I have shed at least one tear at very wedding I've ever attended. It's not because I'm a big sap or because I think the bride is the most gorgeous I've ever seen her or because the groom looks overwhelmingly happy.
I cry at weddings because they remind me of all the love that my husband and I share.
When I got married, I was merely 18 years old. Looking back, I still acknowledge that it was a huge decision, even though getting married didn't change my day-to-day life in an overwhelming way, especially since Dylan and I were already living together. We decided to get married because marriage itself is a promise of life-long love. What gets me emotional at weddings are the vows, which often contain even deeper promises.
"I promise to always be the love of your life."
"I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you."
"I promise to be faithful and supportive, knowing that our marriage is always my top priority."
"I promise to comfort you if the Colts lose and drink beer with you when they win."
"I promise kindness and patience, respect and lightheartedness, attentiveness and self-improvement."
"I promise to hold your hand every night and to never let us lose our spark."
"I promise to be your navigator, consoler, sidekick, best friend, and soulmate. I promise you myself."
"I promise to never give up."
When you decide to get married, you are consciously making the decision to make and keep promises that you offer to your spouse on your wedding day. Sometimes you will have a rough day and be upset with your partner, but you always come back to those promises that you made. You can't promise to be a perfect person, but you can promise to try your best. Hearing vows at wedding ceremonies really help me remember not only why I chose to get married, but why I chose to marry Dylan. It always comes back to unwavering, unending, mutually-obsessive love.
Wedding vows allow a multitude of people to vocalize what they want to give to their partner and also share their truest, mushiest, most candid, and love-filled feelings with friends and family. Often times, the bride and groom share personal aspects of their relationship that you may never get to see otherwise. I tend to cry during the vow exchange simply because you can feel a room fill up and be swallowed by the love that another couple shares.
Love is something that we are so lucky to experience as humans. Sometimes people take their marriage, their partners, and the ability to love whole-heartedly for granted. I personally chose to get married for two reasons: I never wanted to go another day without having Dylan by my side and I never wanted to have another day that I wasn't completely, selflessly, star-crossed, head-over-heels in love. And I can't imagine my life any other way. The richness that love brings to your life is the most rewarding and fulfilling aspect of the human experience.
There will never be anything in this world - be it money, travel, sexual pleasure, science, religion, education, politics, fame, patriotism, etc. - that will ever be more powerful than LOVE.
