This ceremony is one of the shortest and most intimate ones I  have yet performed. It has no script, because that was one of the requirements of this particular couple. They wanted every word to be an authentic and spontaneous  expression.

There were fifteen guests, including only their closest family members and friends. Before the ceremony, which took place in the backyard of the home they would share together, the guests mingled about until I gave them the sign that the ceremony was to begin. We all followed the Bride and Groom and processed to the spot where the ceremony was to take place. There was no music, except the sounds of nature—wind in the trees and a babbling brook nearby. We formed a circle, joined hands, and stood silently in this peaceful setting, bringing our focus together in loving har- mony.

After a few moments of silence, long enough to  move past the initial discomfort of  this  unfamiliar  happening,  I  invited  the guests to share their thoughts and  feelings about the  day. One by one, they all spoke and we laughed and cried together over the joy and  tenderness of  the  bond among them all. Some of them shared stories—both hilarious and tender—about the Bride and Groom. Others simply  expressed  their  best  wishes and  blessings  for  the Couple.

After the last of us spoke, the Bride and Groom turned to each other and exchanged their wedding vows and rings as the final sharing. We all fell into a natural silence for a few moments.

Officiant:

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the First Nation Church and the Knights of St. Valentine and in accordance with the laws of the State of the Maryland, I joyously pronounce you married.