That's Us

THE WEDDING

"Jane, I could promise to hold you and to cherish you. I could promise to be in sickness and in health. I could say, till death does us part. But I won’t. Those vows are for optimistic couples, the ones full of hope. And I do not stand here, on my wedding day, optimistic or full of hope. I am not optimistic, I am not hopeful, I am sure. I am steady. And I know that I am a heart man. I take them apart and I put them back together and I hold them in my hands. I am a heart man. So this I am sure, you are my partner, my lover, my very best friend, my heart, my heart beats for you. And on this day, the day of our wedding, I promise you this: I promise you to lay my heart in the palm of your hands, I promise you… me. Jane, you have been my best friend, mentor, playmate, confidant, and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible. You have made me a better person, as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live my life. So I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together. Today, I take my place as your husband. May our days belong, and may they be seasoned with faith, love understanding, and respect forever and ever. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. I choose to spend today, and all of my tomorrows, with you. I see these vows not as promises but as privileges: I get to laugh with you and cry with you; care for you and share with you. I get to run with you and walk with you; build with you and live with you. I get to have you be the person I spend the rest of my life with. I get to be there for you and support you. I don’t have to honor and cherish you. From this moment, I take you as my best friend for life. I pledge to honor, encourage, and support you through our walk together. When our way becomes difficult, I promise to stand by you and uplift you, so that through our union we can accomplish more than we could alone. I promise to work at our love and always make you a priority in my life. With every beat of my heart, I will love you. I promise to respect, admire and appreciate you for who you are, as well as for the person you wish to become. I promise to support and protect your freedom because although our lives are intertwined, your choices are still yours alone. I promise to seek a deep understanding of your wishes, your desires, your fears, and your dreams. I promise to always strive to meet your needs, not out of obligation, but because it delights me to see you happy. I promise to be there for you when you need me, whenever you need me. I promise to nurture your goals and ambitions, to support you through misfortune, and to celebrate your triumphs. I promise to keep our lives exciting, adventurous, and full of passion. I promise to persevere when times get tough, knowing that any challenges we might face, we will conquer them together. I promise to treat you with compassion rather than fairness because we are a team, now and for always. I promise to show you, every day, that I know exactly how lucky I am to have you in my life."

"Braden, today we begin our lives together. I promise before our families and our friends to be your faithful wife. I choose to live with you, as your lover, companion, and friend, loving you when life is peaceful, and when it is painful, during our successes, and during our failures, supported by your strengths, and accepting your weaknesses. I will honor your goals and dreams, trying always, to encourage your fulfillment. I will strive to be honest, and open with you, sharing my thoughts, and my life with you. I promise to love and cherish you from this day forward. To love each other, even when we hate each other. No running... ever. Nobody walks out no matter what happens. Take care when old, senile, smelly. This is forever. Let's build a home of laughter, love, and support. Let us create a warm and welcoming space for the good times and the bad. Let us be a home for each other, forever and ever. I vow to fiercely love you in all of your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget this once-in-a-lifetime love. And to always know in the deepest part of my soul that no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find our way back to each other. Love has given us wings, and our journey begins today. Wherever the wind may carry me, I will stay by your side as your husband/wife. Take this ring as a sign of my love and commitment to you. I promise to love you, to be your best friend, to respect and support you, to be patient with you, to work together with you to achieve our goals, to accept you unconditionally, and to share my life with you forever. I wish I could stand up here and promise you the world, but the world isn’t mine to give. What I do promise is my world and all it entails. My love, support, passion, compassion, and enthusiasm. I wish I could promise smooth sailing, but the winds aren’t mine to control. What I do promise is a ship built to carry you safely, and sails to weather any storm. I wish I could promise you forever, but someone infinitely great than I already has. What I do promise is every second of this time sliver of eternity I’ve been blessed with. I wish I could promise you riches, but every vault has its end. What I do promise you is a life of abundance... An abundance of love and support, of strength and vulnerability, sharing and drive, passion, and adventure. I wish I could promise to always be as roguishly handsome as I am today, but, well … On second thought, have you seen my dad? Maybe that’s a promise I can keep. I can’t even promise I’ll never hurt you because even the best of intentions sometimes fall short. What I do promise is to always reach for you over my pride; to hold you, to heal you, and to seek forgiveness.

My husband. I never get tired of saying that even though I've said it at least a million times in the ten months we've been married. No matter what title you have held in my life, my friend, my boyfriend, my fiancée, and now my husband, you have always consistently been a person I couldn't live without. When we first got together life wasn't the easiest for either of us. I had an extreme anxiety disorder and you were working so many hours you didn't know what to do with yourself when you weren't working (some things never change), but through anything and everything you have always stayed strong for both of us. This piece is a testament to the incredible man I have come to know and love over the five years we've been together, I know how hard you work for us and our future, I believe you deserve a little recognition.

During our relationship, we've conquered some hard times, difficult situations that no one could understand who wasn't there, and through every hurdle we faced, you never wavered. Never once did you leave me to deal with my problems by myself. Every night I couldn't sleep because of an anxiety attack or worrying about something out of my control, you never let me do it alone since the day you entered my life. Any problem I have had you have made your own. You've protected me, defended me, and you've known the moments to stand back and let me do things my way even if you didn't agree. I can never tell you how profoundly grateful I am for your continued support of my decisions, and my dreams. I can never thank God enough for blessing me with you, but I can spend the rest of our lives together doing the same. Standing next to you during any problem, never letting you face life alone just as you have always done for me.

Thank you for watching the movies I love (even though you hate a solid 95 percent of them) just because you want to make me happy and spend time with me. Thank you for tolerating my singing in the shower and the car even though my music drives you crazy. Thank you for thinking of me when you go to the store and get me a candy bar or ice cream because you know how much I like sweets. Thank you for watching Christmas movies with me in September even though you think it's a sin to watch them before December (and even then you don't like them). Thank you for your honesty, if I want to hear it or not, it is always appreciated, and thank you for making sure I put myself first sometimes, I know it drives you crazy when I let everyone else's problems become my problems.

Thank you for always understanding how important my family is to me, and making room for them in your life without ever being asked. When you come to me a month before my parents' birthdays already suggesting gifts to get them without me even having to remind you it always gives me the warmth and fuzzies. I love the way you make my niece laugh, and the way you always include my cousins in our plans because to you they aren't just my family, they're your family too. My family is amazing, and being a part of it has been my greatest joy, which is why you being a part of it makes me happier than I have ever been. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family too, for letting me love your parents and siblings like they are my own. You've always known how much I love being a part of a big family, and you have made it bigger by sharing yours with me. You have brought so much more happiness and laughter to my life by making our family the number one focus of our lives, and you do it just because of who you are, just by being yourself.

Finally, I want to thank you for your constant hard work. You are one of the most dedicated people I have ever met. You work more than anyone I know and you do it all for our future together, our family, and our friends. Your name is already associated with hard work even at the young age of 27 years old, and you have gained more respect in your short life than some people get in a lifetime. I am so unbelievably proud of the man you are, and I will spend the rest of my life loving you. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us, and what adventures we will have in the future.