Not Another Big Fat Greek Wedding

What an honor! I was asked to officiate my Greek BFF's sister's July wedding. Both the bride and groom entrusted me to create a personalized and unique ceremony without sharing it with them before their wedding day. A total surprise ceremony for the couple and their guests. My words were as follows....

I. GATHERING WORDS

Welcome everybody! Good evening, family and friends… Kalós o-ree-sa-te

It is an honor for me to be standing in front of you officiating this wedding- the bride’s sister, Shaylee and I have been the closest of friends for many years. SO close that I consider her my sister. Kalen, I love your sister as she were my own which makes you my sister as well.   And, it was just a few short years ago on a July 4^th weekend when we were all in Vail together and Kalen asked that we accompany her to meet-up with Garrison and his brother Ian. I remember talking with Kalen about what she was feeling and the connection they made.  That was the beginning of Kalen & Garrison’s courtship so it is only fitting that I am here for the beginning of their marriage.

                                                       

It is also an honor to marry Kalen & Garrison this week in July because Wednesday was their shared birthday (along with Ian of course).  So not only did they both begin life this week, now they are beginning a new life together. I can’t think of a better birthday gift to each other than the gift of marriage? Though I am sure it’s probably the most expensive birthday party you’ve ever thrown….

July seems to be a magnetic month for the bride and groom- a rhythmic beat on the calendar when the stars align and special things happen.  It is the month they met, the month they got engaged, and now the month they getting married. With this cadence, I think we will all be on the edge of our seats to see what new milestone next July brings this couple. Perhaps we will have more to celebrate with them next year? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

On behalf of Kalen & Garrison, thank you for joining us this evening

They are delighted that you have come to share in their joy.

By your presence, you celebrate with them

The love they have discovered in each other

And you support their decision to commit themselves to a lifelong relationship

K & G are blessed to share their wedding day with you all

And thank each of you for coming from near and far

(Kalen’s family from CA, AZ, UT and her Aunt Tula and Cousin Rula from Greece

Garrison’s family from Florida and GA).

II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF FAMILY

Today represents not only the joining of Kalen & Garrison in their marriage

But also the joining of their families...

The Campbells and Kotsakis families are both driven and hardworking, carving their own path each of them building successful family businesses that will bless generations to come. They are loyal and dependable and will stand by their loved ones through thick and thin.   Kalen, your mother Linda and grandmother Edith are Campbells themselves, and now they are here watching you take the same name in marriage). An unusual coincidence as if Kalen and Garrison’s genealogy was already written.

Genealogy btw is a greek word! from Greek: γενεά genea, "generation"; and λόγος logos, "knowledge"

The Greeks have influenced and contributed to modern society through their many innovative gifts to the world. In the next few months alone, we will be watching their Olympic Games, followed by the upcoming presidential election based on their democracy.

The Greeks gave us the philosophies of Plato and Socrates, the poetry of Homer and Aesop and the science of Archimedes and Hippocrates.

Kalen to your mom and dad and to Garrison, you are the best Greek gift of all!

III. MARRIAGE ADDRESS

Marriage is a magnificent opportunity to share one’s life with another
And to enjoy the adventures inherent in this most intimate of human relationships.
Today, we gather here to celebrate with Kalen and Garrison
As they embark on this voyage together.

Kalen & Garrison, as I stand before you today, having gotten to know you both, your strengths, your weaknesses, your similarities and your differences,

I want to offer you a few suggestions and some solid advice for a happy life together and a healthy marriage. Since you both possess business acumen and chose sales-driven careers, the advice is written as financial topics to which you can easily relate.

Investment in your Future:

Garrison, as a professional in wealth management, one can say you delivered the best personalized investment solution for long-term goals out there! Your commitment to Kalen and devoted love with bring you both an abundance of wealth in your relationship. Whether you have figured this out already or not, being a great husband is just like being a great financial advisor.

#1 Before you invest in any asset (and yes Kalen is the asset here), you should understand how it works, and the forces that influence it to minimize your risk. Kalen has shown you her heart and what makes it beat- her energy for life, her dedication to her work, her loyalty to her family and friends and her love for you..and here you stand before us, where you should be…not just believing but knowing you are marrying your one true love. You are ALL IN, Chihuahuas, chinchillas and all.


