|
The
Marriage Celebration Uniting |
|
Brenda
Grace Hathaway Walker and Brian
Geoffrey Thomas |
|
May
25, 2008 North
End Shipyard Rockland,
Maine |
|
The
Marriage Celebration Uniting |
|
Brenda
Grace Hathaway Walker and Brian
Geoffrey Thomas |
|
May
25, 2008 North
End Shipyard Rockland,
Maine |
The
Marriage Celebration
Uniting
Brenda
Grace Hathaway Walker
and
Brian
Geoffrey Thomas
May
25, 2008
North
End Shipyard
Rockland,
Maine
“We Find Magic Everywhere…”
The
Wedding Party
Captain
Linda J. Lee Handfasting
Officiant
Barry
and Barbara Hathaway Brenda’s
Parents
Bill
and Gisela Fry
Brian’s Parents
Maid
of Honor
Tracy
Barley
Brenda’s Friend
Best
Man
Christopher
Thomas
Brian’s Brother
Flower
Girl
Reily
New
Brenda’s “Niece”
Ribbon
Girl
Madeline
New
Brenda’s “Niece”
Ceremony
Prelude
Old Grey Goose
Seating
of Brian’s mother
by
Trevor Thomas
Seating
of Brenda’s mother
by Barry Hathaway, Jr.
Procession
Maid of Honor
Flower Girl
Ribbon Girl
Brenda
arrives
Escorted by her father
Welcome
Captain
Doug Lee
Personal Blessing Wendy
Ford
Opening Remarks
Captain Doug Lee
Handfasting/Couple’s
Pledge
Captains Doug
& Linda Lee
What a Wonderful World
Heather
Ford
Special Blessing
Wendy Ford
First Kiss - prompted by
friends and family
“Arrrrrrr you gonna kiss her…”
Breaking
of the Glass
To
Our Parents
You
have been so patient and understanding and have given us so much love,
guidance, encouragement, and support through the years. On this special
day we want you to know how much we love and appreciate you. You have
always been there when we needed you and we are so grateful to have
been blessed with parents like you.
Love,
Brenda
and Brian
To
our Family and Friends
We
would like to take a moment to thank you all for being here with us
today. You have traveled short and long distances to be here and for
this we are deeply grateful. All of you are the most important people
in our lives. You have shared in our best and our worst days, and you
are an irreplaceable part of our yesterdays, our today, and all of our
tomorrows. Although many of you don’t live right around the corner, you
are never far from our hearts.
Love,
Brenda
and Brian
Those
who could not travel to be with us today
Bill
Fry
Iva
Hathaway
Elizabeth
Martens
We
Remember… In Loving Memory
Thronald
Hathaway
Gerhard
Martens
Hilary
and Agnes Schanck
Harris
and Mary Thomas
Please
feel free to share any photos you’ve captured today.
We
look forward to seeing your individual
views of our special day.
Captain
Brenda and Brian Thomas
PO
Box 791
Rockland,
Maine 04841
207-594-7956
207-701-1928
evans@midcoast.com
bthomas@midcoast.com
Brian and
Brenda would like to take a moment to
thank you all for being here with them today. They know that making the
journey
took considerable effort for a good many of you and for this they are
deeply
grateful. All of you are the most important people in their lives. All
of the
time and conversations that you have had with Brian and Brenda before
they even
met helped to make them who they needed to be to find first themselves
and then
each other. You have shared in their best and their worst days, and you
are an
irreplaceable part of their yesterdays, their today and all of their
tomorrows.
So, as you can see, although many of you don’t live right around the
corner you
are never far from their hearts.
Their
marriage will be the intertwining of
two life stories. As individuals, they have each had a unique and
life-shaping
past, and now they willingly choose to set aside the solitary
exploration of
their individual lives to discover who they are in the presence of one
another.
We
celebrate with them, their arrival at this
point in their lives. We are incredibly happy for them that the story
of their
lives now includes each other. And that their love has brought them and
us to
the joyous occasion of their marriage ceremony.
Personal Blessing - Wendy Ford
Come
that you may witness to the blessings of God
That
you may see the way open before you
And
know the loving hand of God
Rests
upon your shoulders.
Rejoice
in the day of your joining together!
Come
before your family and friends
with
open and loving hearts
That
they shall witness and share your joy.
For
you shall face days and nights of sun and shadow
You
shall face the challenges of every day life
You
shall face the storms which threaten from every side
And
your love and trust shall prevail.
You
shall learn gentleness and kindness
You
shall learn forbearance and forgiveness
You
shall learn tenderness and caring
You
shall learn deep love in the stillness of your hearts.
Joy
shall fill you
Music
shall surround you
You
shall dance and sing
For
the hand of God
Rests
tenderly upon your shoulders.
