EDR legal sermon (and our personal vows, sand ceremony, etc)

[shannon]

I remember being kinda stressed about how the ceremony was going to go- and it seemed to be a little difficult to get an outline for what was going to happen.. I found this on my computer and thought I'd post- and hopefully will help some of you guys! :)

This is what EDR did- this is the legal ceremony outline that was done at our wedding....

MEXICAN CIVIL MARRIAGE ADVISES
(TAKEN FROM OCAMPOS LETTER)


LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY WE ARE GATHERED HERE TO JOIN:


MR:_______
AND
MS: ___________

BEING THIS A VERY IMPORTANT ACT, I WOULD ASK EVERYBODY TO REMAIN IN SILCENCE.

AS WITNESSES OF THIS IMPORTANT ACT PRESENT HERE ARE:
________________________________________ _____________________________________
________________________________________ _____________________________________

WHO WILL SIGN THE MARRIAGE DOCUMENT.


A GREAT MEXICAN PHILOSOPHER OF THE NINE CENTURY, MR. MELCHOR OCAMPO WROTE IN THIS LEGENDARY LETTER, THE FOLLOWING WORDS THAT UNTIL TODAY ARE ALWAYS READ IN OUR WEDDING CEREMONIES:
“MARRIAGE” IT SAYS IS THE ONLY LEGAL AND MORAL WAY TO FOUND A FAMILY, TO PRESERVE MANKIND AND TO AVOID IMPERFECTIONS OF THE HUMAN BEING WHO ARE ONLY ABLE TO OBTAIN THE PERFECTION OF THE HUMAN RACE, THROUGH MATRIMONY IN A CONJUGAL DUALITY.


MEN AND WOMEN HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS, BUT IS IMPORTANT TO OBSERVE THEIR RESPECTIVE OBLIGATIONS. BOTH OF YOU SHOULD HAVE RESPECT,FIDELITY,TRUST AND ASSISTANCE TO ONE ANOTHER AND ALSO TENDERNESS AND LOVE, MUCH LOVE. DO NOT FIGHT WITH ONE ANOTHER, USE YOUR HEADS AND YOUR HEARTS TO CORRECT SOMETHING WRONG. BOTH OF YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE GREAT RESPONSABILITY OF BEING PARENTS, BECAUSE YOU WILL PROVIDE YOUR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION, GOOD EXAMPLE AND EDUCATION, RESPECT, AND LOVE. PROVIDE THEM WITH AN HONEST WAY OF LIVING, SO THEY CAN SEE IN YOU A WORTHLY EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW DURING THE REST OF THEIR LIVES”

NOW I ASK YOUR WITNESS: ARE MR.______________________ AND MS.___________________
PERSONS YOU KNOW WELL?, AND ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS FOR THEM TO BE JOINED IN LEGAL MARRIAGE?
(EXCHANGE THE RINGS )
IN THE NAME OF THE LAW AND THE SOCIETY AND WITH THE AUTHORITY FROM THE SOLIDARIDAD MUNICIPAL HERE IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN, QUINTNAN ROO MEXICO, I NOW DECLARE YOU HUSBAND AND WIFE.
YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE.
I HOPE THAT THIS DOCUMENT THAT I WILL GIVE YOU TODAY REAMAIN SEALED FOREVER, AS WELL AS YOUR COMMITMENT TO FIND TOGETHER THE ETERNAL HAPPINESS THAT BY LOVE YOU HAVE RIGHT TO, ALWAYS TOGETHER PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY JOINED.
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Q. ROO. EL C. OFICIAL 02 DEL REGISTRO CIVIL
C. PROF:LUCIO VARO KANTUN CHI.

I'll have to watch the video- bc it's kinda blurry in my head! :)- but I somewhere in there, the witnesses came up and signed the papers, we signed some papers, and did the stamp thing with our thumb.

After that part-- they transitioned pretty easily to this... this is what I took to them and wanted them to add on--- i think the ceremony was a total of 20-25 minutes.....

