Ian & Janey's Wedding, The Daniel Webster Inn, Sandwich, MA

Ian and Janey were fortunate to have a gorgeous day for their wedding ceremony under the Chuppah located in the beautiful gardens of the Daniel Webster Inn in Sandwich, MA. There were lovely flowers of all colors, their fragrance permeating the garden.

Violinists played special musical selections for guests as we awaited the entrance of the bride. Birdsong accompanied the violins, and butterflies and bumblebees alighted on blossoms blazing in the sun.

Janey was escorted by both her mother and father along the sidewalk bordering this sacred space, and the three of them approached me and Ian, waiting at the Chuppah. Her mom and dad were so moved in giving away their daughter, my wife Lianne captured the amazing moment mother and daughter both cried, recognizing the passage Janey is about to make toward her new life with Ian.

Ian and Janey exchanged custom vows, and special readings were given. Ian’s stepfather, Chris Titterington shared with us a special reading that he'd prepared for this occasion:

The Velveteen Rabbit

by Margery Williams

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When someone loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

The service then concluded with Ian and Janey sharing their custom vows, exchanging rings, and Ian's breaking of the glass. By introduction, I explained to their guests:

"There have been many stories explaining the breaking of the glass. For those of us here today, it serves to remind us of several very important aspects of a marriage. Janey and Ian and everyone should consider these marriage vows as an irrevocable act, just as permanent and final, as the breaking of this glass is unchangeable. The shattered glass also reminds us how fragile life and love can be. That sometimes a single thoughtless act, breech of trust, or marital misstep can damage a marriage in ways that are very difficult to undo, just as it would be difficult to undo the breaking of the glass. It serves as a reminder of the sanctity of marriage, and that the love of Janey and Ian should last for as long as it would take to make the glass perfectly whole again. It also symbolizes the transforming experience that marriage creates, leaving the bride and groom forever changed."

I am so grateful for having been selected to perform your special wedding ceremony. Congratulations Ian and Janey!