. Your rings are precious because you wear them with love. They symbolize your commitment in marriage. They remind you of who you are, where you've been, and where you're going. As you wear them through time, they will reflect not only who you are as individuals, but also who you are as a couple. May these rings remind you that your love, like the sun, warms all that it touches, like the moon, brightens up the night, like the eye, is a gateway to your innermost soul. And your love, like the arms that embrace you, makes everything right with the world.
Because you have both made the declarations prescribed by law and together with the long tradition of the giving and receiving of rings, you have made a solemn vow and binding contract with each other in the presence of those gathered here today. It is now my privilege to say that you are now husband and wife."
As we share our first kiss as husband and wife, the sun sinks below the horizon.
Pulling back a little, I look at Vin and take a deep breath. "We did it."
