Oboy! I'm getting married!

[Swampwolf]

...This Sunday!

We've been together for 4 1/2 years, living together with her kids for 3, engaged for 2 (she was the one who popped the question...three days before I was going to), and this Sunday, we're finally doing it.

You know the show Platinum Weddings? Where they find the gaudiest, most ostentatious display of an overabundance of wealth combined with an underabundance of taste or modesty?
Well, we're happily having an aluminum wedding. Not only is it on a shoestring, but the shoestring is threadbare. We don't really have a lot, but we don't need it.

Marriage license: $93
Rings: $75
Groom's jacket: $3 at Salvation Army
Bride's dress: $35 at Goodwill
Park for the ceremony: Free
Internet-licensed minister and best friend: Free and surprising
Best man and best friend: also free and surprising
Flowers: fake and already in our possession
Marrying a wonderful woman: well, you know the rest.

We decided on this a week ago. SwampWitch has Lyme disease and a few mental health issues, and the stress of planning a wedding would not be a good thing for her health. So we figured that we could get one of many people we know who can perform a wedding, go to some park and tell people "no RSVP, No Reception, No Dress Code, No Gifts."
When I called up my (exteremely atheistic) friend and jokingly told him that we may have need of his ministerial services, he immediately said "Let me see what I can do about a flight down."


when I called up my other friend and jokingly said "You wanna come down to Tallahassee? X. is already doing the ceremony, and we need a best man." he also said "Let me see what I can do about a flight down."

Sadly, as I found out today, it's also my maternal grandmother's yartzeit (anniversary of her death). I never met her, but she will be honored in the ceremony all the same.

I've got amazing friends.
And an amazing bride-to-be.

[Kythereia]

Woohoo! *cracks open the champagne* Congratulations! *snogs and toasts*

(We're all invited to the reception, right?)

[Dazzling White Diamonds]

Congratulations! My wish for you is many happy, loving and wonderful years with you and your bride-to-be, as well as with your family!

Wind to thy wings, and blessed be.

[«Ðëëp¤F®ïêd»™]

Good on you!
Here's to many. many years of wedded bliss.
Congrats!

[Yllaria]

Congratulations! I'll drink a toast to the pair of you and your friends this Sunday. You sound like good folks.

If you post an approximate time for the vows, I'll try to synchronize the toasting. If it hits in the middle of the catapult design class, I'll even share the champagne.

[Khadaji]

Wishing you both a lifetime of joy and happiness!

[Sunspace]

Congratulations! Have fun! Be happy! Make the world a better place by your example!

_{Although I first thought the OP was Swampbear, not Swampwolf, and was wondering whether gay marriage had suddenly been approved down south...}

[Hal Briston]

Originally Posted by Kythereia

*cracks open the champagne*

[Officer Hal, Uniformed Killjoy]
Sorry ma'am, but I'm going to have to issue you a summons for having an open container of alcohol in a public park.
[/OH,UK]

Congrats, Swampwolf! A lifetime of happiness to you and the missus-to-be!

[Li'l Pluck]

Mazel tov, Swampwolf, and many wishes for shalom bayit!*

I'm already taking as a given that you have an amazing bride , but I do want to say that, yes, it does indeed sound as if you have amazing friends. Lucky, lucky you! May you all treasure each other for many, many years to come!


*For those who don't know: shalom bayit = peace in the home (usually refers to the spousal relationship, though it can be broadly interpreted to mean…well, peace in one’s home).

[twickster]

Congrats and best wishes!

[norinew]

When you have the right spouse, marriage can be the best thing ever! My hubby and I will be celebrating 19years of marriage in just about 3 weeks, and neither of us has ever had any regrets!

Many congratulations to both of you!

[Scuba_Ben]

Od yishama' b'arei Yehuda u'v'hutzot Yerushalayim
Kol sasson v'kol simchah, kol hatan v'kol kallah!

(A traditional Jewish wedding song, taken from the wedding blessings: "May we hear in the streets of Judah and the courtyard of Jersalem voice of gladness and voice of joy, voice of bridegroom and voice of bride!")

