Felice and Graeme married on the bow of the Lucille at East 23rd Street and FDR Drive as about forty or fifty guests watched and cheered from the pier and twenty or thirty family members surrounded them on the boat’s front deck. A writer and phycisist respectively, this intercultural couple thoughtfully placed phycisist textbooks in lieu of flowers on their tables and asked an artist to draw portraits of their guests. They also asked Felice’s very talented brother to play the violin for the prcessional and recessional, as well as hired a live band for dancing. I think I noticed little jars of jam as gifts to guests. All these bits really made their wedding genuinely humanistic! I am sure everyone appreciated the sensual joys of personal art, talented musicians, and sweet jam to enjoy with their breakfast the next morning.
Their ceremony itself was part traditional and part personal. After semi-formal language about the meaningfulness of marriage, I also reminded guests to participate in Felice and Graeme’s life together by offering them encouragement. Felice and Graeme then exchanged vows they put together (see below). They had told me they wanted to tie the knot, so I added some words about the significance of the knot, which symbolizes the entwining of two hearts and lives into oneness whether the way be rough (like the seas!) or strewn with roses (as was the boat’s bow). I admit that I had to keep from staring with awe and delight, though: as I spoke, Felice and Graeme tied a super strong nautical knot with fierce rapidity. Then the tugged at it with equal force — and I mean real force! With wide eyes and the guests expressing much gleefulness, I improvised a bit with a line like: “Since you tied this knot with such will and so much ambition, your marriage will definitely be long lasting!”
For those searching for wedding vows, perhaps you will find Felice and Graeme’s inspiring:
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