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Meet the Couple Photos: Elements of Our Wedding: Logistics: |
Wedding of Michael Short and Marina DangWelcomeBen: Good afternoon and welcome. We are gathered here to celebrate the wedding ceremony of Michael Short and Marina Dang. It is a distinct pleasure and honor for me to perform your marriage ceremony today. I have been friends with Mike since seventh grade and have known Marina since the two started dating several years ago. Michael and Marina, I have watched your love and commitment to one another grow and today we celebrate the sacred bond of marriage together with family and friends which will solemnize the love you share for each other.As many of you know, the location of this marriage is very significant. Michael and Marina met each other right here at the Museum of Science nearly five years ago. Marina was working at the Museum in the summer of 2004 as an exhibit demonstrator at the Lord of the Rings exhibit. Mike was also working that summer at the museum as a blacksmithing and welding exhibit demonstrator. That first encounter was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Today in this same location Michael and Marina will be exchanging their vows of matrimony. There is an ancient Jewish legend from the holy book of the Zohar, that says that the soul is divided in half upon the birth of a human being. These two individual souls live apart from one another until they are united once again in love. As most of you know, Michael grew up here and has deep family roots in the Boston area. Marina was born halfway around the world, grew up in a small town in France and only came to Boston shortly before College. It is a beautiful sight to see these two individuals with such different and diverse backgrounds coming together today to celebrate their love. Declaration of IntentBen: Michael and Marina, I ask you now in the presence of your family and friends gathered here today to state your intentions.Do you both enter into this marriage freely, willingly, and of your own choosing? Marina and Michael: We do. Explanation and blessing of the ChupahBen: Today Michael and Marina solemnize their marriage under the chuppah. The use of the chuppah at a marriage ceremony is an ancient Jewish custom with important symbolism. This chuppah is very special because it is made with the Tallith-prayer shawl that Michael wore many years ago at his Bar Mitzvah. The chuppah cannot be supported alone. It is being held by four very special individuals to Michael and Marina. This represents the support and guidance this couple will receive during their marriage.The chuppah represents the tent of Abraham described in the book of Genesis in the bible. The tent of Abraham was always opened to welcome the weary traveler in need of shelter and sustenance. Abraham would welcome strangers into his tent, offer them food and shelter. Like the tent of Abraham, we pray that the home you build together will be filled with the love of family, welcoming friends, and concern for your fellow human being. May the home that you build together be filled with peace and tranquility and offer you refuge from the busyness and sometimes harshness of the world around you. Blessing Under the ChuppahBen: I now call forward Rachel who will bestow a blessing upon Michael and Marina as they stand under the chuppah.Rachel: May you be generous and giving with each other. May your sense of humor and playful spirit always continue to enliven your relationship. May you always respect the diversity of humankind. May you act with compassion to those less fortunate and with responsibility to the communities of which you are a part. May you appreciate and complement each other's differences. May you always share yourselves openly with your friends and family. May your home be a haven of blessing and peace.  Explanation and Song of SolomonBen: It is traditional at a Jewish wedding to recite versus from the Song of Solomon, one of the most poetic books of the entire bible. While it traditionally describes the love between G-d and G-d’s people, it is read at weddings to describe the love between a bride and groom. The Song of Solomon compares the love of newlyweds to that of the springtime, fresh and fragrant and blossoming into an enduring and mature love that will last for a lifetime.Michael and Marina, we all pray that your love will continue to blossom throughout your lifetime. Like the springtime, may your love forever be fresh and fragrant. May your love you feel for each other always be gentle and tender. May your love be a source of joy and celebration and may it comfort and sustain you during life’s hardships. May your love inspire you to work for a world of justice and wholeness and may it always bring you peace. I now will chant these ancient Hebrew words of love.
In the words of King Solomon: My beloved spoke, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over, and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in the land. The fig tree put forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Marriage Vows, Part IBen: It is usually the case that when people choose to write their own wedding vows, they do so as they are about to be married. Michael, on the other hand, wrote his vow two and a half years ago, even as he was still scared of marriage. Michael, will you, please, share with us what you wrote to Marina back in January of 2007?Mike: Marina, You really have changed my life forever. Now that you're a part of my life I couldn't bear to be alone again. No one, not even you or I, can predict whether or not we will work out. But now I know, and I want you to know, that I will put forth every ounce of effort into making it work, because the best way to shape our future is to spend as much energy as possible creating it. Vietnamese Earing TraditionBen: Before Western influence introduced the exchange of rings to Vietnamese weddings, marriage in Vietnam was sealed by a different tradition. In this tradition, the mother of the groom presents the bride with a pair of earrings. This gesture represents the start of a new relationship between the bride and her mother-in-law, and symbolizes the welcoming of the bride into her new family.In some Vietnamese families, the presentation of this jewelry is considered even more important than the exchange of wedding bands. This tradition teaches us that marriage is not only a unity of bride and groom, but a sacred bond of families. On this day, Michael and Marina will celebrate the bond and unity of family and friends.I would like to now invite forward Lori Short, Mike’s mom, who will present Marina with a beautiful pair of earrings.  Ben: Thank you, Lori. Presentation of GiftsBen: In Vietnam the presentation of earrings is then followed by the bride receiving many gifts from family. I understand that Michael’s grandmothers have something special for Marina. Frances Short and Annette Chason, you may now come forward. Marriage Vows, Part IIBen: Michael and Marina will now exchange their marriage vows. The vows that you exchange serve as a verbal reminder of the love you share for each other.Michael / Marina: I take you, Marina Dang/Michael Philip Short, To be my wife/husband; Loving what I know of you, Trusting what I don’t yet know. I will love you when we are together, And when we are apart. When life is peaceful, And as it challenges us. When I am proud of you, And when I am disappointed in you. In loving you, I will hold your family as part of my own. I will honor your goals and dreams, Always helping you to fulfill them. From my heart, I will seek to be open and honest with you. I will cherish our relationship, As it is a precious gift. Explanation of the Ring and Michael and Marina’s VowsBen: For centuries, man and woman have celebrated their love with the exchange of rings. The exchange of these rings symbolize that even though you remain two unique individuals, you have chosen to be bound together on this day. Just as the shape of a ring has no beginning and no end, your love for each other is eternal.I now call forward Jonathan Short, the best man, who will present the rings.  ConclusionBen: Michael and Marina, because you have chosen one another as lifelong partners and have promised to love one another all the days of your life before this loving community of family and friends, it is my pleasure along with the power invested in my by the state of Massachusetts on August 2nd, 2009 to pronounce you husband and wife. Michael you may now kiss your bride. |
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