Rockport, MA is the most amazing town!  We vacation there a few times a year and just had to share it with our family and friends.  Here are just a few of the amazing sights from around town. 

 

 

Friday evening, we met up with our fabulous JP and Day of Coordinator (husband and wife team) to rehearse in the Meadow.  Everything went smoothly...in fact, we were even done early!

 

After the rehearsal we welcomed all of our guests that had come into town early with a dinner at Top Dog of Rockport.  We stuffed ourselves full of hot dogs, clam strips, chowder, beer and strawberry shortcake!  YUM!  It was SO much fun!  Almost as much fun as the reception itself....almost.

We woke up early (yes, we spent the night before the wedding together...and would never have done it any other way) and went for a walk around town.  We stopped for breakfast at one of our favorite little places and enjoyed some quiet time together before the craziness of the day began.  The day was a little rainy, but we didn't let that dampen our spirits.

 After getting back from breakfast, the girls went to the salon and the boys gathered at our rental house to have lunch, play video games and get ready.

We got a few special private moments together before the rest of the bridal party and parent pictures.  This was definitely one of the most magical moments of the entire day!

We opted to take pictures with the bridal party and parents before the ceremony.  I highly recommend doing this!!  We wanted to be able to attend some part of our cocktail hour and doing pictures before the ceremony was the perfect solution.

 Our ceremony was amazing.  I can't say enough wonderful things about our JP.  The ceremony itself was beautiful, emotional and even funny at times.  Our good friend Rob played Northern Sky by Nick Drake (one of our favorite songs) for the processional.  It was amazing!

Jordan & Christopher’s Wedding Ceremony

Rick:  Welcoming
On behalf of the N----- and Z----- families, welcome to Millbrook Meadow.

We have gathered here today to celebrate a marriage. There are special moments in our lives that we mark with ceremonies: ceremonies of celebration and of commitment: ceremonies that give expression to our thoughts and feelings at a special time in our lives. Today we have come together to share in the wedding ceremony of Jordan and Christopher.

In this ceremony, Jordan and Christopher stand before us, ready to make a public declaration of the deep private commitment that they have already made to one another. They wish to establish themselves socially and legally in a union of mutual caring and responsibility. In this union, each is saying to the other: Because I love you and care for you and know that you love and care for me, and because I believe that we are good for each other, I want to share my life with you.

For you, the families of both Jordan and Christopher, this is a special day in your lives as well. This wedding marks a new chapter in your family histories because it joins your two families together. Jordan and Christopher will draw from the heritage they bring from both of their families to create new traditions in this union.

Rick:  Reading
There’s no other love in the world like yours.
There’s no other life like the one you will share . . .
As two pebbles in a pool spread ripples forever outward,
Your two lives will blend into one and widen and grow through all the days of your love,
But each of you will still be you,
Two people, separate, original and independent, even in your togetherness.
Just as the flame of two candles can burn apart from one another and yet blend their light to brighten the same room,
You will be as one and still be two.
A wonderful adventure awaits you as you go forward from today to build a world as wide as your wishes and as dear as your dreams.
It will be a world where you can live the story of your love, a story that’s never before been told.

You’ve already shared so much from the time you first met just over 10 years ago. 

It is said that "If you love someone, let them go. If they return to you, it was meant to be. If they don't, their love was never yours to begin with..."  You two have done just that, you have returned to each other and are here today to publicly express your commitment to each other.  You have built a life and a home with each other, and your two beautiful cats, Willow and Morris.  And your beloved Red Sox have won two World Series’.  Could life be more perfect?

The couple has asked their good friend, Brian P-----, to do a reading.

Reading:  Brian P-----
The key to love is understanding...
The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word,
but those unspoken gestures,
the little things that say so much by themselves.

The key to love is forgiveness...
to accept each others faults and pardon mistakes,
without forgetting, but with remembering
what you learn from them.

The key to love is sharing...
Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together;
both conquering problems, forever searching for ways
to intensify your happiness.

The key to love is giving...
without thought of return,
but with the hope of just a simple smile,
and by giving in but never giving up.

