THE CEREMONY

Lamar: We are gathered today on this most happy occasion to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Estamos reunidos hoy en esta ocasión feliz para unir a este hombre y esta mujer en matrimonio sagrado.

-PRAYER-

Lamar: Who gives this woman to be married to this man? Quién entrega a esta mujer en matrimonio?

Raúl: I, Raúl, her father

Lamar: Marriage is an institution of God. All our thinking on the subject has its basis in the divine revelation, the Holy Scriptures. God Himself was the originator of marriage when He said: “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” (Genesis 2:24, all scriptures today are quoted from the New Living Translation) It becomes apparent that our Creator instituted this experience of love, marriage, to provide a proper social order and that through well-ordered families truth and holiness might be transmitted from one age to another. We learn from Scriptures that Jesus honored a wedding festival with His presence and, I believe significantly, chose this occasion to begin His miracles. Thus, we know that love, marriage, and family are important to Christ and, therefore, to us.

In December of 1999 Todd traveled to Venezuela to carry out a job/task for his company. Then the mudslides came, and we (his parents) were slightly distressed about the situation, as he would be in that place for an extra 12 days or so. But not to worry, as we later found out. I quote his December 28, 1999, e-mail: “Subject: alive and well… and out of Venezuela! Flight out of Valencia was very interesting. Sandy, former Super Cable Employee, FUTURE WIFE and I drove over to Valencia….“ That’s as far as his mother and I read before we exclaimed, “FUTURE WIFE!” And the rest as they say is history. Sandy, that was our first introduction to you and that you would become a wonderful addition to our family.

But Sandy, you were a part of our family long before that. It is just that neither you nor we knew that yet. Let me tell a story to illustrate what I mean. Between Todd’s 5th and 6th birthdays he made 5 trips to Sarasota Memorial Hospital to live in an oxygen tent. He had developed tremendous allergies, as, we discovered later. Once discovered, he immediately went on two allergy shots per week for several months, then one per week for a few months, and suddenly he needed none at all. As a parent, it is extremely heart wrenching to see your child gasping for every breath as he went through these allergy attacks and the pain of the shots and so forth. Yet, we knew God had a plan for his life, and his standing here today, healthy and in love is a witness to that plan. Psalm 139 is one of my wife’s and my favorite scriptures. Let me quote verses 13-16: “You, 0 Lord, made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - and how well I know it. You, 0 Lord, watched as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day has passed.” Therefore, we believe God knew way back then that Todd would make the choices that lead him to this day. We also believe God knew you, Sandy, would be here. For you need to know that you are an answer to prayer. Even when Todd was as young as 2 or 3, we used to pray over him as we tucked him into bed that God would take care of and keep safely the special young lady He had planned and prepared to be Todd’s bride. Therefore, Sandy, though we didn’t know you personally nor you us until one year ago this time of year, you have been a part of our family for a long time. And we are glad. When we met in person one year ago, there was an immediate love and bond between us. Sandy, you are a great blessing to our family, and we trust, hope, and pray Todd is the same for your family.

Success in marriage consists not only in finding the right mate, BUT ALSO IN BEING THE RIGHT MATE. You, Todd and Sandy, have found the right mate and, by personal observation, are also BEING the right mate. Each partner in a marriage must not give 50%, nor 100%, but must give 110% in order for the relationship to be as wonderful, as loving, and as freeing as it ought to be. Love’s definition is always looking out for the best good for the other person. The Apostle Paul talked of this in I Corinthians 13 where he wrote: “…if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever. There are three things that will endure - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love.”

Let us now proceed with the ceremony.

-CHARGE-

Lamar: The union you are about to enter is the closest and tenderest into which human beings can come. It is a union founded upon mutual respect, affection, and the Blessings of God. Your paths will be parallel, your responsibilities will increase, but your joy will be multiplied, as you are God’s Blessing to one another.

-QUESTION OF INTENT-

Lamar: Sandy, will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

Sandy: I will

Lamar: Todd, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

Todd: I will

Lamar: Todd and Sandy, join hands and say your vows

-VOWS-

Todd: Sandy, here before our friends and family, I vow to love you with all my strength and cherish every moment that we spend together, I vow to be your friend, to be patient and truthful to you, and to recognize and value your efforts, May we support, comfort and strengthen each other through life’s joys and sorrows May my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home You are my peace, my complement from this day forward.

Sandy: Todd, here before our friends and family, I vow to love you with all my strength and cherish every moment that we spend together, I vow to be your friend, to be patient and truthful to you, and to recognize and value your efforts, May we support, comfort and strengthen each other through life’s joys and sorrows May my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home You are my peace, my complement from this day forward

Lamar: This is a moment of celebration; let it also be a moment of dedication to one another. May the love you have found grow in meaning and strength, may the flow of your love help brighten our world, and may God, the source of all love, touch and bless your lives with courage and joy.

-RINGS-

Lamar: The circle - the emblem of eternity, the sign of God’s completeness, and a symbol of committed and never ending love. Gold - the type of that which is least tarnished and most enduring is to show how lasting and imperishable is God’s love and the love now mutually pledged by you to each other. As often as either of you looks at this symbol. I hope you will be reminded of the commitment of love and fidelity that you have made today.

Todd: I, Todd, give you Sandy, this ring, as a symbol of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you. With this ring, I thee wed.

Sandy: I, Sandy, give you Todd, this ring, as a symbol of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you. With this ring, I thee wed.

-SILVER COINS-

Lamar: Now the couple will exchange silver coins

Todd: Sandy, receive these silver coins as a token of all we will share.

Sandy: I receive them gratefully

Sandy: Todd, receive these silver coins as a token of all we will share.

Todd: I receive them gratefully

PRAYER

-PRONOUNCEMENT-

Lamar: Before this gathering, Todd and Sandy have committed themselves to holy wedlock and witnessed the same before God and these witnesses, and have given pledge by these rings and coins of their deep and abiding love for each other. Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Commissioner of Marriages, I now pronounce that you are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may kiss the bride

-Todd and Sandy kiss-

Lamar: I introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Todd Holsopple