#2 Now that you are invested, you can use the same skills that make you successful in your career as you do in your marriage….here is a useful list for you to use when you need them. All you need to do is swap the word client for wife…

· Desire to develop and deepen client relationships
· Ability to put the client first
· Strong communication skills for
· Ability to listen and understand and anticipate your clients’ needs
· Appreciation for your client’s trust in having chosen you
· Happy client, happy life

Diversification

It may be your similarities that brought you together such as your strong family foundation, unbreakable bonds with your siblings, your sense of adventure to travel, your active lifestyle which I call the “ing” life- golfing, running, skiing, Doing

But it is your differences that keep you together. It’s what compliments and completes you.
Embrace those differences.One of the beauties of marriage is that your individualities and dissimilarities create balance, allows you to grow, keeps you challenged and opens your world to new experiences. Kalen has shared her love for animals with Garrison and he has now embraced her dogs Henry & Kosmo. Now, Garrison- maybe you can inspire Kalen to train for her first ironman.

My hope for you Kalen & Garrison is

That you have many long years to delight in each other’s company

To feel gratitude for your great fortune, in having found and loved each other

To make a sheltering and welcoming home together,

Filled with lively and spicy mini- Kalen’s and Garrison’s children

To each do meaningful, productive work in your marriage and in the world

And above all else be respectful of one another.

Respect is the catalyst for all things beautiful in a relationship:

trust, connection, authenticity and love

It’s a deep feeling of admiration for each other

elicited by your remarkable abilities, unique qualities and achievements.

Be generous with compliments.

Be attentive and helpful.

Be constantly grateful for the discovery and attainment

of this incredibly special person who has chosen to make a life with you.

IV. VOWS

And so now we come, Kalen and Garrison,

to the exchange of vows and the exchange of rings

which symbolize and bind your love to each other. They are solid and sturdy, meant to withstand a lifetime of love and the daily wear and tear through all your “ings” Whether you are biking, swimming, drinking, dishwashing, painting, dabbing, highfiving, hand-holding, or even fighting….let your rings be remind you of the vows you are about to exchange… 

I, Kalen, take you Garrison, to be my husband, my companion, my friend for life.

I promise to care for you in both the joys and sorrows of life and share with you the responsibility for growth and enrichment of our lives together.

With these words, and all the words of my heart, I marry you and bind my life to yours.

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I, Garrison, take you Kalen, to be my wife, my companion, my friend for life.

I promise to care for you in both the joys and sorrows of life and share with you the responsibility for growth and enrichment of our lives together.

With these words, and all the words of my heart, I marry you and bind my life to yours.

V. EXCHANGING OF THE RINGS

You will now exchange rings as a symbol of the lifelong commitment and abiding love which you as husband and wife have promised to each other.

Garrison, please place the ring on Kalen’s finger, and repeat after me.

“I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.”

Kalen, please place the ring on Garrison’s finger and repeat after me.

“I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.”

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VI. ROSE CEREMONY

There are two kinds of family — the family you are born into and the family you choose through friendship and special relationship.

Kalen and Garrison are blessed with both these families.

This Rose ceremony seeks to honor the continuity as well as the growth and possibilities of these relationships.

In honor of the love they feel towards the loving people in their lives, their mothers have chosen a rose that represents their respective families and placed them in the vases behind me to create a blended garden of love.

Kalen & Garrison, as you transfer your families’ roses together in one vase it will create a new and fuller garden.

Each flower represents an individual, the floral arrangement the interrelationship of these family members and friends.

May all your relationships continue to grow and blossom.

VII. BLESSING

As this couple has joined lives here today,

it's important to understand that everyone present

has played a part in shaping the characters of Kalen & Garrison,

and will play a vital role in their continuing lives.

And thus we are here not only to witness their vows to each other,

but also to bestow upon them our blessing.

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.

Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there will be no more loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you.

May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead.

And may your days together be good and long upon the earth.

Before I pronounce you married partners, I have just one more thing to ask of you. Your wedding day is one that seems to fly. There is so much to take in and It’s a day filled with the lots of emotion - excitement, stress, relief …Many people remember how fleeting their own wedding day was. You’ve spent years dating and then planning for this very moment. So I want you to take a few seconds to look into each other’s eyes. Think about the happiness that you are feeling in this place, in this moment.
Really let that feeling register in your heart and your mind.

VIII. DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE

Kalen & Garrison, having witnessed your vows for marriage before God and all who are assembled here, by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!

It is my privilege to introduce to you for the first time...Mr. & Mrs. Campbell!