Wedding Weekend: Saturday Part II -- The Ceremony

Family and People Involved in the Wedding Seated in the Dining Room

Wedding Guests Standing in the Living Room

As guests were being seated in the dining room and finding SRO spots in the living room, those of us in the wedding party congregated in the spare bedroom. Dad kept saying that he couldn't believe he was the father of the bride--the day had finally come! Scotty started the iPod, and we all walked in to Bobby Darin's "More."Heading Down the AisleTomkin Escorting His Mom Down the Aisle Walking Into the Ceremony on Dad's Arm

Tomkin's dad, Tom (a retired pastor), welcomed everyone and led us in a prayer. Tom Leading Us in a Prayer

My friend Jennifer read Ruth 1:16-17: "Where you go, so shall I go. Your God shall be my God and your people my people." Jennifer Reading from the Book of Ruth

Next we all sang my favorite hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Singing the Hymn

Tomkin's sister, Jenny, and her partner, Allison, read a poem they had written for our wedding. A few weeks before, Jenny had e-mailed me and Tomkin separately and asked us each for a list of things the other person likes. They incorporated those "likes" (including Project Runway, lemurs, chai tea, and the smell of wet dog) into a poem based on the seven Hebrew blessings. It was amazing! One of the highlights of the ceremony.Allison and Jenny Reading the Poem They Wrote for Us Jenny and Allison's Poem Was Hilarious...

...and Touching

Tom gave a homily, and then Kelly (one of the Game Day Girls) sang the Marie Digby version of "Umbrella," while Chris (husband of my friend Jill) played the guitar. Kelly had just flown in from Chicago that day, and Chris lives here in the Twin Cities. They had been in touch so they could practice long-distance, but the wedding day was the first time they had performed together. They were great! It's a meaningful song for me and Tomkin, and it seemed perfect for our wedding.Kelly and Chris Performing "Umbrella"

Tomkin and I gave our "declaration of intent" and then each read the vows we had written. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.Tomkin Reading His Vows to Me Reading My Vows to TomkinTomkin Placing a Ring on My Finger

We exchanged rings, and then our friend Becca read "Love Song" by Robert Smith (which he had written as a wedding gift for his wife).Becca Reading Robert Smith's "Love Song"

Tomkin's mom and my mom each lit a candle, and then Tomkin and I used them to light a unity candle. Then we took six roses and presented one to each of our parents: Sandy, my dad, Nancy, my mom, Dick, and Tom. Throughout the candle and rose ceremonies, the song "Come What May" (from Moulin Rouge) was playing. That's another song that means a lot to me and Tomkin.Our Moms Lighting the CandlesLighting the Unity CandleHugging SandyHugging Dad Hugging NancyTomkin Hugging MomTomkin Hugging DickTomkin Hugging Tom

After that, Tom gave a blessing, and Tomkin and I got to kiss as husband and wife. Hooray! Our recessional was "Happy Together" by Johnny Panic.The Kiss We Did It!

We headed straight to the guest bedroom to observe a yichud--a ten-minute seclusion in which we got to eat, toast, and catch our breath before heading out into the reception. We borrowed that from the Jewish tradition, and I'm so glad we did. It was nice getting to spend those first few minutes as husband and wife alone together before partying with family and friends for the rest of the night.Hey, We're the Colemans!