From this day forth...

to have and to hold (1 of 1)

One of my favorite parts of a wedding day is the vows. I never tire of hearing them because they are perfectly timeless. It is so powerful to watch two people, hand in hand, gazing into each other's eyes and pledging their lives to each other. From that day forth, they are not two people but one. It's such a sacred moment. I remember saying our vows on our wedding day. I actually messed up and recited, "with this wing" instead of ring. I blame it on the nerves. Standing there in that moment felt so heavy, so wonderful and very surreal. This was the moment we had waited for during our engagement and on the other side of it the rest of our days awaited. We knew there wasn't a fairytale on the other side or that we'd ride off into the sunset with no worries or problems to come thereafter. For better or worse? We didn't know. The moment we left that alter, commitment started as well as the moment by moment decision to choose each other. The beauty of marriage isn't love, although that part is wonderful. It's the choosing day after day after day that marriage is worth it and that the vows they made that day are worth keeping. From this day forth...