Shannon Bartella and Jon Fisher

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Weddings, Renewals and Committments

Shannon and Jon

Shannon Bartella and Jon Fisher of Kenmore New York were married at sunset on Saturday, January 8, 2005 on Sombrero Beach in the Middle Keys.

Shannon and Jon exchanged their vows on a beautiful evening in the Florida Keys accompanied by a wonderful group of friends and family. Shannon and Jon wrote their own words and included a lovely sand cermony, all of which we have included below. We wish Jon and Shannon a long and happy life together.

Ceremony

We are invited together today on this beautiful evening in the Florida Keys to share one of life’s great moments: the joining of Shannon & Jon in marriage.

We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to recognize a bond that already exists. This marriage is one expression of the many varieties of love. Love is one, though its expressions are infinite.

The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the individuals are equal, dependence is mutual and
the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

COMMITTMENT

Jon, do you here and now proclaim your love and devotion for Shannon? Do you promise to affirm her, to trust her, to respect her, and care for her during times of joy and hardship? Do you commit yourself to share your feelings of happiness and sadness? Do you pledge your faithfulness to her?

Shannon, do you here and now proclaim your love and devotion for Jon? Do you promise to affirm him, to trust him, to respect him, and care for him during times of joy and hardship? Do you commit yourself to share your feelings of happiness and sadness? Do you pledge your faithfulness to him?

RINGS

"A circle is the symbol of the sun and the earth and the universe, of wholeness and perfection, of peace and love. In marriage, it symbolizes a commitment to never ending companionship and love. These rings mark the beginning of a long journey together. Wear them proudly, for they are symbols which speak of the love that you have for each other."

As they exchanged rings, Jon and Shannon recited the following:

With a free and sincere soul, I give you all I am and all I am to become. Take this ring and with it a promise of devotion, patience, and love, for the rest of my life

VOWS

Jon and Shannon vowed to each other:

In loving you I have experienced the happiness, the hurt, the feeling of forever; the need to be with you and love you - it is all here inside of me. It is you I always think about, it is you I always miss, and it will always be you, because you are the one I love. To me, love means forever. No one will ever take your place or know me as you do. You always know what I am thinking and what I am feeling deep down. I will never love anyone the way I love you.

REFLECTION / JOINING

If you love someone, you will be loyal to them no matter what the costs. You will always believe in them, always expect the best in them, and will always stand your ground defending them. You will always have a safe and loving place for them in your heart and in your life.

Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all relationships at one time or another - remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives - remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Before this gathering, Shannon and Jon have promised each other their love and have given each other rings to wear as a sign of their deep commitment. By virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the State of Florida, I am honored to now declare you to be husband and wife.

You may kiss your bride

SAND CEREMONY

Jon and Shannon, you have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings and the exchange of a kiss. These acts represent a pledge between two people who vow to commit themselves to one another throughout their lives. You have promised today to share the rest of your lives with each other. We will now symbolize this promise through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand into one. They stand for all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be. As these two containers of sand are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be.

Jon and Shannon then each poured sand into a third bottle.