Dawn and David wrote vows that were said in conjunction with the traditional ones.
The couple’s words:
“To my dearest Dawn/David,
Today is the day I give all of me to all of you.
On this day, I promise to support you mentally,
emotionally, and spiritually,
so that we may continually grow together as one.
On this day, I promise to be your confidant(e),
so that your heart may always be open to me.
On this day, I promise to offer you comfort in bad times,
so that we may be stronger in hours of need.
On this day, I promise to rejoice with you in good times,
so that we may know the blessing of sharing happiness.
Above all, on this day, I thank you for choosing me to love, support,
comfort, and confide in,
and I thank God for allowing me to know the love that is within, and that is … you.”
From the minister:
“I, David/Dawn, take you, Dawn/David,
to be my lawfully wedded wife/husband,
to come to this life filled with caring, honesty, and mutual respect.
I vow to love, honor, and cherish you
through all the changes of our lives,
for as long as we both shall live.”
Dawn and David’s Traditional wedding vows adapted from Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner, by Harriette Cole (Henry Holt, 1995), and The Nubian Wedding Book: Words and Rituals to Celebrate and Plan an African-American Wedding, by Ingrid Sturgis (Three Rivers Press, 1998)
