The Heart of the Wedding Ceremony – The Vows
On occasion Bill and I officiate at a wedding ceremony together, each of us assuming different parts of the ceremony. At one of our weddings I began to introduce the guests to the “heart” of the ceremony, saying “In a moment the Bride and Groom will exchange their wedding vows. No other vows are more sacred or important!” Bill and I noticed the Maid of Honor slipping the Bride an iPhone. Ignoring this, I proceeded to ask the Groom if he had special words for his Bride. He said his vows eloquently. He looked into his Bride’s eyes and promised eternal love and devotion. As I began to pose the same question to the Bride, I saw her searching for her vows on her phone. Gradually, the guests began laughing and chattering. Once she found her vows, she began to read them, beautiful words of love and devotion. Both of us stored this awkward moment for the Bride in the back of our minds. Now when we meet with couples, we always emphasize that we believe the vows are the heart of the wedding ce