The Ceremony

Welcome:
At the park, Michael, Doug and Rosanne move towards the “front” and put down the basket. Michael picks up singing bowl, and rings it three times. Michael starts walking clockwise around the witnesses. Rosanne and Doug follow. We return to the basket. Rosanne and Doug ask the nearest person to stand as an attendant and receive their consent.

Ceremony of the Goblets:
Douglas and Rosanne take their individual bottles of mead from the basket and fill their
individual goblets. They hand the bottles to the attendants..

Michael takes the joint goblet from the basket. He holds it up high, but within reach.

Rosanne steps forward and pours a third of her mead into the joint goblet, saying:

“Let this wine symbolize the strength I bring to this relationship”.

Douglas steps forward and pours a third of his mead into the joint goblet, saying:

“Let this wine symbolize the peace I bring to this relationship”.

With the next third, Rosanne says:

“Let this wine symbolize the compassion I bring to this relationship”.

With his next third, Doug says:

“Let this wine symbolize the spirit I bring to this relationship”.

With her last third, Rosanne says:

“Let this wine symbolize the experience I bring to this relationship”.

With his last third, Doug says:

“Let this wine symbolize the balance I bring to this relationship”.

They hand the empty cups back to the assistants.

Rosanne takes the joint cup from Michael and, holding it, makes her declaration/vows (I said something like: neither of us is perfect but I think we’re perfect for each other and I know from experience that people in relationships grow and change and that I hope we grow and change in ways that complement each other) and finishes with:

“Will you drink from our cup?”

Doug nods his assent and drinks.

Doug takes the cup from Rosanne. (He actually let out an enormous whoop! at this point). Holding it, he makes his declaration/vows (he said something about learning together and how much we’d already learned and how he was looking forward to the future) and finishes with:

“Will you drink from our cup?”

Rosanne nods her assent and drinks.

Michael: Assembled friends and family, who have been invited here by Rosanne and Doug to witness this ceremony. At times in any relationship, life can be rocky. If this couple should be drained, and need support for deepening their commitment to each other, will you pledge to be there for them and help to fill their cup? If you will, say “we will.”

Assembled: We will!

Doug and Rosanne: We trust you will and thank you.

Then Doug and Rosanne will jointly pour the remainder of the cup into the Earth.

They put the cup back into the basket.

Ceremony of the Rings:

Doug and Rosanne retrieve the rings from the basket.

Michael: Repeat after me:

I, Douglas, offer you, Rosanne, this ring as a symbol of my love, trust and devotion.

(Rosanne puts on the ring)

I, Rosanne, offer you, Douglas, this ring as a symbol of my love, trust and devotion.

(Douglas puts on the ring)

Michael: Just as these circles are without end, so your love for each other is endless. I now pronounce you wed, for so long as love shall last.

[I’m not putting up photos of this because we used temporary hemp rings we wove until the real rings come through.]

You may kiss.

[Watch that hand, woman!]

Crushing of the Goblets:

Michael: The first act of your union is to sweep away the material past and set out together on your journey.

Doug and Rosanne take the old goblets from the attendants and the cloth from the basket, wrap the goblets in cloth, hold hands and together stomp on their respective goblets.

Rosanne & Doug together: We welcome our journey.

Everyone applauds. As expected, a couple of people shout Mazeltov! (Thanks Bean, thanks Lars!)

Rosanne: Thank you for witnessing our commitment today. We’d now like to invite you to join us back at the house to share in the sweetness of honey wine, a symbol of our hope for the sweetness of our future, and to light our first fire together to symbolize the passion of our partnership.

Rosanne and Doug take the mead from the attendants, thank them and pick up the basket. We all walk back together.

On the left, Doug’s assistant, Cathy and her partner Joe. On the right, my assistant Sylvan. They were chosen because they both wore the bridal colour, red, but they also happened to be two of our closest friends.

Left, Doug’s sister Linda and her husband Michael; Right, Doug’s niece Andrea and her boyfriend John. We had the funniest conversation about whether I was going to be Aunt Rosanne and I said, “You don’t still call Doug “Uncle Doug”, do you? And she said, “Yeah, I do…”

Left, Doug’s good friends from Seattle, Jezebel and Bruce; Right, my friends Beth and Devin and Doug’s colleague from massage school, Ross and his wife Karen.

Next page: the reception…