May Day!: Kiss the Bride

Our ceremony was drawing to a close, and Mr. Goodlaff and I were so close to being declared man and wife.  Houdini had stuck to the script that we gave him, but we also wanted him to put a little bit of his own spin on things, so Mr. Goodlaff and I told him he could add (almost) anything he wanted to our ceremony.  And he did.

Houdini: Our time together thus far has been a ceremony created by and written by our Bride and Groom.

First, they began by acknowledging the importance each of you have played in their lives, the love each of you have given them.Then they defined marriage as a commitment, an inseparable bond between each other, that from this day forth they join together as one - one mind, one body, one entity.

In their Rose Ceremony, they expressed the desire to never go to bed angry at each other.  They know that there will be hurtful times they face, when they may not feel towards each other as they do at this moment.

Your love for them, and their love for each other, are not exclusive from one another.  It will be easy to join with them in times of Joy. But, when they have hurtful moments towards one another, each of them may reach out to any one of you for support.  But your witness of their vows, and this ceremony today, require you to treat them as one entity.  I encourage, even admonish, each of us to never take sides with one or the other, but rather we should strive to help heal them together, as one person - a married couple.
Their self-written ceremony declares this.

Every person in this room knows either Miss Goodlaff, or Mr. Goodlaff, or both, to varying degrees. To observe them together, or to listen to them speak of the other, each of us have developed our own opinion of the relationship of this young couple. 

Some have said: "She's perfect for him."
Or: "He loves her so much!"
"They are a perfect couple." 
Some of us older folks recall the phrase "They are a match made in heaven."

A master violin craftsman must choose the wood carefully for both the violin, and the bow.  He carves the scroll perfectly to maximize the sound of the instrument.  He selects the finest hair to stretch on to the bow.  But no matter how beautiful and perfect each part of the instrument becomes, the master craftsman's most important task is left for last.  He must match the violin with a bow - forming a perfectly paired instrument.

So, you two...like the violin craftsman who takes care in the individual creation of the both the violin and the bow, only to join the two together as a perfect match...

You two have been matched to form a perfect union.  We witnesses in this room look forward to watching your two lives grow together as one inseparable life - with all the blessings that follow.  The blessings of new adventures together, the blessings of discovering new levels of love together, the blessings of reaching out to others together, and even the blessing of creating new little lives together.
In short, we all look forward to you creating beautiful music together.
Miss Goodlaff...Mr. Goodlaff, I know you are ready to start your new life with each other.
Please turn and face each other.

By virtue of the authority vested in me as deputy commissioner of marriages, I now pronounce you married under the laws of the state of California.

You may now kiss the bride.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Goodlaff...

Mr. Goodlaff and I turned around, smiled at the crowd for a few seconds, and got ready to head back down the aisle.  I grabbed my bouquet from Sister Goodlaff,

Mr. Goodlaff took a deep breath,

And off we went!



One of my pre-wedding projects was kabuki streamers for our guests to wave as we exited the Stone Hall, and I'm sad to say, because Mr. Goodlaff and I practically charged back down the aisle, there weren't many streamers that made an appearance right then.  Don't worry, they were used later.  How?  You'll just have to wait and see!

A few of our guests did get their streamers working, and others just tossed the streamers at us, which is why Mr. Goodlaff is making a face in the recessional pictures...

I love how our ceremony turned out, and I loved Houdini's addition to our ceremony.  It was beautifully written and said, and ultimately there was no one else who could have performed our ceremony any better than he did.  I can't stress enough how important it is to have someone you have a real connection with perform your ceremony.  Our ceremony was so intimate and personal and perfectly suited to us, all because we chose the right person to perform it.  

One last bit of advice for brides planning on having confetti, streamers, ribbons, banners, etc., flying as you leave the ceremony: give your guests time to prepare.  My minions and I spent HOURS working on those things, and you can hardly see them because we exited so quickly.  Oh well. 

Miss something? Catch up here:

Rings and Roses
We Vow
Getting Hitched
Here Comes the Bride
First, We Walk
An Interlude
The First Look that Almost Wasn't
It's All About Me
Sharp Dressed Men
Girls, Girls, Girls
My Chariot Awaits
Dress Success
Beginning the Bridal Transformation
Painting Faces
Perfectly Coiffed
Calm Before the Storm


All photos by Niki Ross Photography