Opening Words

“What beauty Janine and Bob have chosen to share with us on their wedding! Their love and the vineyards are themselves beautiful in nature, as pristine as a new beginning. Each vine and the fruit that it bares is unique unto itself, yet it is the human care and nurturing that they receive over time which enables them to thrive and to reach their full potential. The process of wine making likewise tales great care and dedication. As with a good marriage, all the ingredients brought in are as carefully chosen, as the things that are decidedly left out, to create a unique and vibrant spirit with it’s own personality.

That we are here during the season of the harvest is also speaks to the core of our beings. The harvest has always been the time in which the earth’s bounty has been collected and celebrated and shared with loved ones, much in this same way do Janine and Bob allow us to partake in their joy this day. It also serves as a reminder that of all the wondrous blessings poured forth upon the earth, our Bride and Groom have chosen to take unto themselves each other above all else.

Today is one year to the day that Janine made Bob the happiest man in the world by accepting his proposal of marriage and agreeing that they should indeed spend the rest of their lives together. They met through friends and their relationship progressed quickly. Bob knew who he was, what he believed and what was important to him. Janine found his strength of character very attractive.

For Bob it was not only the fact that Janine was a woman who knew what she wanted but her kindness that captured his heart. There is an unmistakable connection and a certain spark they share when their eyes meet. They look at one another as if they just know that they share something very special, so much so that I’m sure had many of you suspecting this day would come even before our Bride and Groom themselves. They have just completed building a house, are looking forward to making it a home, and building a marriage and a lifetime together.

Thomas Merton once said:
‘The beginning of love, is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we see in them.’

This is what Janine and Bob have found in each other, hope to give to their children some day, and are thankful beyond words to receive from all of you who have loved them and supported them through everything that it has taken them and us all to be here this day.”

Ring Vows and Sharing of Wine

“Within a marriage each person is both their own and each others. Their personal integrity does not diminish by their union. In fact it is enhanced and supported by this new creation that is their marriage. You will see this beautifully exemplified in the sharing and combining of wines that Janine and Bob have incorporated into their ring vows.

Marriage is a joint venture, to be embarked upon wholeheartedly with full expectation that in order for it to be a long and happy marriage, there are certain things that you will have to work on together. It is with this in mind that I ask…

Do you vow to keep open your hearts and minds that neither words nor the lack of them shall ever cause a silence to dwell between you that your love cannot bridge?”

Janine and Bob: “We do.”

“Do you vow to ever remember to take joy in life, and in each other, never forgetting it is the matters of the heart that are real?”

Janine and Bob: “We do.”

“Do you vow to share whatever burdens the mundane world may present, in that overcoming them together your spirits shall grow towards a common hope, dream and reality?”

Janine and Bob: “We do.”

“Do you vow to love and cherish each other keeping sacred above all else, the place your hearts hold for one another?”

Janine and Bob: “We do.”

“Bob will you now place the ring on Janine’s finger and repeat after me?”

“All that I am, All that I do. All that I shall dream shall be ours together. I take you as my wife, my friend, my lover From this day forth.”

Bob places the ring on Janine’s finger

“And will you now toast to your beautiful bride and drink in of the promise that you have made to her?”

Groom picks up his glass, toasts and drinks in of the promise that he had made to her then pours one third of his wine into the center chalice and places his glass back on the table

“Janine will you now place the ring on Bob’s finger and repeat after me?”

“All that I am, All that I do. All that I shall dream shall be ours together. I take you as my wife, my friend, my lover From this day forth.”

Janine places the ring on Bob’s finger

“And will you now toast to your new husband and drink in of the promise that you have made to him?”

Bride picks up her glass, toasts and drinks in of the promise that she has made to him then pours one third of her wine into the center chalice and places her glass back on the table

“If you will now pick up the center glass, the one that was just an empty vessel before the strength of your promises to one another, and drink of one another’s vow, of your shared commitment, and take these in that they, as your marriage, may become a part of the very essence of who and what you are.”

Bride and Groom then together pick up the center chalice, each with both hands on the chalice, they then together drink from it as celebrant continues, then return it to the table

“As the wines in the glass have intermingled their essence so do your spirits join as you drink of each others love. Neither of you shall ever again thirst for total Love, understanding, or companionship, for as food and drink nourish the body so does Love nourish the soul. In this manner so shall each of you be as sustenance to the other.”

“Now that you’ve made your vows and promises of love and faithfulness before these witnesses, and exchanged rings of commitment as a testimony to that love, it is my honor and privilege to declare that you are united as one in love and marriage, for all of the days that you walk the Earth. You may now seal your bond with your first kiss and embrace as husband and wife!”