The Ceremony

The Ceremony took place at 4:oo pm in the garden at Castle Green in Pasadena, CA.

With about 140 family and friends in attendance we took our vows as officiant, Lora Anderson, performed our ceremony.

You can read our ceremony and vows below...

Welcome, family, friends and loved ones. We gather here today to celebrate the wedding of Leanne and Brian.
True marriage is more than joining the bonds of marriage between two persons. In its right relation, it's the uniting of two souls already attuned to each other. When such a true bond already exists between man and woman, it is fitting that an outer acknowledgment be made. This acknowledgment is the prime object of this gathering and this ceremony. We are here to bear witness to the entry into a closer relationship, that of husband and wife, between these beloved friends who are already one in spirit, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Leanne and Brian to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important in their lives.

Leanne and Brian thank you for your presence here today and now ask for your blessing, encouragement, and lifelong support, for their decision to be married.

Marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging adventure of all human relationships. No ceremony can create your marriage; only you can do that – through love and patience; through dedication and perseverance; through talking and listening, helping and supporting and believing in each other; through tenderness and laughter; through learning to forgive, learning to appreciate your differences, and by learning to make the important things matter, and to let go of the rest. What this ceremony can do is to witness and affirm the choice you make, today, to stand together as life long partners.

You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in the entire world whom you love best. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities, and to share love.

In the spirit of the importance of a strong friendship to a marriage, Brian and Leanne have asked his cousin Ceslie to read a selection about love.

i carry your heart with me; i carry it in my heart.
i am never without it; anywhere i go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling
i fear no fate; for you are my fate, my sweet
i want no world; for beautiful you are my world, my true,
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you.
here is the deepest secret nobody knows,
here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than a soul can hope or mind can hide
and this is the wonder that is keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart; i carry it in my heart.
by EE Cummings

Brian, if it is your will to take this woman to be your wedded wife please respond I will.
Groom: I will

And Leanne, if it your will to take this man to be your wedded husband please respond I will.
Bride: I will

Two people in love do not live in isolation. Their love is a source of strength with which they may nourish not only each other but also the world around them. And in turn, we, their community of friends and family, have a responsibility to this couple. By our steadfast care, respect, and love, we can support their marriage and the new family they are creating today. Will everyone please rise.

Officiant: Will all of you who are present here today, surround Brian and Leanne in love, offering them the joys of your friendship, and supporting them in their marriage? If you so do please reply, we will.
All: We will
Officiant: Thank you, you may be seated.

We've come to the point of your ceremony where you're going to exchange your vows with one another. But before you do that, I ask you to remember that love – which is rooted in faith, trust, and acceptance - will be the foundation of an abiding and deepening relationship. No other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred than those you now assume. If you are able to keep the vows you take here today, not because of any religious or civic law, but out of a desire to love and be loved by another person fully, without limitation, then your life will have joy and the home you establish will be a place in which you both will find your sanctuary.

Please join hands, Brian repeat after me.

I, Brian, take you, Leanne
to be my wedded wife.
With deepest joy I receive you into my life
that together we may be one.
I promise you my love and devotion,
and my tenderest care.
I pledge to you my life
as a loving and faithful husband.

Now Leanne repeat after me.

I, Leanne, take you, Brian
to be my wedded husband.
I promise to be there when you need me,
to comfort you and encourage you,
to help you reach your goals,
to be your best friend ever,
and to love you all my life, with all my heart.

May I have the rings, please? (this is where Mike faked having lost them)

The ring by its shape is a symbol of the undying love that exists between you. The substance of which it is composed is a symbol of purity, which shall ever characterize your mind and hearts in all your actions together. Its shape, the circle, represents eternity, and that love is everlasting.
I ask for the blessings of the wind upon these rings, that you share communication and creativity. The blessings of fire upon these rings, that you share passion and spirit. The blessings of water upon these rings, that you share love and compassion. The blessings of the earth upon these rings, that you share health and vitality.

The constant circle of love you share is symbolized in these rings. Let them be a sign of your friendship and the partnership you have come to celebrate on this day. When the waters are rough, let these rings remind you of the ebb and flow of life. Let these rings remind you of the happiness you feel at this moment, and let your memory soothe your spirit.

Brian as you place this ring on Leanne’s finger, please repeat after me: I give you this ring, as a token of faith, a promise of loyalty and as a gift of my love for you.

Now Leanne as you place this ring on Brian’s finger, please repeat after me: I give you this ring, as a token of faith, a promise of loyalty and as a gift of my love for you.

Today, Leanne and Brian have chosen to commemorate their marriage through the celebration of the Sand Ceremony. This ceremony symbolizes the inseparable union of bride and groom into a new and eternal marital relationship. Leanne and Brian will simultaneously pour separate containers of sand into one common vessel. Each grain of sand in their separate containers represents a unique and singular moment, decision, feeling or event that helped to shape them into separate and unique individuals that they are today. As they pour their sand from their individual containers into one common vessel, those separate independent individuals will cease to exist alone. Instead they will merge into a loving and supportive marital partnering. Leanne and Brian, just as the grains of sand can never be separated into their individual containers again, so will your marriage be.

Now please take your separate glasses of sand and alternate the pouring of sand into this joining vessel. United please repeat after me:
I blend with you my heart, like these grains of sand, merging with yours. I am yours. You are mine. We are together forever, like the sand, we are one.

May you always need one another, not so much to fill the emptiness as to help each other know your fullness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with each other, and not fail in the little graces. Look for things to praise, often say 'I love you' and take no notice of small faults. May you have happiness, and may you find it in making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it in loving one another.

And now by the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife!
You may seal this union with a kiss!

Ladies and gentlemen, Please get your bubble kisses ready as it is with great honor for me to introduce to you, for the very first time, Mr. & Mrs. Brian Fagan!

Here are some of the details from the ceremony.
Our theme was red roses and damask.

Making it "official"!