Greeting

Beloved family and friends, we are here to joyfully celebrate the love of Cynthia Michele Fulbright and Benjamin Michael Reed.

What do we mean by love? When we love, we see things other people do not see. We see beneath the surface, to the qualities which make our beloved special and unique. To see with loving eyes is to know inner beauty, and to be loved is to be seen, and known, as we are known to no other.

Cynthia and Ben have requested your presence on this memorable occasion, that you might share with them the celebration of their love for each other, and the beginning of their marriage.

Presentation of the Bride

Who presents Cynthia to be married?

Her mother and I.

Celebration of Marriage

Marriage is what brings us together today; marriage, that blessed arrangement -- that dream within a dream. It is a recognition of Ben and Cynthia's love.

Marriage is the joyous union of these two people whose connection and mutual understanding of each other have resulted in a lasting love for one another. It is intended for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity.

Marriage is an adventure of the heart, mind, body, and soul. It is a journey into the most intimate of human relationships -- a commitment given freely and without reservation. The essence of this commitment is the taking of another person in his or her entirety as lover, companion, and friend.

Marriage is, therefore, a decision that is not to be entered into lightly, but rather undertaken with great consideration and respect for both the other person and oneself.

Reading

As we celebrate and reflect on the joyous union of marriage, hear this Declaration of Principles, written by J. Michael Straczynski and read by Jeff Cornelius.

The universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.
It speaks in the language of hope.
It speaks in the language of trust.
It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion.
It is the language of the heart, and the language of the soul.
But always it is the same voice.
It is the voice of our ancestors, speaking through us, and the voice of our inheritors, waiting to be born.
It is the small, still voice that says:

We are one,
No matter the blood,
No matter the skin,
No matter the world,
No matter the star.

We are one,
No matter the pain,
No matter the darkness,
No matter the loss,
No matter the fear.

We are one.

Here, gathered together in common cause, we agree to recognize the singular truth and this singular rule:
That we must be kind to one another, because each voice enriches us and ennobles us, and each voice lost diminishes us.
We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light the way to a better future.

We are one.
We are one.

Hand Fasting and Declaration of Intent

Ben and Cynthia have selected text from the traditional Celtic hand-fasting ritual to express their commitment to each other. In medieval days, the Scots used the ceremony of joining hands to signify the betrothal of a man and woman.

Know now before you go further, that since your lives have crossed in this life you have formed ties between each other. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony, you should strive to make real the ideals which give meaning to both this ceremony and the institution of marriage.

The promises you make today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union; they will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth.

Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?
Yes, we seek to enter.

For some it is believed that the human soul shares characteristics with all things divine. It is in this tradition that blessings are offered in support of this ceremony.

Blessed be by the element of air. May you be blessed with communication, intellectual growth, wisdom, and the value found in the sharing of silences.

Blessed be by the element of fire. May you be blessed with harmony, vitality, and creativity -- with the heat of the heart's passion, and the light created by both to lighten the darkest of times.

Blessed be by the element of water. May you be blessed with friendship, intuition, caring, understanding, and love.

Blessed be by the element of earth. May you be blessed with tenderness, happiness, compassion, and sensuality.

Each of these blessings emphasizes those things which will help you build a happy and successful union. Yet they are only tools. Tools which you must use together in order to create what you seek in this union. I bid you look into each other's eyes and join your hands.

Drape cord around Ben and Cynthia's hands.

Ben, will you cause her pain?
I may.
Is that your intent?
No.

Cynthia, will you cause him pain?
I may.
Is that your intent?
No.

To Both

Will you share each other's pain and seek to ease it?
Yes.

Cynthia, will you share his laughter?
Yes.

Ben, will you share her laughter?
Yes.

To Both

Will both of you look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?
Yes.

Cynthia, will you burden him?
I may.
Is that your intent?
No.

Ben, will you burden her?
I may.
Is that your intent?
No.

To Both

Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?
Yes.

Cynthia, will you share his dreams?
Yes.

Ben, will you share her dreams?
Yes.

To Both

Will you dream together to create new realities and hopes?
Yes.

Ben, will you cause her anger?
I may.
Is that your intent?
No.

Cynthia, will you cause him anger?
I may.
Is that your intent?
No.

To Both

Will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?
We will.

Cynthia, will you honor him?
I will.

Ben, will you honor her?
I will.

To Both

Will you seek to never give cause to break that honor?
We shall never do so.

Tie cords together while saying:

The strength of this binding is formed not by these cords, but rather by your vows.

Vows

The vows through which you accept each other as husband and wife have no hidden power within themselves. Only to the extent that they express in words your continuing intention and commitment do they have meaning. The expression of today's vows is simply a visible milestone in your journey together.

I invite you to repeat your vows after me.

Cynthia, I promise before our friends and family to be faithful, supportive and loyal and to give you my companionship and love throughout all the changes of our life. I vow to bring you happiness and share in your laughter. I will treasure you as my companion. I will celebrate the joys of life with you. I promise to support your dreams, and walk beside you offering courage and strength through all endeavors. From this day forward, I will be honored to be your husband and your best friend.

Ben, I promise before our friends and family to be faithful, supportive and loyal and to give you my companionship and love throughout all the changes of our life. I vow to bring you happiness and share in your laughter. I will treasure you as my companion. I will celebrate the joys of life with you. I promise to support your dreams, and walk beside you offering courage and strength through all endeavors. From this day forward, I will be honored to be your wife and your best friend.

Exchange of Rings

The wedding ring is an unbroken circle which symbolizes unending and everlasting love and is a visible symbol, which represents your inner commitment to one another. May this ring always call to mind both the freedom and the power of this love.

Ben, please repeat after me:

With this ring, I give you my promise that from this day forward you shall never walk alone. My heart will be your shelter, my arms will be your home. We will walk together through life as partners and best friends. I promise that I shall always do my best to love and accept you exactly the way you are. With this ring, I give you your freedom and my trust in you. I give you my heart until the end of time; I have no greater gift to give.

Cynthia, please repeat after me:

Ceremony of Sand

Ben and Cynthia, today you are making a life-long commitment to share the rest of your lives with each other. Your relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand; one, representing you, Cynthia, and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other representing you, Ben, and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be.

Each one holds its own unique beauty, strength, and character. They can stand on their own and be whole, without the need of anything else. When the two are blended together they represent an entirely new and scrumtrillescent relationship. Yet, even within the one container, the colors of each of you as individuals remain distinct and beautiful. Each grain of sand brings to the mixture a lasting beauty that forever enriches the combination.

The Bride and Groom pick up the containers of sand. And don't drop them.

As you each hold your sand the separate containers of sand represent your lives to this moment; individual and unique. They symbolize your separate lives, families, and friends.

You may now blend the sand together symbolizing the uniting of the bride and groom into one.

The Bride and Groom pour the sand. Music plays. Audience is moved to crying tears of heartfelt joy.

The life that each of you have experienced until now, individually, will hereafter be inseparably united, for the two shall become one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be.

Pronouncement

Ben and Cynthia, having affirmed your intentions, offered your vows and symbolized these by the exchange of rings before this gathering of family and friends, by the authority vested in me by the state of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.

Presentation of the Couple

May I have the honor of presenting, now as husband and wife, Ben and Cynthia.