Ceremony
Harley and Noah had done a first look, in part, so neither of them would cry during the wedding.
It didn’t work.
The moment Harley saw Noah again, standing next to Farrah, who was officiating, and all of their friends and his sister, her eyes starting stinging, and the first tear slipped out when her father kissed her cheek and put her hand in Noah’s.
“Keep taking good care of my girl,” her father said with a bittersweet smile.
“Yes sir,” Noah said.
She swiped the tear away quickly, but she knew by the way Noah looked at her after she handed Jess her bouquet that he’d noticed. His eyes were glassy, too, when they faced each other, their hands clasped between them.
She sniffled, but she was able to stop crying, at least.
This was all she’d ever wanted, though. A marriage to a man she absolutely adored, a man she didn’t have to question, who didn’t fight her at the slightest provocation. A man who loved her so much and convinced her she deserved all of that love.
“Welcome, everyone,” Farrah said. “We are all gathered here today to celebrate the joining of Harley Anne Green and Noah Virgil Wilson in marriage.
“Marriage requires trust, love, and loyalty. It requires a sense of humor, but also an ability to be serious and care for each other. When I look at the couple before me, I see all of that in spades.” Farrah smiled at them. “I’ve never met two people who seemed more perfectly made for each other than these two, and it is an honor and privilege to be part of their marriage, a marriage that will stand the test of time and the pressure of the world.”
Noah squeezed Harley’s hand, and she looked away from Farrah to find his eyes already on her. She felt so steady with him there, looking at her like she was the only person in the room — on the planet.
“Are you two ready to take your vows?” Farrah asked.
“Yes,” they said at the same time, still looking at each other.
“Alright, then,” Farrah said. “Noah, do you take Harley to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love and care for her, to support her and let her support you, to be honest and faithful to her, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, for as long as you both shall live?”
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“I do,” Noah said.
“Harley, do you take Noah to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love and care for him, to support him and let him support you, to be honest and faithful to him, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” Harley said, barely holding back her tears again because she was so in love, and how was she so lucky as to be marrying someone like Noah? Someone who was so perfect and good?
Farrah led them through the traditional vows with Noah going first again, and Harley didn’t cry until she said, “until death do us part.”
Noah’s hand was immediately on her cheek to wipe the tears away.
“Do we have the rings?” Farrah asked.
Jess stepped forward with Noah’s wedding ring, and Poppy stepped forward with Harley’s.
“Noah,” Farrah said, “please place your ring on Harley’s finger and repeat after me: ‘With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a sign of my love and my commitment.’”
Noah did as he was told, his hands shaking a little as he lifted Harley’s left hand. “Harley, love, with this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a sign of my love and my commitment.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and she looked down to admire it. They’d picked their wedding rings out together and both were fairly simple. Hers was just twisted gold that formed a V that would accent the diamond in her ring that she was currently wearing on her right hand.
“Harley, please place your ring on Noah’s finger and repeat after me: ‘With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a sign of my love and my commitment.’”
“Noah, with this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a sign of my love and my commitment,” Harley said.
She lifted Noah’s left hand, noting that he’d also kept his engagement ring, which was just a thinner version of his wedding band, on his right hand, and slid his wedding band on his finger.
He let out a breath, the smile that hadn’t left his face brightening even more somehow as he looked up at her.
“Noah and Harley, you have declared your love for each other in the presence of these witnesses. You have made your vows and you have given and received rings as a symbol of those vows,” Farrah said, but neither of them were looking at her — not that they’d looked away from each other much during the short ceremony, anyway. “By the power vested in me by the State of Maine, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss each other, which I know you’ve both been dying to do.”
Harley laughed as Noah wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply while their friends and family cheered.
