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Hopefully you saw Natalie and Ryan's beautiful, “old school” sci-fi wedding last week – today we're featuring their complete vows. May their loving words make millions of voices cry out in joy, then suddenly inspired!
Ryan’s sci-fi wedding vows:
Natalie as I stand here before you, surrounded by our friends and family, I am filled with all the love you radiate. I am drawn to the memory that this place holds for both of us. Memory and time are strange, it was only 15 years ago somehow. We are not the same as then, and then again we are exactly those young adults, children really.
From our meeting not more than a quarter mile from here we have grown independently at first and then together. This is what I love about you, knowing we will not crystalize, never cease to at least try to change. We found each other again in New York, our orbits came together again and I am so thankful. I feel utterly secure knowing that our compassion will be enough to hold us as we go forth.
What is a wedding anyway? I’ve known for a while now that you are my person, my home, regardless of any title. That takes bravery to say and do, it's something that used to be hard for me, and easy for you always. I think you are incredibly brave because of this. It's the greatest thing to realize that bravery is not toughness or daring, but in its true form an expression of love. It is the willingness to be open with another person, to be completely open with you.
That is what I promise, that I shall always try to exhibit this form of braveness. Braveness that is without worry, without self, with you forever. I promise that as we have grown together in love, that spring will continue to flow ever renewing.
I will be your companion through all things, your finder of lost items, your steady hand, your washer of dishes. You are my source of laughter and joy, my favorite person.
It’s your compassion for me and all people that is as sunlight breaking through clouds, my renewal. Compelling me always to be awake and present in our life, that compassion is the ground on which we stand, from which we will continue to build a life together.
Standing before the world, standing before you today, I promise in this moment to love and cherish you from our first kiss to our last. I love you.
Natalie’s sci-fi wedding vows:
Throughout my life, I’ve often felt like an alien, just a little bit off rhythm from my peers. As a smart, neurodivergent kid obsessed with the cosmos and Star Wars, I used to think I’d only find the companionship and acceptance I longed for among the stars. Then, nearly fifteen years ago today, fate led me to you on this very campus. In our 16mm film class, I noticed a boy with a warm smile and a gift for cinematography. As our connection deepened, it felt like I’d finally met another member of my species.
Though my then-unrequited crush on you at the time caused me to act in embarrassing ways on quite a few occasions, you met me with patience and kindness. Through other failed relationships, cross-country moves, and one horrifically failed early attempt at dating each other, our friendship survived and matured. But if you’d told me even five years ago that we’d be living in New York together, getting married, and I’d be happier than I’ve ever been in my life, despite a global pandemic and the slow erosion of democracy, even my inner TV writer couldn’t have predicted it.
There’s a song that says, “I didn’t know I was lonely ‘til I saw your face.” But I did know I was lonely. What I didn’t know was that the opposite of loneliness, my soul’s true home, would be found in you. When I moved to New York, I didn’t necessarily expect to find love. I wanted a bigger life, full of adventures and challenges. Of course, I was saving a piece of my heart for you just in case, but mostly it was a leap of faith. They say leap and the net will appear. You were my net. They say good things come to those who wait. You are my good thing (and let’s be honest: you did make me wait).
For some, weddings herald new beginnings, with the person standing at the altar with you still somewhat of a mystery. That’s not true for us. We’ve known each other as classmates, friends, and finally soulmates. You’ve illuminated the shadows with your smile through lockdowns and personal crises, bringing joy to those solitary holidays and tough moments. I know you’ll be the kind of partner who holds my hand in a hospital waiting room, does silly dances to cheer me up, and comforts our dog when she’s afraid of fireworks. Who gets excited about a well-designed intersection, a beautifully built bridge, a technical problem solved. Who loves me steadily despite my flaws, who accepts me unmasked and imperfect.
My love, your mom once told me she never worried about you professionally. She worried whether you’d find someone to take care of your heart. Today, before our beloved community, I promise to take fierce care of your big, open, forgiving, beautiful heart. I promise to learn from your patience and optimism. I promise to gently nudge us toward adventure on the horizon while you keep me grounded in the present and practical. I promise only to lightly tease you about your morning grumpiness, to overanalyze movie scripts with you, and to at least pretend to understand when you talk tech. I vow to nurture and honor you, to be faithful to you, and to love your family as my own like my family adores you.
I promise to love you in crisis and abundance the way I love New York City: with patience, respect, grit, and an eye for the mysterious and unexpectedly beautiful. My love for you is like the gravity holding the universe together: steadfast, unceasing, and constant until the end of my days. Our foundation is firm, our orbit is stable, and the Force is with us. I’m so excited and honored to be your wife.
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