Wedding Ceremony of Jenny and Art
Scripps Pier, La Jolla, CA
December 21, 2009
Matteo:
For though the beauty of the Quendi
in the days of their youth
was beyond all other beauty
that Iluvatar has caused to be,
it has not perished,
but lives in the West,
and sorrow and wisdom
have enriched it.
- J.R.R. Tolkien, from The Silmarillion, "Of the Coming of the Elves"
Drew:
More than 30 years ago, 18-yr-old Jenny Rola. and 20-yr-old Artie Miller
left behind their lives in Missouri and Ohio
to seek adventure and beauty in the pine forests and mountain ranges
of Yellowstone National Park during the summer of 1978.
By chance, they found each other
in the glorious sunshine and glittering stars of the wilderness
and in their attending a performance of "South Pacific" in the Teton Theatre in Jackson Hole.
And a romance blossomed at the Old Faithful Lodge.
Sasha:
Some enchanted evening
You may see a stranger,
you may see a stranger
Across a crowded room
And somehow you know,
You know even then
That somewhere you'll see her
Again and again.
Some enchanted evening
Someone may be laughin',
You may hear her laughin'
Across a crowded room
And night after night,
As strange as it seems
The sound of her laughter
Will sing in your dreams.
- From "South Pacific" by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Drew:
Although pride and fear caused them to hide their true feelings,
and then distance and time separated them,
while they built their lives and raised their children,
a powerful and long-dormant seed was planted in Yellowstone
that miraculously sprouted decades later.
Matteo:
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gait
And though we pass them by today
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the moon or to the sun
- Bilbo Baggins, from the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Sasha:
Who can explain it?
Who can tell you why?
Fools give you reasons,
Wise men never try.
Some enchanted evening
When you find your true love,
When you feel her call you
Across a crowded room,
Then fly to her side,
And make her your own
Or all through your life you
May dream all alone.
Once you have found her,
Never let her go.
Once you have found her,
Never let her go!
- From "South Pacific" by Rodgers and Hammerstein
Drew:
Now, with their love in full radiant bloom,
we stand here together as friends and family
with the two lovers who are ready to pledge their troth
and share the rest of their lives as husband and wife.
Mary:
Try, try to forget,
What's in the past,
Tomorrow is here.
Love, warm sky above,
lighting your way
there's nothing to fear.
Birds singing a song,
Old paint is peeling,
This is that fresh
That fresh feeling.
Words can't be that strong,
my heart is reeling,
This is that fresh,
That fresh feeling.
- Mark Everett of The Eels
Drew:
From the Big River and from the Flats of the Cuyahoga
to the Golden Shores of the California Coast,
Jenny and Art have merged their lives and families.
Their lifetimes of experiences have forged their characters and spirits,
and they find themselves compatible, supportive, positive, passionate,
and, above all, loving beings.
Sasha:
Borne
On the first warm winds of
Feelings newly found
Fly
But remember
Don't look down
Take as much as you think you ought to
Give just as much as you can
Don`t forget what your failures have taught you
Or else you'll learn them all over again
Or else you'll have to learn them
All over again
- Dan Fogelberg
Ian:
Let's be undecided,
let's take our time
And sooner or later,
we will know our mind
We'll be on the outside,
we won't care
Cause we're together,
that's somewhere.
I woke up early,
couldn't go back to sleep
Cause I had been thinking
of where it all would lead
So I made you wake up,
I said, "Let's take a walk,
I wanna hold your hand,
we don't have to talk"
And there's a big day coming,
about a mile away
There's a big day coming,
I can hardly wait.
- Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo
Sean:
Late in his career,
when he was playing in pain every day,
Joe DiMaggio was asked by a reporter
why he hustled so hard
on a play
that meant so little
in a game
that had no bearing
on the Yankees' pennant chances
that year.
DiMaggio said:
"Because there might be some kid out there
who's never seen me play before.
I owe him my best"
This creed, going "all out" every day for one another, is one that we should all live by.
Peter:
Let your beauty be not
just the outward adorning of braiding the hair,
and of wearing jewels of gold,
or of putting on fine clothing;
But in the hidden person of the heart,
in the incorruptible adornment
of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God
very precious.
Be like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, courteous,
not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult;
We who would love life, and see good days,
let us keep our tongues from evil,
and our lips from speaking deceit.
Let us turn away from evil,
and do good.
Let us seek peace,
and pursue it.
- 1 Peter 3:3-11
Mary:
Put on then....compassion, kindness,
lowliness, meekness, and patience,
forbearing one another and,
if one has a complaint against another,
forgiving each other.
And above all these put on love,
which binds everything together
in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ
rule in your hearts....
And be thankful.
- Colossians 3:12-15
Drew:
Jenny and Art, you may now give your vows to each other.
Jenny:
As if time stood still,
you accepted me back into your life
with open arms and a warm open heart.
This second chance has allowed me to appreciate and recognize
the beautiful person you are and how lucky I am.
I take you Arthur Joseph Miller to be my husband
to love, honor, cherish and respect all the days of my life.
I look forward to every day with you and want to grow old together in love.
"The more I give, the more I have, for both are infinite."
Art:
From that spellbound jeep ride through Yellowstone and the Tetons,
to the electric enchantment of at last looking into your beautiful eyes once again.
From the fear of humiliation and rejection
to the courage of revelation and commitment.
From just my imagination running away with me,
to trading all my tomorrows for a single yesterday that can now last forever.
Jenny Rola', I've waited 30 years to say this.
I take you as my wife,
with all the love and understanding of my heart and spirit,
here now, for you, spoken freely and passionately
in front of our families and friends.
Drew:
Jenny and Art, you may now give each other the rings
that represent symbols of your enduring love and lasting affection.
Mary:
You and I,
TOGETHER,
as long as we are,
that's all that matters.
TOMORROW doesn't exist.
There can only be NOW.
You cannot ask for more.
There is NO MORE to ask.
- Demelza Poldark, from the Poldark series by Winston Graham
Drew:
By the powers vested in my by the State of California and the Universal Life Church,
on this WINTER SOLSTICE,
which for thousands of years has represented RENEWAL and NEW BEGININGS,
I now pronounce you HUSBAND and WIFE.
You may now kiss.
Minister: Dr. Drew Lucas
Maid of Honor: Ms. Mary O'Toole
Best Man: Dr. Sasha Gershunov
Court: Mr. Matteo Miller-Nicolato, Mr. Ian O'Toole, Mr. Sean O'Toole, Dr. Peter Bromirski
Guitar: Mr. Kaushik Srinivasan
Photographer: Mr. Aneesh Subramanian