by Scott Johnson
Favorite Wedding Vows Part 2 of 5:
Welcome back to part 2 of our Favorite Wedding Vows series! Throughout the week, we are spotlighting some of our favorite wedding vows from 2017 as a way to close out the year! If you missed the article yesterday, you can find it here. We hope you’ve been anticipating the next post, so let’s jump back into it.
________________
Balsoma Wedding, 04/29/17, Great Hall at Green Lake
Right off the bat it’s clear that Brooke is crazy for Dominick: she knows they’ll be together for at least fifty years (and even fifty years after that). As she reads a message from the future, she talks about the life they’re going to build, the people they’ll still be in touch with, the challenges they’ll face. It’s creative and different from most other vows that only reflect on things that have happened, and that’s why we love it so much. Then it turns meta as she references the wedding itself and the vows she’s currently saying. She should be a writer.
Dominick responds with some suave vows as he starts with, “Brooke, I knew you were special the day we met. When you first smiled at me, your eyes sparkled like emeralds and I felt like we were the only two people in the room.” He later shares how much of a “counterbalance” she is, as she is always there when he is upset and helps keep him level. It’s been said that Dominick rewrote his vows 3 times on the advice of their officiant Huey. Both Dominick and Brooke had handed over their vows for Huey to read before the wedding and after seeing how good Brooke’s were, Huey told Dominick that he better “step his game up.” I think he did!
Robak Wedding, 05/12/17, The Canal
A shaking groom is almost always simply suffering from stage fright--it really isn’t an “easy” thing to do to open your heart up in front of an audience, after all. But Brett works his way through some heartfelt words to his bride Katie with lines like “you are the most loving, caring, kind person. You have showed me how to love unconditionally.” The emotions soon overtake him, but he still threatens to kill spiders for her--which to some is the sexiest line you could ever say.
Katie responds with a little more containment, “you are my hero,” she says, “you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I ever could have imagined.” Break out the tissues, audible sobs can be heard as just about everyone gets swept up with the love of these two. They’ve got some potent verbiage.
Klehr Wedding, 06/17/17, Wenatchee, Wa
You may remember this as the wedding with the bouncy castles. Yes, you read that right: bouncy castles.
Yet aside from the childhood fun for the reception, the vows spoken between bride and groom Jason and Cristina are seriously touching. As the bride begins, she calls for tissues. Full of sass, humor and love, Cristina begins with, “I always thought it would take a special someone to handle this ball of craziness,” which, in other words, means we’re all in for a wild ride with her vows. “You have shown me how to look at the world through a new set of eyes,” she concludes, “But most importantly, I promise to fall in love with you, more and more as each day continues, no matter what our journey has in store for us.” She was right about the tissues. Jason responded with something a little less epic in length--as Cristina teases him about before starting her own--but it is nonetheless personal and exemplary of his feelings towards his bride.
Takisaki Wedding, 07/01/17, Maroni Meadows
There are wedding vows that go off without a hitch and those that are a sobbing mess the entire time. Bride Julie’s vows for Kevin are the kind that start off strong as can be, but due to the weight of the words they crescendo into a flood of emotions. Beginning with, “I never believed in love at first sight or finding the one, until I met you,” she peaks and triggers the tearfall with “We talked every single day for four months over Skype, and that’s when I fell for you.” Most importantly, he’s the “best decision” of her life.
Kevin, however, fights the emotion with a determination we rarely see from grooms. Starting by declaring her as his favorite person, and one of the most genuinely caring people he knows. He tells her life has never been better since they met, and even when all is wrong just having her makes everything fine. The recounts of their relationship is something of beauty as he lists a multitude of his favorite activities he’s done with her. After all, it is about the little moments--and there are a lot of them.
Pearman Wedding, 04/22/17, The Landing at Tyee
Rachel and Jon’s spiritually-infused vows combine their love of each other with their love of god. Jon begins by vowing to take her as she is now, and who she will become. With promises of support, courage, comfort, and to fix, “Everything, or to recognize when not to,” Jon gives himself up to his bride for life. He not only gives himself up to her, but to god as well. Best of all, he promises to laugh at all of her jokes, “even when no one else thinks you’re funny,” that right there is something we all need.
Rachel’s vows are a mixture of laughs and sentimentality. Recalling memories, inside jokes, and promises of devotion, companionship, and loyalty to the man of her dreams. Beginning with “I love you, I choose you, and I promise to make that choice day after day. You are my best friend, and I promise to make you a priority above all else.” Then she switches to jokes, as Jon is a total Spurs fan, promising to be by his side when they lose, or drink beer when they win (especially when they lose.) Anybody who promises to drink beer with you is someone you want to keep around.
________________
And there you have it for the second round of our favorite wedding vows! Check back in tomorrow for more. Hopefully that’ll give you enough time to get some more tissues; you’re gonna need them.