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I knew when Mike, the groom, emailed me and told me that his fiance, Chris, was going to place a special bug smooshing clause into her vows that we would get along well.

Chris and Mike were so much fun to work with. Mike told me he wanted to have a lot of laughs in their ceremony, so I tried to be as light-hearted as possible, while still capturing the importance and reverence of their day (and to make the parents happy!).

There were a lot of fun details that went into creating their ceremony – let me share just a few with you:

I threw some Star Wars/Star Trek wording into my remarks.

• Towards the end of my opening remarks: And now – we are here to witness the next step – marriage, the final frontier.
• At the beginning of their love story: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away – or, well, in 2004, in New York City, Chris and Mike had their first date.
• When I declared them husband and wife: You are now joined, and by the power vested in me by the State of New Jersey, it is my honor to pronounce you husband and wife. Live long and prosper and may the force be with you.

By using more well known quotes, and incorporating them into slightly more standard remarks, we got a great response of laughter, they didn't feel inappropriate, weird, or contrived, and everyone got them (even if you've never seen an episode of Star Trek, you probably got the Live Long and Prosper remark, right?)

I love the running gag in a lot of Mel Brooks movie weddings – a quick back and forth from the rabbi or officiant of “Do you? Do you? Ok, you're married.” So instead of doing a more typical version of the I Do's, we did them quick!

Before our bride and groom as joined together in marriage, in my presence, and in the presence of these witnesses, I am bound to remind you of the serious and binding nature of the new relationship you are about to commit to today.

Mike, do you?

Mike: I do.

Chris, do you?

Chris: I do.

Great, thank you!

They also wrote their own vows (including bug smooshing clause), which they read to each other – sweet, sentimental, and honest.

Chris and Mike were really able to balance the humor of their wedding with some very beautiful emotional moments. They wrote their own ring vows, which I just love:

Chris, this ring
is all I can do
to put how much I love you
into a material item.
It is precious,
it is unbroken,
and it is unique.
To me, you are infinitely more precious,
our bond will be just as unbroken,
and there is nobody else
I would want to share my life with –
nobody as unique as you.

I did my best to capture their relationship and what I believe their marriage will be in their wedding – funny, sweet, humorous, and honest. I had so much fun brainstorming ideas and quotes to incorporate into the ceremony (I even called on my own geeky fiance for his expertise), and I could tell that the bride and groom were happy with how the ceremony turned out. I got the highest compliment I could get from some members of the bridal party – they thought the bride and groom had written it, because it was so them!

Chris and Mike, thanks for sharing your wedding with me. I'm so glad I got to be a part of it!