Page 142 of My Vows Are Sealed

“You should. Love like you and Darla have is a rare and beautiful thing. Too many people take it for granted. But you and I know better than most that we should never take the blessings God gives us for granted.”

Heather, who was studying broadcast communication at college and had offered her services as our sound technician today, changed the music from the mix CD of Christian dad rock that Darla had given her to play before the ceremony to an instrumental version of Jars of Clay’s “Love Song for a Savior,” and the doors in the back of the room opened.

Ashton and Nathan walked in first. Yeah, Nathan was one of my groomsmen, because he was that important to both me and Darla. Next came Kate, accompanied by Ethan, and Naomi, accompanied by Alex. Darla had chosen blue plaid skirts that looked almost like Catholic school uniforms and lacy ivory-colored tops for her bridesmaids, and Ashton was wearing a more genderfluid version of that. They’d gone with a blue kilt in the same pattern, and instead of the feminine top, they’d worn an ivory suit jacket over a white button-down shirt.

Then the music changed to an instrumental version of Switchfoot’s “Only Hope,” and the congregation stood as Gloria and Darla appeared at the back of the room.

All of the air vacated my lungs as I got my first look at my gorgeous bride. She was wearing a loose-fitting, floor-length dress that looked like a layer of lace over a layer of some silky-type material and had short sleeves made of the same lace. Rather than trying to hide her six-month baby bump in the loose folds of the dress, she’d chosen to accent it with a belt that she’d obviously made herself, which alternated between pearls and beads made of some sort of dark blue stone and was held together with simple silver wire. And she’d chosen to just style her hair rather than wear a veil, which didn’t surprise me in the least. She’d never been one for fluff and frills.

She was every bit the glowing expectant mother and blushing bride all rolled into one, and for some reason, I was blessed enough to get to keep her forever.

“You look amazing, baby,” I whispered as Gloria placed Darla’s hand in mine.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she chuckled nervously, turning bright pink.

“Please be seated,” Peter announced, and the congregation sat down. “Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?”

“I do,” Gloria sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, and then went to sit in the front row.

“We are gathered here in the presence of God, family, and friends to unite Brendan and Darla in holy matrimony,” Peter began. “Marriage is an honorable estate, and is therefore not to be entered into lightly, but reverently, advisedly, soberly, and with God’s blessing. Today, they will receive God’s greatest gift: another person to share with, grow with, change with, be joyful with, and to stand with as one when trials and tribulations enter their lives. It is fitting, therefore, that we should on this occasion begin by asking for God’s blessing on this marriage. Let’s pray.

“Heavenly Father, we gather to celebrate Your gift of love, and its presence among us. We rejoice that these two young people have chosen to commit themselves to a life of loving faithfulness to one another. We praise You, Lord, for the ways You have touched our lives with loving relationships such as Brendan and Darla’s, and we give thanks for the lifetime of love and friendship You have put in their hearts. Renew within us an affectionate and loving spirit. Enrich our lives with the gracious gift of Your love so that we may embrace others with that same love. May our participation in this celebration of love and commitment give to us a new joy and responsiveness to the relationships that we cherish. In Your precious and holy Name we pray, amen.”

Marie stood and walked up to a microphone that was set up on the stage, then opened her Bible and began to read.

“This is from First Corinthians, chapter thirteen, verses one through eight. ‘If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered. It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.’”

Peter flashed his wife a smile as she walked back down to sit next to Gloria, then went to pull a white sheet off of the amazing unity braid board that Darla had made by hand. It had our names and today’s date painted at the top, and then there were three silk rope strands that we were going to braid together: silver, gold, and white.

“Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, ‘And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart,’” he said as he walked back toward us. “Today, Brendan and Darla have chosen to braid three strands together into a single cord. Each strand has a significant meaning. The gold strand represents God and His majesty. The silver strand represents Brendan and his life. The white strand represents Darla and her life. In braiding these three strands together, Brendan and Darla demonstrate that their marriage is more than a joining of two lives together. It is a unity with God as well. They have chosen to allow God to be at the center of their marriage, woven into every aspect of it.”

As we walked back toward the board, Heather started to play “Love Song for a Savior,” with the words this time. And because I was a complete idiot, I messed the braid up almost immediately.

“You should probably just do this,” I chuckled quietly. “It’s going to turn into a mess.”

“Nope. We’re doing ittogether,” Darla giggled as she helped me fix what I’d screwed up. “It’s aunitybraid, not an ‘I’m doing this by myself’ braid.”

“Fair,” I conceded.

“I saw that your dad didn’t stay when he dropped Nate off,” she whispered. “Are you okay?”

I sighed. “I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t sting a little, but honestly, if he can’t support us and our marriage, then I don’t want him here. We don’t need his negativity to be part of today. I love Ash’s outfit, by the way.That’sthe kind of energy we need today.”

She snorted as she tied the ends of the braid together. “I know. I would have expected nothing less from them than finding a way to blend a suit and a skirt into a coherent outfit.”

As we walked back to the altar a couple of minutes later, Heather faded the music out so the ceremony could continue.

“Marriage is a joyous occasion,” Peter said when we were both standing in front of him again. “It is connected in our thoughts with the charm of love, the warmth of home, and with all that is pleasant, as being one of the most important events of our lives. Its sacredness and unity is the most significant and binding covenant known in human relations.

“Brendan and Darla, let me charge you both to remember that your future happiness is to be in mutual consideration, patience, kindness, confidence, and affection. It is the duty of each of you to find your greatest joy in the company of the other and to remember that your love pledged today must remain undivided for a lifetime.

“It is your duty, Brendan, to be a considerate, tender, faithful, and loving husband to Darla. To support, guide, and cherish her in prosperity and trouble, to thoughtfully and carefully enlarge the place she holds in your life, to constantly show to her the tokens of your affection, to shelter her from danger, and to love her with an unshakeable love.

“It is your duty, Darla, to be a considerate, tender, faithful, and loving wife to Brendan. To comfort, guide, and cherish him in prosperity and trouble, to give to him the unfailing pieces of evidence of your affection, to continue making the place he holds in your heart broader and deeper, and to support him, value him, and work with him to make your marriage the very best that it can be.

“I call your attention to the seriousness of the decision which you have made and the covenant you are about to declare before God. The vows you are about to take are not to be taken without careful thought, because with these words, you are committing yourselves exclusively to one another for the rest of your lives.

“If you are ready to assume these obligations and duties before God as I have defined them, you will unite your hands and pledge your love and your lives to each other.” Peter looked over at me with an amused smirk, like he knew that all the warnings and fancy words didn’t mean a damn thing to me, because I already knew exactly what I was getting into. “You ready, Brendan? This is it. No going back after this.”

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