[Swampwolf]

Thank you all for your warm thoughts. Anyone who wants to drink a toast, the ceremony begins at 2pm eastern time.

SwampWitch's and my relationship has not always been an easy one...we've had to deal with mental illness, physical illness, quadruple-bypass surgery (her mother), cancerous kidney removal (her father), Social Security Disability, an ex-husband who is way behind on his child support (but at least he's seeing the kids regularly...when he lived 1/2 mile from us, he didn't), and two fiercely independent children of divorce--what's worse, they're both extremely intelligent--and many other stumbling blocks.

With openness, honesty, communication, understanding, mutual support and patience we've gotten this far, and expect to pick up momentum.

I think it's a good start.

[RTFirefly]

Originally Posted by Swampwolf

With openness, honesty, communication, understanding, mutual support and patience we've gotten this far, and expect to pick up momentum.

I think it's a good start.

Can't think of a better one. Congrats to the happy Swampcouple!

[GilaB]

Mazel tov!

I don't want to be a sourpuss, but have you made sure that you don't need a permit to get married in the park? I'm pretty sure that here in NYC, if it's just a small group, with no chairs, etc, you don't need one, but you do for a larger or more organized event. (Here's a recent article in the New York Times on the subject.)

[Slypork]

Don’t do it! Run! Run!

Best of luck to you both. Mazel tov (sp?)! My wife and I will be married 18 years on 11/3 and, while they haven’t all been roses and rainbows, I could not imagine anyone that I would rather be with. We provide a balance to each other and keep each other sane. I once told her that we’re like a couple of drunks leaning against each other as they go down the street: we’d fall down if the other wasn’t there to give support and together we can go anywhere. OK, it’s not the most romantic analogy but she likes my weird view of the world.

When times are good, love each other. When times are hard, love each other more. She is more than a wife and companion. She is your best friend and confidante. Again, best of wishes.

[dangermom]

Oh fun! May you be very happy.

I was involved a couple of weeks ago in a fancy, expensive wedding. My daughters (and their little cousin) were flower girls. It was a lovely wedding, and I came out of it thinking how very, very grateful I am for my own simple shoestring wedding 12 years ago. So much work and planning and hassle and expense!

[gigi]

OK! Let me see what I can do about a flight down...


I'm glad it will be stress-free and happy! Congratulations.

[Ms. Pumpkin]

That seriously sounds like my idea of the perfect wedding.
Congratulations to you both!

[Kythereia]

Originally Posted by Hal Briston

[Officer Hal, Uniformed Killjoy]
Sorry ma'am, but I'm going to have to issue you a summons for having an open container of alcohol in a public park.
[/OH,UK]

I'm a goddess. You have no jurisdiction over me.

(*waits for Bricker to come in and tell me I'm wrong*)

[Cat Whisperer]

Congratulations, Swampwolf and Swampwitch!

If I had it to do over again, I think I might have a shoestring wedding, too - a nice dress, a nice suit, a big party, and that's it. I'd marry the same guy again, though, and that's what matters.

[AHoosierMama]

Originally Posted by Swampwolf

... SwampWitch has Lyme disease ...

Yay for y'all on the aluminimumtastic nuptuals!

After all the hoopla, if you want to PM me sometime, I can tell you what has really helped with my Lyme disease.

Best wishes,
Hoosiermama

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by Kythereia

I'm a goddess.

Well, we knew that. I did not know, however, that you're the one whose picture Adobe used for their Illustrator product. You did get the licensing fees for that, didn't you?

[Siege]

Congratulations to both of you, not only on the marriage but on avoiding all the nonsense the bridal industry throws at you. May the two of you know many years of joy, happiness and other good stuff!

[Cat Whisperer]

Bumping in anticipation of the big day tomorrow. Any jitters, Swampwolf? Has your best man done his best-manly duties, offering you a credit card and a flight to anywhere?

[Johnny L.A.]

