This Modern Love: Our Vows (or, the One Where Everyone Cries)

After the readings and the declaration of intent (where we actually say "I Do"), it was time for the vows.  I am SO glad I had the foresight to stick some tissue in the bodice of my dress, because within the first 10 seconds of his vows, Mr. M had me bawling.

All photos by Sarelle Photos

He wrote what everyone agreed were pretty much the best vows ever. 

"Martine, no words can describe my love for you and what you mean to me. 

I struggled for weeks trying to write down our history together, from the first meeting in Hoboken, our first real kiss on a pier in the city, the first time I said I love you in Aruba, to when we decided to move in together during our anniversary dinner at Ibiza {restaurant}, to when I proposed to you in East Rock park. 

I had a hundred bullet points of what I love about you. Your attention to detail, your love for music, your passion for planning, your desire to be an amazing cook, your drive to be successful, your undying love for your friends / your family and my family, your unconditional love for me regardless of my actions and your faith, passion and support of our relationship. 

Then I tried to write down what promises I wanted to make to you today. That I will always be faithful to you, that I will always treat you with respect and listen to you, that I will support you in achieving all of your dreams, that I will always make you laugh and never cause you to cry, that I will take care of you no matter what happens, that I will always be a role model to you and our future family, that when our kids grow up they will remember having two loving parents like both have today and that when we both leave this earth... I will follow you into the dark. 

But no words can describe my love for you. I will show you every day that I love you. I will kiss you every morning. I will hold you every night. I will be there whenever you need me. I will show you that I believe in you and your dreams. I will be an amazing husband to you and father to our children. I will provide for you, I will love you and I will never be the same without you.  I love you."

The part that got me the most was his line "I will follow you into the dark".  Our favorite song by the band Death Cab for Cutie has the same title, and I pretty much lost it when he made that reference.

At this point, I didn't even bother with the tissue

Once he was done, our guests erupted into applause (and I later heard that every person in the room had tears in their eyes).  Next up, it was my turn.  GULP.  I was momentarily freaking out because I put two jokes in my vows.  His were 100% serious so I started to second-guess myself and considered skipping over them.  I didn't want to kill the buzz of the moment, but at the same time, the jokes I wanted to mention were SO relevant to Mr. M, that anyone who knew him would get it and laugh immediately--so I decided to keep them in.  And I'm glad I did!

Love that smile!  Glad I kept my jokes in

 "Chris, standing here with you today, I can't help but think back on the nearly 8 years we've been together. The fact that the first 4 of those years were long distance, and that we were only able to see each other a few days a month was both incredibly exhilarating and achingly heart-breaking.  Seeing you each time always felt like the first time and saying goodbye to you each time was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. But despite that, I didn’t know love like this existed until I met you. Although we were physically apart most of that time, we grew closer than ever because we knew that no matter what the obstacles and circumstances, there was nothing that would stop us from being together. 

There are so many things I love about you. I love your unfailing self-confidence in any situation and your hard work ethic. I love your sense of humor and that you never take yourself too seriously. I love how open you are to new experiences and how we're passionate about so many of the same things in life. I love that you embrace everything about me and encourage and support all my dreams and aspirations. You’ve shown me the true meaning of unconditional love, dedication, companionship...even the importance of only flying Delta Airlines so we can get free upgrades. 

As we start our new life together today, I want to make a few promises for the future. I promise to be faithful and honest. I promise to always be your best friend, to celebrate your triumphs and comfort you through hard times. And I promise to not only learn to like football, but to also support the Green Bay Packers (unless they’re playing the Giants of course). 

I can’t say for certain that there is only one person out there for everyone. But what I believe with every fiber of my being is that you and I were put on this earth for each other. You are my best friend, my partner and I can't wait to become your wife. Only God knows what the future has in store for us but what I can say with absolute certainty is that Chris...you are, always have been, and always will be, the love of my life."

Mr. M got pretty emotional, and I LOVE the shots our photographers took of both him and his dad tearing up during my vows.

After more tears and applause from the guests, we all eventually regained our composure enough to finish up the ceremony.

If you want to see a few seconds of our vows "live", check out the video below at the :53 second mark.

Miss a recap?  Fret not!  Catch up below;

• Our officiant and readers say some lovely words during the ceremony.
• We walk down the aisle to beautiful music.
• Despite the rain, we get creative with bridal party shots.
• We have a fun first look session.
• We get all bridal-y and groom-y.
• I put on the most beautiful dress I’ll ever wear.
• The guys do guy-like things and get dressed.
• We jam out to seriously awesome tunes and get very pretty.
• The girls get gifts as we prep to get primped.
• How I became the most relaxed bride ever.
• With a potential crisis thankfully averted, I reveal my welcome dinner surprise to Mr. M.
• A scary and dramatic start to the welcome dinner.
• Feelin’ hella good with hella expensive champagne.
• Practice, practice, practice!