Want an Original Wedding Ceremony?
As soon as I got engaged, I knew that I wanted to pen an original wedding ceremony for me and my husband, Brandon. The moment I stumbled upon our venue, The Carnegie Center of Columbia-Tusculum, my writer’s soul filled with excitement. The historic building used to be a library! It’s now a community-oriented, cultural event space, and they have preserved the literary atmosphere by maintaining its aesthetic and having shelves filled with all kind of books throughout the ballroom. What better way to commemorate this momentous occasion than to be surrounded by stories?
Blending creative writing with scriptwriting, I distilled the essence of Brandon’s and my relationship into a text that was brought to life exquisitely by my husband’s cousin Derek, who not only has a performance background but has officiated several wedding ceremonies.
DEREK: Friends and family, welcome. The lovely bride and the handsome groom have asked me to thank you for being here today — no matter where you are — to bear witness to their union in marriage.
Beat.
DEREK: Eighteen months ago, Brandon and Natalie made a pact to take care of each other for the rest of their lives. Natalie came home one evening, after working all day, when Brandon asked her to join him in the living room. He picked up a green, leather-bound notebook that Natalie had gifted him for their first Valentine’s Day in 2017.
One the first page of the notebook was a letter she had written to him. She said, “To my favorite human… You have the most incredible mind. Good, bad, weird, crazy, or otherwise. I am madly in love with you.” With this gift, she had hoped Brandon would write down anything and everything that intrigued him.
The first thing he wrote, back in 2017, was a love letter to her. So, in his proposal 18 months ago, Brandon read it aloud for the first time. He said, “Natalie, I know that I love you because I feel peace. My heart slows and my mind can rest… I hope the weird and crazy life I see for us lasts forever. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Then he dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. Not surprisingly, she said yes.
The story of their engagement is one of hundreds of stories from the last four years of their relationship. Together, they have created memories that are filled with laughter, friendship, emotional support, and challenges they have overcome.
The story of their engagement is one of Natalie’s favorite stories because it seems to her like it didn’t start 18 months ago when Brandon proposed — but instead three years ago when she gifted him the notebook. If you ask Brandon, the story of their engagement started even earlier, in 2016, when he realized after their first date that she was the one.
Today, we gather in Cincinnati, around the country, and even abroad, to witness the very first moments of their marriage. In tying the knot, they commit their lives, laughter, and love to each other, so long as they both shall live.
Beat.
DEREK: Brandon and Natalie, do you vow…
To provide unending support in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer?
To cherish your friends as family, and to honor your family with unconditional love?
To never forget the loved ones who have passed… To always tell their stories so they are ever present in your lives?
To build a home that provides sanctuary and happiness for those you welcome?
To keep sacred the holy tradition of Sunday breakfast?
To stay faithful to one another, as well as to Converse shoes?
To favor devotion over indifference, and compassion over judgment?
Above all else, do you vow to hold one another in your heart at all times, and to live wholly for each other and your family, until death do you part?
NATALIE: I do.
BRANDON: I do.
DEREK: May we have the rings?
Maid of Honor and Best Man hand over the wedding rings.
DEREK: The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love that is freely given has no beginning and no end. No giver and no receiver, for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken.
Brandon and Natalie exchange rings.
DEREK: By the power vested in me, it’s my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Brandon and Natalie Koking!
Photos: Nicole Lee Photography.
Ever since I started to write copy and content as a side hustle years ago, I’ve wanted to write original wedding ceremonies. I’ve penned a few for friends, and I’d absolutely love to write more. For my dear friend and bridesmaid Krista Westfall, I spent some time getting to know the interests she shares with her husband, Brent, as well as all the inside jokes, couple’s quirks, and overall tones and vibes of their wedding, in order to make their ceremony truly original. They absolutely love Metallica, and Krista walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of one of their songs, so we made sure to include some lyrics in their vows.
In my humble opinion, a wedding is one of the most special days of a couple’s life together. Your ceremony should be as original as you and as personal as your relationship.
Want a professional writer for your wedding ceremony? Let’s chat!
