"you may kiss the bride..." (details)

Some of my readers have been asking for details on the wedding ceremony, etc. I didn't really offer any because it really wasn't an intriguing process.

I went online and searched for what looked like the best non-denominational, online church that would make me a legal officiator for free, and I filled out the info, got a confirmation, and BAM! I'm a reverend. (Universal Life Church)

You, too, could become a Reverend...for FREE! (the certificate is about $6, but thankfully Kansas is so lenient, I didn't need it.)

I wrote out the whole sermon a month ahead of time. I quoted from the Old Testament, the Bagvad Gita, and the Yoga Sutras of Petangeli...it was a brilliant little sermon. Then I actually met my friend's fiance for the first time. I listened to their story, and watched them interact, and I knew I would have to write the whole thing over again.

The Muses are very picky with me; they insist that my words remain fresh and vital...therefore most of my best stuff comes to me just before I need it, and not a moment sooner. I wrote the final sermon at 9am the morning of the wedding. It came to me in verse, which turned very well when read aloud. This poem conveyed the feelings the couple had expressed when they were talking about finding each other. I have always been fascinated with love and how two people find each other in a wide world of possibilities. I considered the both of them so blessed to have found each other--I wanted to capture that in words. Everyone seemed to enjoy the poem, so I guess I did okay.

The couple exchanged their own vows and rings, and then I pronounced them husband and wife. My favorite part was "You may kiss the bride." Seeing that in movies for so many years, it was fun to be the one to say that in real life. It was a sort of fairy tale for me, too. I felt like I was bequeathing my best friend out of my life and into the life of a better best friend, and well, I was.