The key to love is respect...
realizing that you are two separate people, with different ideas; that you don't belong to each other,
that you belong with each other, and share a mutual bond.

The key to love is inside us all...
It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients that will take you to its threshold;
it is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work... but the rewards are more than worth the effort...
and that is the key to love.

Rick:  Acknowledging Parents
Jordan and Christopher want to acknowledge their parents on this occasion.  They offer their profound gratitude to their parents for all the love and care they showed in raising them. The unconditional gifts of love and support that you have continually offered have inspired them to become who they are today, and they thank you, from the bottom of their hearts, for guiding them to this celebration of love here today. Without you, this day would not be possible.

Rick:  The Question of Intent
Jordan, hold Christopher's hands, palms up, so that you may see the gift that they are to you.  These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.  These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy.  These are the hands that will comfort you in illness and hold you when fear or grief fills you.  These are the hands that will give you support and celebrate with you in your accomplishments.  Jordan, do you take Christopher to be your husband, and promise to love, comfort, cherish and encourage him forever and ever?

Jordan:  I do.

Christopher, hold Jordan's hands, palms up, so that you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.  They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving.  These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the year, for a lifetime of happiness.  These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to fulfill your dreams.  Christopher, do you take Jordan to be your wife, and promise to love, comfort, cherish and encourage him forever and ever?

Christopher:  I do.

Rick (Reading):
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding.
May you always need one another - not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you" and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another's presence - no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another!

Rick:  Wedding Vows
Jordan and Christopher, you have pledged to share the responsibility for making this union one of equality, understanding and strength.  Please join your hands and declare your intentions in the presence of your friends and your families.

Jordan says:
I, Jordan, take you, Christopher to be my husband, my partner, my confidant, my best friend and my soul mate.  I promise to be always open and honest with you, to listen to you and to laugh with you.  I will love you, honor you, respect you and cherish you in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow for all time.

Christopher says:
I, Christopher, take you, Jordan to be my wife, my partner, my confidant, my best friend and my soul mate.  I promise to be always open and honest with you, to listen to you and to laugh with you.  I will love you, honor you, respect you and cherish you in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow for all time.

Rick:  Exchange of Wedding Bands (Best Man and Man of Honor will be holding rings)
These rings are your gifts to each other. They remind us that love is precious and eternal.  These rings, in their unbroken wholeness, without beginning or end, become the outward symbols of your inner bond.  May they always remind you that your lives are bound together by devotion and love.

Rick:  Jordan, please place Christopher’s ring on his finger and repeat these words:

Jordan places ring on Christopher’s finger and says:
Christopher, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment. I have no greater gift to give you than myself. May my arms be your shelter, and may we walk together through all things. I am honored to join my life to yours and call you my husband.

Christopher places ring on Jordan’s finger and says:
Jordan, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment. I have no greater gift to give you than myself. May my arms be your shelter, and may we walk together through all things. I am honored to join my life to yours and call you my wife.

Rick:  Words of Wisdom
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens; a good marriage must be created.  Our wish for you is that the following words of wisdom will become common practice in your marriage.

It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is at no time taking the other for granted.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing life.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each may grow.
It is finding room for things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which independence is equal, dependence is mutual, and obligation is reciprocal.  It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner

Rick:  Pronouncement
Now that you have spoken the words and performed the rites that unite your lives, I do hereby, in conformity with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, declare your marriage to be valid and binding.  By the power of your love and the commitment you have made to each other in my presence, I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may now kiss the bride.

(Bride and groom kiss)

Go forth together in the spirit of adventure, to grow together in understanding, helpfulness and love; so that your union may enrich your lives and the lives of those you touch.  Family and friends, it gives me great pleasure to introduce, for the first time as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Christopher N-----.

 

We had everyone gather after the ceremony for a group picture.  We're so happy with the way it came out, and can't wait to send copies to everyone!

 

Once everyone started heading up the street to the reception, we got a few more shots together in the Meadow with our amazingly brilliant photographer, Jake.

The reception went by so fast, but we had a fabulous time and actually remember everything!