With each delivered line, the vows felt heavier. But not in an unwelcome way. We may have entered this marriage with humor, but by the time I repeated the minister’s final line, “This is my solemn vow,” it felt like a solemn vow.
Tori repeated the minister’s lines back to me, holding eye contact the entire time. I forgot that we weren’t alone, that this was supposed to be a joke, because the way she looked at me felt more real than anything I’d felt in far too long.
“Lord, bless these rings to be signs of the vows by which Liam and Victoria have bound themselves to one another.”
Tori scrunched her eyebrows in clear confusion as she watched the minister turn to grab the rings I’d purchased as part of the package. At fifty bucks each, they weren’t breaking the bank. And though I’d made Tori the paper engagement ring, I knew we couldn’t very well have a ceremony without something to slide onto one another’s ring fingers.
We repeated the lines the minister asked us to say as we took turns sliding the thin, silver bands onto each other’s third finger. Hers was, as expected, a little loose, but I knew that didn’t matter too much all things considered.
“Now that Victoria and Liam have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Victoria and Liam, it is my joy to present you as husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” he said to me.
Without hesitation, I stepped forward, sliding my hand along her jaw and holding her firmly as my mouth covered hers.
Finally.
We kissed far longer than probably appropriate, but the applause and laughter that erupted around us caused me to finally pull back. My hand found hers once again and we turned to walk down the aisle.
“There will be photographs out in the grove,” the planner said to us as we reached the end of the aisle.
“Holy shit, we did it,” Tori said as soon as the planner stepped away to open the doors outside. “We actually did it.”
“We did,” I said, feeling like my entire body was buzzing. I held open the door for her and followed behind her out into the grove. Despite the late hour, the grove—being filled by lighted trees and under the moonlight—was much brighter than I expected.
“Hey,” a man said, stepping forward and shaking our hand. “I took some photos of the ceremony from inside and out here and then we usually do the formal portraits out here, if that works?"
I nodded when Tori looked at me. I’d paid for the nicest package we could get, considering the late booking.
“I think we get ten photos,” I told her.
“Got it,” she said, her expression slightly guarded. What was going on in her head?
“Okay, face one another,” the photographer directed. “Bride, put your arms around his neck.”
Tori stepped stiffly toward me, and I realized that the bubble we’d existed in while exchanging vows had burst, inviting reality back in.
I ignored the photographer’s directives and put my hand around to the back of her head, cradling her close, drawing her focus back to me. “We don’t have to do this.”
That seemed to give her pause. “No,” she said after a moment, as the photographer sighed his impatience. “Let’s do this. And then, burgers?”
“Burgers,” I agreed, because the moment we’d said our vows, I’d realize that they held no permanence. Tori could walk out of my arms, out of this grove, and I’d never see her anymore. While I knew that a real marriage didn’t equal ownership, I supposed there was a comfort in knowing that the person in question couldn’t slip away from you too easily once the license was signed. A plan to get burgers meant this wasn’t goodbye. “I suppose it’s far from traditional wedding food,” I told her as we performed the pose the photographer had instructed.
“I don’t even care,” she said, tipping her head back and looking up at me. “I’m starving. And ever since you brought it up in the waiting room, I just keep thinking about them.”
The photographer snapped a few photos, had us turn so we were in a prom-style pose. “I hope the ceremony was okay,” I said. “I chose Protestant, but I asked them to remove the prayer portions.