"Please face each other." Aidan and I faced each other, my hands in his. "Please repeat after me."
"We swear by peace and love to stand," he paused allowing us to repeat his words, "Heart to heart and hand in hand." Pausing once more as we replayed his words. "Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now," again the same words flowed from our lips. "Confirming this, our Sacred Vow," we both seemed to pause but spoke the last of the wedding vows.
"The rings?"
The priest looked to James who was handing them over, placing them on a small silver plate. The priest said a blessing in Gaelic and then handed my ring to Aidan.
"Please repeat after me while placing the ring on Lillian."
Aidan seemed to take a deep breath and held the platinum circle at my ring finger's tip. I sucked in a breath and held it. The priest spoke.
"With these hands, I give you my heart," Aidan repeated, continuing the vow without prompting.
"With these hands I give you my heart and crown it with my love." I looked up, startled that he finished without the priest’s guidance. His eyes were intense again, as if they were seeking permission into my soul.
The priest was caught off guard for a moment but quickly recovered.
"Lillian, please repeat after me."
Holding the ring at Aidan's hand, a knot formed in my stomach. This was it, this was it...this was me being bought and paid for like a prize mare. The priest spoke the first line of the vow.
"With these hands, I give you my heart," I repeated and quickly finished the vow before even realizing I had.
"With these hands I give you my heart and crown it with my love." It came out so effortlessly, I was still in shock. I knew my eyes were wide when I quickly looked up at Aidan who was smiling crookedly at me.
The priest broke our moment.
"Now Aidan and Lillian will drink to celebrate their union," The priest blessed two silver goblets as he poured wine into both. Handing each of us a cup, he began the 'Loving Cup' ceremony.
"And, now, please drink to the love you've shared in the past." We drank. "Drink to your love in the present, on this, your wedding day." We drank. "And drink to your love in the future and forever more." We drank.
"Lillian and Aidan have committed themselves to their love, their future together and to their families. Aidan, you may kiss your bride."
Aidan grabbed both sides of my face and pressed his lips to mine. His tongue slid slightly between my lips and I swore I heard him moan quietly. The knot in my stomach changed into a different type of tension as heat consumed my body. He pulled away from the kiss, whispering against my lips, "Thank you."
The priest completed the ceremony with one final traditional Irish blessing.
"May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields.
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand."
When he finished he nudged us to face our families and guests.
"I present to you, Mrs. Lillian and Mr. Aidan Walsh Iverson."
The music started, Phoebe handed me my bouquet and Aidan and I walked down the aisle as husband and wife. We stopped just outside the opening doors and lined up for the receiving line.
"You look beautiful, Lilli." I turned towards him. I hadn’t expected him to say anything.
"Um...thanks. You're not too bad yourself." I winked and smiled.
Before I could turn away, he cupped my cheek and kissed me tenderly. I was slightly taken aback. But, our guests started to approach us so I didn't have too much time to think about it.
The receiving line went smoothly, though it took over an hour. Once finished, we were ushered to different locations in the large room for photos.
"We’re seriously taking photos of this?" I whispered into Aidan’s ear as we posed in front of the sunset through the windows.
He rolled his eyes. "It is our wedding day, you know."
I snorted, trying not to break into a giggle fit.
Aidan pulled me closer and kissed me. The flash went off. The photographer had been shouting out posing orders and I hadn’t been paying attention. There were photos with the wedding party, our parents, the priest and Aidan and I alone.