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Okay everybody, I think we are about to start.
So if you all would like to take your places.
And all of you following us online
we are about to start.
[In portuguese] And all of you following us online, we are about to start.
You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance
to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry.
From that moment of yes to this moment of yes,
indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way.
All those [conversations] over a meal or during long walks
all those sentences that began with "When we're married"
and continued with "I will, and you will, and we will"
those late night talks that included "someday" and "somehow" and "maybe"
all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart.
All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.
The symbolic vows that you are about to make
are a way of saying to one another, "You know all those things we've promised
and hoped and dreamed, well, I meant it all, every word."
Look at one another and remember this moment in time.
Before this moment you have been many things to one another
acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher
for you have learned much from one another in these last few years.
Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life,
and things will never quite be the same between you.
For after these vows, you shall say to the world
this is my husband, and this is my wife.
Andre, do you promise to love, support and challenge Amy,
to be her closest friend, confidant and companion?
I do.
Amy, do you promise to love, support and challenge Andre,
to be his closest friend, confidant and companion?
I do.
Alex, could you please bring up the rings?
This is the point in the ceremony where we usually talk
about the wedding bands being a perfect circle,
with no beginning and no end.
But we all know that these rings do have a beginning.
Rock is dug up from the earth.
Metal is liquefied in a furnace at a thousand degrees,
then molded, cooled, and painstakingly polished.
Something beautiful is made from raw elements.
Love is like that. It's hot, dirty work.
It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings.
It's the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all.
Who would like to start?
There we go!
This ring is my promise to accept your imperfections and recognize your beauty.
This ring is my promise to accept your imperfections and recognize your beauty.
We, who are present, and those who are absent thinking about you,
pray that the inspirations of this hour, the intentions you have declared,
will not be forgotten. Blessings on you both and on your continued journey
into learning how to care for yourselves and for each other.
We stand by you as, for always, and in all ways,
you look out for each other physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
In as much as you have consented before us to be joined in marriage,
now, by virtue of the authority vested in me,
I now pronounce you
husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.