VOWS
Minister to Groom – Vince, would you look into Shannon’s eyes and repeat after me:

I, Vince, TAKE YOU, Shannon TO BE MY WIFE...TO HAVE AND TO HOLD...FROM THIS
DAY FORWARD...FOR BETTER OR WORSE...FOR RICHER, FOR POORER...IN SICKNESS AND
IN HEALTH...AND FORSAKING ALL OTHERS...GIVING MYSELF ONLY...AND ALWAYS TO
YOU...UNTIL DEATH ITSELF PARTS US.


Minister to Bride: Shannon, would you look into Vince’s eyes and repeat after me:

I, Shannon, TAKE YOU, Vince, TO BE MY HUSBAND...TO HAVE AND TO HOLD...FROM
THIS DAY FORWARD...FOR BETTER OR WORSE...FOR RICHER, FOR POORER...IN
SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH...AND FORSAKING ALL OTHERS...GIVING MYSELF ONLY...AND
ALWAYS TO YOU...UNTIL DEATH ITSELF PARTS US.

You, Vince and Shannon, have pledged your devotion to each other. It is not these words make your marriage real, but the God of love, who has welded your hearts together as one. He has said, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and the two shall become one flesh…What, therefore,God has joined let no man separate”.

RINGS
Minister to Couple – What token of your love and affection have you to offer each other?

Couple – These rings.

Minister to Groom – Vince, place this ring on Shannon’s finger. Now while holding her hands please repeat after me: I give you this ring…as a sign…of my love and faithfulness.

Minister to Bride –Shannon, place this ring on Vince’s finger. Now while holding her hands please repeat after me: I give you this ring…as a sign…of my love and faithfulness.


Vince and Shannon, may these rings be blessed as a symbol of your affectionate unity. Your lives are now joined in one unbroken circle.
Wherever you go, may you always return to one another.

SAND UNITY CEREMONY
Vince and Shannon, you have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings. This beautiful sand union is symbolized through the combining of these two individual vessels of sand. The first jar represents you, SHANNON, in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other jar represents you, VINCE, in all that you were, all that you are and all that you will ever be.

Each one holds its own unique beauty, strength, and character. They can stand on their own and be whole, without need of each other. However, when these two are blended together they create an entirely new and extraordinarily more intricate entity.

Each grain of sand brings to the mixture a lasting beauty that forever enriches the combination. When you pour the sand into this common container, it symbolizes the union of your two lives. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be a molding of two individual personalities, bonded together forming one heart, one love.

The life that each of you experienced now, individually, will hereafter be inseparably united, for the two shall become one.

[pryzeless]

Thanks for posting this.

[photographerShay]

Thanks for posting this!

[KirstenRN6]

Thanks for the post Shannon! We are still on the fence whether we should do the legal thing here or in Mexico. I'm so confused!

[animaldoc]

Shannon,
Thank you for posting this, I am now considering bringing our own vows down with us. One question, there is no exchanging of the rings and no I do in the EDR version? Also, you transitioned into what you brought down before the in the name of the law part, did they say that part after the sand ceremony?

Jennifer

[Davematthews16]

Thanks for the post :) It helps to see it written out so much!

[shannon]

Originally Posted by animaldoc

Shannon,
Thank you for posting this, I am now considering bringing our own vows down with us. One question, there is no exchanging of the rings and no I do in the EDR version? Also, you transitioned into what you brought down before the in the name of the law part, did they say that part after the sand ceremony?

Jennifer

Another bride might correct me- but I don't believe there was any "I DO" in the EDR legal version and def no exchanging of rings in it... We had the the legal portion, vows, ring exchange, then we did the sand ceremony- then they said -you may kiss your bride- and then they pronounced us man and wife-- but actually, I think they did it twice--- pronounced us man&wife at the end of legal part and after sand ceremony- bc I remember giggling a little about it..

We were over with time in our mtg with the WC -- and had spent alot of time on the private events and decorations and flowers-- so we rushed through the ceremony part when we were talking about it in our mtg-- I think if you just print everything out, in exactly the order you want it to go- and make clear notes on the print out-- you can have it in the order you want it. They had the printout I had given them at the mtg-- at the ceremony...