In
a sense, the person you marry is a
stranger about whom you have a magnificent hunch. This person is
someone you
love, but her depths, his intimate intricacies, you will come to know
only in
the long unraveling of time. To get married is to embark on the journey
of
getting to know each other, of coming to see each other as you really
are. This
companionship on life's journey is the hallmark of marriage, its
natural
province, and its sweetest and most fundamental gift.
The
contract of marriage is most solemn and
is not to be entered into lightly, but thoughtfully and seriously with
a deep
realization of its obligations and responsibilities. No other human
ties are
more tender and no other vows more important than those you are about
to
pledge.
Happiness in marriage is
not something that
just happens. A good marriage must be created. The little things are
the big
things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to
say 'I
love you' at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is
at no
time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with
the
honeymoon, it should continue through all the years. It is having a
mutual
sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing
the
world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is
doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in
the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and
demonstrating
gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not looking for perfection in each
other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of
humor. It
is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other
an
atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of
the
spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is
establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal,
dependence is
mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the
right
partner, it is being the right partner.
When you
love someone, you do no love them all the time, in exactly the same
way, from
moment to moment. That is impossible. It is even a disservice to
pretend it is
possible. Yet that is what most of us demand. We have such little faith
in the
ebb and flow of life and of love and of relationships. We leap forward
at the
flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb, for we are afraid that
it will
never return. We insist on permanence, on duration, on continuity. But
the only
continuity possible in life, as in love, is in growth, in fluidity and
in
freedom.
Relationships
are not without problems. But Brenda and Brian are entering into
a
commitment to face those problems together, and to rise above
them. In so
doing, their relationship will weather any storm, and become stronger
as time
passes.
We, who have
gathered here, are now privileged to witness and to participate in a
ceremony
celebrating the public
acknowledgement of love which Brenda and Brian have for each other, knowing that
by our presence here with them, we
are saying that they, together, are loved by many others.
I speak now to Brenda and
Brian of love, in
which trust and freedom of the other person becomes as significant as
the trust
and freedom of one’s self. I speak to them of generosity, which gathers
the
beauty of the earth and the kindness that turns away anger. I speak of all our hopes for
their
continued growth through patience, one for the other. May Brenda and Brian keep the vows made on this day, in freedom, teaching each
other who
they are, what they yet shall be, enabling them to know that, in the
fullness
of being, they are more than themselves and more than each other, that
they are
all of us and together we share joyously the fruits of life on the
Earth.
In
presenting yourselves here today to be joined in
marriage, you perform an act of faith. This faith
can grow and
develop and last, but only if you both decide to make it so. A lasting
and
growing love is not guaranteed by any ritual.
If you would
have the foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for one
another,
not just at this moment, but for all the days to come, then treasure
the hopes
and dreams that you bring here today. Establish that your love will
never be
blotted out by the common nor obscured by the ordinary in life. Faults
will
surface where now you find comfort, and admiration can be shattered by
the
routine of daily life.
Dedication,
love, and joy can grow only when you nourish them together. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, having
faith in your
shared destiny just as strongly as you have faith in yourselves and in
one
another today. Only with this spirit can you forge a union that will
strengthen
and endure all the days of your lives.
Bob
Thiele & George David Weiss
I
see trees of green........ red roses too
I see them bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands...saying.. how do you do
They’re really saying......I love you.
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more.....than I’ll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....saying.. how do you do
They’re really saying...I ..love...you.
I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than I’ll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself .......what a wonderful world!
Brenda,
As I
give my life and love to you
forever, I give this ring for you to wear always.
It is a symbol of my love and
commitment to you.
May you feel that love and devotion
always, whether we are together or apart.
May it bring a smile to your face
and your heart each time you see it.
We had your ring made specifically to your desires so that it may be
perfect
for you.
I am fortunate and blessed that you
are so perfect for me.
If necessary, please use this ring
to protect your finger from aggressive crescent wrenches.
And I promise to stand ready with
vise grips for emergency ring repair.
Brian,
As I give my life and love to you
forever, I give this ring for you to wear always.
It is a symbol of my love and
commitment to you.
May you feel that love and devotion
always, whether we are together or apart.
May it bring a smile to your face
and your heart each time you see it.
I am fortunate and blessed that you are so perfect for me.
We all know that a
ring is a
symbol of eternal love as it has no beginning and no end.
I give you this
ring
as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I
honor you.
