Brandon is Married

I’m not sure what all I have said about Brandon and I don’t want to repeat myself but all of last year Brandon was dating up a storm. Come the end of last summer he settled on one girl who quickly became all he could talk about. The plan was to come out and visit us hear in San Diego during Christmas, propose and then get married sometime around June.

As it happened, he proposed in early December and got married December 29^th. To make it even more special for me Brandon asked if I would perform the ceremony.

Brandon and Ally were considering eloping but when Mom heard that, she convinced them to let her put on a small ceremony for them. We ended up having it at the Bagley’s house which has a small but absolutely beautiful yard and view. The photo’s on this page are the front and back of their wedding invitation.

Brandon and Ally left Mansfield on Christmas day in the afternoon after the kids had opened their presents, overnighted in El Paso and then arrived at Kira’s late on the 26^th. They spent Monday and Tuesday with Ben and Kira and then arrived here in the early afternoon on Tuesday around noon on the 28^th.

They brought Kira with them and at one point Brandon and Kira sat down at the piano and started playing hymns with Kira doing the left hand and Brandon doing the right hand. They were surprisingly good and it was a lot of fun.

We also exchanged Christmas gifts with each other.

 

Thursday, Dec 29 was the big day, it was a wonderful ceremony. Brandon and Ally wanted to keep it small so we only invited a few couples. The guest list included:

Roger & Wendy Platt

Dave & Diane Evans

Ken & Jeraldine Ellsworth

Kevin & Linda Bessey

Dave & Wendy Bagley

Kathy Marx & Mark ?

Ken & Trish Wolsey

Jeff & Tiffany Andrew

Kyle & Rebecca Knaphus

 

I think that was everyone and they all came except for the Ellsworth’s.

I had my wedding speech written out but as always, what I actually said was subtly different from what I have written but here is what I had written.

Good afternoon brothers and sisters

On behalf of Brandon and Ally I would like to welcome you here. Thank you for coming to support Brandon and Ally. They were thinking about eloping and having a big celebration in June but if you know Lisa (and everyone here does) then you know that was unacceptable so they agreed to let us put on a small ceremony for them.

To honor their desire to keep this ceremony small we only invited a few of the people who had a meaningful impact on Brandon as he grew up in this wonderful community. There were of course many who had a positive impact on Brandon’s life in untold ways but you guys stood out from the rest. Thank you for being there for Brandon as a young man and thank you for being here today for Brandon and Ally.

 

Brandon and Ally, what a beautiful couple you are. My heart breaks as I think about the tumultuous paths that you have both taken to get to where you are today but, at the same time, it is hard to be resentful of a life that has brought you to such a beautiful place. First of all, if it wasn’t for the lives you have lived then you wouldn’t have ever met. But then you might ask, “but why couldn’t we have met seventeen years ago?” well, seventeen years ago you were both very different people. Who knows if you would have even liked each other seventeen years ago?

What I do know is that our Heavenly Father has refined you both. You are both intelligent, patient, faithful, educated and excellent teachers and leaders. You are both strong and talented individuals and you would not be the people you are today if it weren’t for the trials you have both faced. But here you are today, about to join your lives together. This is where your Father in Heaven wants you to be. You are an important part of his plan. What a powerful force for good you will be. Heavenly Father has prepared you both for this day, and He has great things in store for you.

As you begin your new life together you will still face many challenges but now you will have the support of a companion at your side. I promise you that if you face these challenges with faith and prayer, your minds will be enlightened and you will be inspired as to how you can best overcome them. You will be blest that your two families will blend well and your home will be filled with joy and love. You will be the perfect example to your children. Through you, they will know how a truly happy family can be created, how a husband should treat his wife and a how a wife should treat her husband. You won’t just be a blessing to your family but to many. You will actually be unaware of much of the good you will do.

I feel weird giving you two marriage advice because I am sure you both know what you need to do as well as I do. Maybe even better than I do. I guess the only advice I have is to always put the welfare of your spouse ahead of your own welfare and to involve the spirit of God in every decision you make.

Brandon and Ally have prepared their own wedding vows so please face each other and share your vows.

---sharing of vows---

By virtue of the authority vested in my by the County of San Diego, I take pleasure in announcing that from this moment on, you are husband and wife, united in marriage.

You may now kiss your bride!

Brandon and Ally had written out their vows so here is what they said.

 

Brandon

I was 12 years old when I first prayed for you. I would open my window at night and ask God to send you my love and to help us make the choices necessary for us to be to be together.

And although we had no met, I’ve since learned that this was when you were baptized.

When I was 14 years old a man with authority laid his hands on my head and promised, on behalf of God that you and I would have the most wonderful experience that any human being could have in a marriage situation.

And although we had not met, I’ve since learned that this was when you resolved to have an eternal family.

And then we spent the next 25 years learning faith, hope charity, and love. We were lonely, but if we had met during this period we would have lacked the experience to truly appreciate each other. God wisely groomed us separately before He would allow us to grow together.

But when I turned 37 God revealed to me that you were ready and that you were waiting. And I was too.

And by the time I turned 38 I knew I had found you.

You told your friends we had a 1% change of making it, but I bought you this wedding ring after just one date. It didn’t feel reckless Ally, because I knew in my heart that God had been preparing us for each other since I was 12 years old.

The diamond on your ring, like you, is unique among gems. The craftsman, both for you and this gem, defied the standard in favor of highlighting the individual properties of the gem itself. Like, there is not another like it in the entire world.

And Ally, I saw your unique brilliance the moment we met. And I knew from the very beginning that you would be my last fist date, my last first kiss, and my last engagement. So I’ve tried to make each one truly memorable.

And in return you have done for me what the spring does for the cherry blossom.

Ally I promise to put you first always and, if you will allow it, I promise to build with you a life on this Earth so Heavenly that when we one day pass into the celestial kingdom you’ll recognize it as our home.

Ally

Brandon, we both knew a long time ago that by choosing to come to the earth that we would face many hardships - physical pain, grief & loss and also heartache. As I would face these hurdles I would ask God “why are you letting this happen?” Where is the lesson in all of this? – not knowing that every trial, and every mistake needed to happen in order for me to be standing right here marrying the man God has been preparing for me for a very long time. I needed to go through everything that I did so that I knew how to love you and let you love me back, to learn how to comfort you and protect you. I pledge to honor you, love you & cherish you as my husband today and for eternity. I promise to always listen to your counsel, even if I don’t always follow it. I promise to always keep God first in my life so that I can continue to be the wife that you deserve.

I will look to you as the head of our home as I have looked to Christ as the head of the church. I promise to love you without reservation, support you in making all of your dreams come true and grow with you in mind and spirit.

I promise that you will be as important to me as Ohio State football, tacos and as all episodes of Buffy the Vampire slayer put together.

But most importantly, I promise to always choose us first, I know that we’ve got this.

 After the ceremony we had some finger food and then headed to the Marine Room. The Marine Room is a very fancy restaurant right on the water. It is so close to the ocean that during a really high tide the water comes up on the windows. It was a very expensive place to eat but the occasion called for a special venue.

It was a wonderful and very special day.