I'm getting married in the morning!
Ding dong! The bells are gonna chime.
Pull out the stopper! Let's have a whopper!
But get me to the church on time!

Congratulations.

[swampbear]

Originally Posted by Sunspace

Congratulations! Have fun! Be happy! Make the world a better place by your example!

_{Although I first thought the OP was Swampbear, not Swampwolf, and was wondering whether gay marriage had suddenly been approved down south...}

As if I'd have nuttin' but a large, showy, ostentatious, yet tasteful wedding!

Congrats to Swampwolf and SwampWitch! May you be happy for many, many, many years to come.

[Swampwolf]

It's done!
I am now a mister!

It was glorious...my two best friends came down as planned. Well, with a few hitches. Delays, flat tires in the middle of nowhere. The usual.
The bachelor party consisted of pint after pint of Guinness (my limit is normally 2-3, 'cos I hafta drive. Saturday night I had 7 or 8), pinball, darts, and meeting a guy whose leg was buried in Portland. Apparently, wrestling a train isn't a good idea.

Next morning, I was queasy, chilled, weak-kneed, light-headed, had no appetite, and was a lovely shade of pale green.

"Of course!" they said.
They should know, I was the only person in my wedding who had never been married before.
"It's only natural!"

"Whew," I thought to myself. "And here I was thinking I was ill."

The ceremony was beautiful. It began with Swampwitch bellydancing towards me to Matisyahu's song Unique is My Dove, followed by a Qi Gong grounding exercise so we could both catch our breath. Then a brief introduction and we exchanged vows that we wrote...they were very beautiful.
We exchanged rings, and then there was the sermon.
Best. Sermon. Ever.

an excerpt:

There are many ways to look at love:
The holistic: “All you need is love” – The Beatles
The Confucian: “Love is like a spice. It can sweeten your life – however, it can spoil it too”

This approach hints at the warnings that may be associated with love, such as:

The emotional: “Love hurts” - Nazareth
The sensing: “Love stinks” – J.Geils Band
The combative: “Love is a battlefield” - Pat Benatar
The physical: “Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring” – Johnny Cash
The inquisitive: “What’s love got to do, got to do with it?” – Tina Turner

But there are other perspectives we should consider.
“Where there is love, there is life” – Gandhi
“Love is a choice you make from moment to moment” – Barbara De Angelis
“Love is not blind – it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less” – Rabbi Julius Gordon
There is also the creative way to look at love:
“Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come.” – Matt Groening

As we see, there are as many ways to look at love as there are to define it. That is why it is important reach beyond the objective definition of love to grab your own subjective reality called love. It is when you have found it that love really becomes your own. Love becomes the ice weasels. Don’t fear the ice weasels.

After that was the declaration of marriage (with one of the best kisses of my life) the introduction and we wandered off into the woods for a little while.

Best wedding I could ever hoped for.

By the way. Everyone was wrong. I actually was ill. Spent the next day in bed, but not in the proper honeymoon fashion. But I'm much better now.

Pictures will be posted when I have them.

[Autolycus]

Congratulations

[norinew]

Wow. Sucks to be sick for your honeymoon, don't it? But glad it got done, and hope you'll both be very, very happy for many years.

[WhyNot]

Originally Posted by Swampwolf

an excerpt:

I am so stealing that! *prints it out for the Big Book O' Handfasting Ramblings*

Oh, and congratulations!

[BaneSidhe]

YAYYYY!! Congratulations and best wishes to you both.

[Nava]

Originally Posted by Sunspace

_{Although I first thought the OP was Swampbear, not Swampwolf, and was wondering whether gay marriage had suddenly been approved down south...}

If Swampie was coming here to Spain to marry ACBG and not tellin' me, he might end up a shaved Oso Pantanoso...

CONGRATULATIONS to the newlyweds!

Johnny L.A. beat me to the song

[Nawth Chucka]

Bumping for pictures!!

[Cat Fight]

Congrats. I think it's so cool that she got her dress at Goodwill.