My Sweet Brenda Grace,
I promise to be your
faithful husband for all of our days
I give myself to you
completely, holding back nothing
I give you my heart, my
soul, my mind, and my body
I belong to you today and
forever
I joyfully choose to join
my life with yours
My love, respect, and
appreciation for you have no limit
I stand before you with
absolute devotion and commitment to you
I offer my love to you,
unconditionally and eternally
I promise that every day
you will be secure in my love for you, and my commitment to you; you
will know this by my actions, my words, my touch…
I promise you my undying
love and respect, my faithfulness and loyalty, my support and
encouragement, throughout our lives
Whatever life brings to
us, times of joy and laughter, times of sadness and mourning, and all
the moments between; through all of this I will lovingly stand beside
you, faithfully walk with you, and joyously sail with you, as your
husband, your lover, and your best friend.
I will be there for
anything you need, even an acetone shampoo for your hair.
Brian Geoffrey,
I have wanted to
be lots
of different things in my life. When I was younger I went through the
typical
little girl phases of wanting to be a teacher and a veterinarian.
Later, I
wanted to be an astronaut and by my early twenties I learned about
sailing and
then I wanted to live a life connected to the sea. For a long time I’ve
been
looking for someone to share this life with; someone with whom to share
the
joys and someone with whom to shoulder the burdens. And just one day
before
talking to you for the first time, I told my parents that I was going
to give
up the search and just do it all on my own.
You are not perfect and I
am not
perfect, but I believe that we are perfect for each other. From “Bad
Movie” to
“Gooood Movie” and “That’s not funny” and “That will suff-iss”, we just
“get”
each other. You are a
wonderful man; smart, funny, thoughtful, sweet, giving, gentle, kind, and wildly
passionate. I
still can’t believe that we found each other and that you love me. I
feel as
though I’ve won the lottery.
I choose you, Brian, to be my husband, knowing
in my heart that you will be a
faithful friend and loving companion.
On this special day, in
the presence of
our family and friends, I give you my sacred vow that, as your wife, I will share hours of
playing
Frisbee, tossing the baseball, hiking, and ice skating. I promise to be
the
navigator on long road trips (when I am awake) and indulge you when we
pass
under Capt. Thomas Road or pass the Chick-go-pee exit 5 on the Mass
pike. And I
promise I will get better at listening to you, and giving you the time
you need
even when all I want is a moment to myself.
Even if Matthew
McConaughey were to
suddenly decide he were in love with me, I will forsake all others! All
that I am
belongs to you, completely.
If we are blessed with
children, I
promise to raise them with you in a house full of love, laughter, and
respect;
a place where they will learn how to be a loving partner in preparation
for
their days as an adult.
I vow to support you in
the fulfillment
of all your dreams and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
One day I
wrote an email
to you in New York when you had a moment of insecurity. It said “Loving
this
much is a matter of trust. I trust you. I trust our love. I trust that
it will
last forever.” I still believe that today and I promise that I will
walk by
your side and do everything in my power to make it be true because we find magic everywhere.
May
the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
May
God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May
the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
Now
you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth for the other.
Now there is no more loneliness, for each of you will be companion for
the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place to begin the days of your life together.
May your days together be good and long upon the earth.
May
these two find happiness in their union. May they live faithfully
together,
executing the vows they have made between them; and may they ever
remain
compassionate and encouraging, that their years may be rich with the
joys of
life, and their days be long upon the Earth.
With
these statements made of love and trust, which we have just heard, I
now wish
you to greet Brian
and Brenda as husband and wife.
Wedding
Traditions
Handfasting
We
have chosen to incorporate the ancient Celtic ritual of Handfasting
into our wedding ceremony today. One of the things we like about
handfasting is that it is a declaration of intent, where we clearly
state that we are marrying of our own free will. With these promises,
we will bind our lives together in a literal “tying of the knot”. Each
ribbon is symbolic of wishes for our lives:
· White - spiritual purity, truth, peace,
serenity and devotion
· Light Blue -safe journey, longevity
& strength
· Green - fertility, luck, prosperity,
nurturing, beauty, health, love
· Yellow - attraction, charm, confidence,
balance, harmony
· Dark Blue - tranquility, understanding,
patience, health
· Red - love, strength,
fertility, courage, health, vigor, passion
“Arrrrrr
You Gonna Kiss Her…”
We
met for the first time right at the very dock where our wedding
ceremony is taking place! Brenda had just returned from a trip and when
all the schooner’s lines were secure and
she made her final thank-yous, everyone chimed in with their best
pirate voices, as rehearsed, "Arrrrr you Brian?" and Brenda stepped to
the dock for our first hug. For
our first kiss as husband and wife, we’d like all of you to join
together with your
best pirate voices…”Arrrrr you gonna kiss her?”
Breaking
of the Glass
Marriage
is a transforming experience. As a broken glass is forever changed,
likewise, the couple take on a new form within the union. We
consider these marriage vows an irrevocable act, permanent and final as
the breaking of this glass is unchangeable.
Please
join us in a hearty “Mazel Tov!” after Brian breaks the glass. This
signals the end of the ceremony…let the party begin!