I’ve received tons of questions about the music, our vows, who catered, etc. which I will answer here.
Here is the complete list of all the songs that were used at our wedding. I hand-picked each song. My bestie painstakingly compiled all of these songs for me, and my bridesmaid dumped them into iTunes. I used an app called WeddingDJ on my phone for the reception. It faded in and out for each song, even when skipping. It also allowed me to rearrange songs on the fly, and I was able to take requests.
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Here is the complete outline of the ceremony. I threw this together for our fantastic friend who volunteered to get ordained for us when our original minister decided to back out abruptly.
INTRODUCTION
Please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices. Please remain in your rows until the wedding party has exited.
Dear Friends: We are here to witness the beginning of a marriage, and to ask God to bless Kyle and Jordan in their wedded life together. By our presence here we all accept responsibility for helping them, and for encouraging them in their days ahead, as they grow together in love. We are called to rejoice with them in their happiness, to help them when they have trouble, and to remember them in our prayers. Let us pray:
PRAYER
Most gracious God pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this
woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Amen.
ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE
Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal. It is a physical and an emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, commitment is stronger, even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique unto themselves which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people who love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfill.
ADDRESS TO THE COUPLE
It is this potential you set about exploring in the commitment you are making today. Your marriage will foster the love you have already found; with that guide, no fences will block your way. And as you find joy together, you will bring that joy to everyone in your life.
READING
And now, a reading selected by the couple: [this is from a book called The Alchemist] “When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke — the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs here at the well. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen — the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life. The omen he had sought to find with his sheep and in his books, in the crystals and in the silence of the desert.
“It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain of it than of anything in the world. He had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall in love and really know a person before becoming committed. But maybe people who felt that way had never learned the universal language. Because, when you know that language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning.”
PRAYER FOR GRACE
O God, the Author and Giver of all good things, we bless you for the gifts of love and friendship and for the joys which gladden our lives. May your blessing rest upon and remain with Kyle and Jordan as they pledge their mutual love. Bless this day, and lead us always in your ways of love and peace. Amen.
QUESTIONS OF INTENTION
Kyle, you have come here to proclaim your love and devotion for Jordan. Do you take her to be you wedded wife? (I DO)
And do you promise to love her, respect her, and care for her during times of joy and hardship? (I DO)
Jordan, you have come here to proclaim your love and devotion for Kyle. Do you take him to be you wedded husband? (I DO)
And do you promise to love him, respect him, and care for him during times of joy and hardship? (I DO)
VOWS
Kyle and Jordan will now make the vows they have prepared for one another.
[I don’t have a copy of Kyle’s vows at this time]
My vows: I knew even before we started dating that I would marry you someday. You are a game-changer. You completely turned my world upside down, entering it with what I thought was surely the worst timing possible but ended up being the perfect time.
When I found you, I marveled at the idea that someone like you even existed. You are unfailingly compassionate and patient, unless it’s game night. You let me put my abnormally cold hands on your stomach when I sniffle that I am dying of frostbite. You pretend not to notice when I surreptitiously wipe my nose on your shoulder when you hug me. When I passed out at the optometrist because of nerves, you didn’t roll your eyes or tell me to grow up. You held my hand and reassured the receptionist that you would take care of me.
And you always have. You have helped me move from apartment to apartment, only complaining slightly when I told you that there were just a few more boxes to pack or that we just had a couple more trips to make.
You have always had an unwavering confidence in me, and you have pushed and inspired me to try harder or sometimes just try at all. I honestly believe that you make me a better person.
You are the only person who won’t let me get away with something just because I am cute or you love me. You won’t let me tell people when I think their baby is dumb or that they are too fat to wear a two-piece. You make me apologize to people on the internet for being rude, and you call me out if I say something nasty to our friends.
At the same time, you accept me for who I am. You understand that I am going to dance randomly in the frozen food aisle at Meijer if I feel like it, and you might even dance with me. You will wrestle with me and chase me through the house trying to kick me in the butt when I start a surprise pillow fight while you are watching ESPN. If I want to dance around the living room with Fred while singing the theme song to The Love Boat, you will chime in and sing along.
I know how much I love you, and I know that you feel the same way, so I will continue to try my hardest to be the person you deserve me to be. I love you, and I have always loved you. Sometimes there are moments in our lives where I am just so overcome by how deeply I care about you that I stop everything and acknowledge our love. I feel like this whole day is one such moment. I am so happy that we found each other, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.
Also, Fred texted me that you are a butt.
EXCHANGE OF RINGS
Kyle and Jordan, the rings you exchange here represent the unending love and commitment you feel in your hearts.
Kyle, please repeat after me: [this is from the personal correspondence of two lovers Abelard and Héloïse] “To half my heart and part of my soul: what I am I entrust to you. I am yours as long as I live.”
Jordan, please repeat after me: “To half my heart and part of my soul: what I am I entrust to you. I am yours as long as I live.”
CLOSING PRAYER
And now, let us pray: [this is a modified version of the Prayer of Saint Francis]
Lord, make Kyle and Jordan instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let them sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that they may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.
FINAL WORDS
May the longtime sun shine on you, all love surround you, and the unfailing light within you guide you on your way. And remember: be in love with your life, every minute of it. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.
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VENDORS:
Catering was provided by Adeline Leigh Catering.
The cakes were provided by Food Dance Cafe in Kalamazoo. The cakes were: The Cat’s Meow, Carrot Cake, and Lemon Raspberry.
Our WONDERFUL photographer was Ashley Avila.
Makeup and hair for myself and the bridesmaids was done by Ashley Amaya.
The floral arrangements (with the exception of the white flowers at the ceremony) were done by Aimee Madden.
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BRIDE and BRIDESMAID STUFF
My dress was purchased for me by my wonderful mother-in-law from Becker’s Bridal in Fowlerville. The designer was Allure Bridals, style 9000. However, the dress was specially modified for me to become a close-fitting sheath dress instead of a mermaid dress.
My bracelet and earrings were purchased from Banana Republic.
My hair pins were purchased from a seller on Etsy.
My pink rain boots are Hunter rain boots.
The bridesmaids each chose their own dress from Nordstroms, J.Crew, and Modcloth.
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GROOM and GROOMSMEN STUFF
Kyle’s suit jacket and pants were from Express. The suit vest is from Yonkers. His tie was hand-made by a seller on Etsy.
Shawn and Ryan each had a bow tie from Etsy as well.
Carmen’s dress was purchased from Modcloth.
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DIY BONANZA!
The fabric backdrop for our ceremony was made with help. I cut the fabric into strips, and friends and family glued and assembled them.
The paper flags down the aisle were hand-cut by yours truly. My wonderful bridesmaids placed them along the aisle way.
The chalkboards were the original windows from a house built in 1913 near my yoga studio. I purchased them, cleaned them up, and Kyle painted them with 3-4 coats of chalkboard paint. My bridesmaid, wrote the selected sayings on each.
The paper doily table-runners were made by me.
The fabric bunting hanging from the rafters at the reception was made by my bridesmaid for her wedding. She kindly let me borrow them for my wedding.
The white flower arrangements at the ceremony were hand-made by my friend for her wedding. She graciously allowed me to borrow them for mine.
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Well, that should be the answer to all of the questions I have received so far! Let me know if there’s anything I didn’t answer that you wanted to know about.
whereiveneverbeen 
Beautiful! So nice you posted all of that! I loved that you put up the readings and vows as well! Congratulations to both of you!
I laughed, I cried, I’m glad Justin was running errands so he didn’t witness it 🙂