Our Wedding Vows ❤

Whenever we talk about our wedding day with our guests, our vows always come up as the highlight. The very different personalities that Edward and I have showed when we exchanged vows - evident just by the choice of language.

Edward had a letter sent to me a couple of hours before the ceremony started . Every one around me was shocked at my reaction when I saw and read it - I was bawling my eyes out! The photographer even bantered, he thinks the letter was rubbed with onion extract. 

Reading that letter just brought a flashback of memories of the wonderful feeling that I always have while reading Edward's letters and poems. It also made me even more expectant to hear what he had put together for his vow.

We were asked by a few guests for a copy of our vows (actually, just Edward's but I'll just share mine anyway, hehe).

My relatives from overseas marvelled hearing the profound Filipino words of Edwardo. :)

Edward's Vow

Jei Ann, 

Nandito tayo ngayon, sa harap ng Panginoon, ng ating mga magulang, kaibigan, at mga taong malalapit sa atin, na simula pa noong una ay bahagi na ng ating kwento.

Ang kwento natin, sa marami marahil ay kwento ng pag-ibig. Subalit sa akin, ito ay kwento ng aking buhay. Maraming yugto, pero mananatiling tayong dalawa lang ang tauhan, hanggang sa ang aklat nating dalawa, ay isara ng ating Panginoon.

Ikaw ang lahat. Ang lahat lahat sa akin. Magkasabay nating natutunan ang mga bagay na kung sa sarili lang natin ay hindi natin mawawari. Magkasabay nating natutunan ang kahulugan ng pag-ibig. Ikaw ang nagpadama sa'kin ng pag-ibig na alam kong kahit saan mang lupalop ko hanapin, ay hindi ko matatagpuan.

Salamat sa panahong hindi mo ipinagdamot upang mas magbunga ang mga hinabi natin. Salamat, dahil noon pa man, kasama na ako sa ga pangarap mo. Salamat sa maliliit na bagay, na kung sa iba manggagaling ay hindi magiging kasing kabuluhan. Salamat sa mga payo at pagpapagalit. HIndi ko ipagpapalit ang mga diskusyon at sagutan natin sa kasiyahan, kung di lang rin ikaw ang panggagalingan.

Salamat dahil halos kalahati ng buhay ko, kasama kita at insirasyon. Umiikot ang mundo ko sa "tayong dalawa". Hindi ako ako kung ako lang. Hindi ako ang kung ano ako ngayon kung wala ka sa buhay ko. Salamat sa tyaga, pasensya, salamat sa pagiging totoo, at sa pagsama sa'kin saan mang pihit ng tadhana, maging sa kalungkutan, kagipitan, kasiyahan at maging sa walang katuturang kulitan.

Salamat. Salamat hindi dahil sinusuklian mo ng pag-ibig ang pag-ibig ko sa'yo, kundi dahil hindi mo tinatanggihan ang isang bagay na buhat pa 'nung kamusmusan ay alam ko nang ialay. At iyon ay ang pag-ibig ko.

Sa pagbubukas ng bagong yugto ng ating aklat, ipinapangako ko ang walang-hanggang kasiyahan na madadama mo sa piling ko, at sa piling ng ating mga magiging anak. 

Ipinapangako kong tulad ng mga pangarap natin, bago dumating ang araw na ito, tutulungan kitang matupad ang buhay na pinapangarap mong matamasa. Ilalaan ko sayo ang oras na ipinagdamot sa'tin 'nung tayo'y magkalayo pa.

Alam kong ipinaubaya sa'tin ng Panginoon ang araw na ito, sapagkat tunay ang ating pag-ibig. Walang hihigit pa sa pag-ibig ko sa'yo. At kung daratnan ako ng wakas ng aking buhay, alam kong ang mga ala-ala ng pagmamahal mo ang mga huling larawang makikita ko.

Tatapusin ko ang panunumpang ito sa mga salitang, "Ako ay sa'yo, asawa mo, kaibigan mo, at kababata mo, na iibigin ka ng buong puso, sa hirap, ginhawa, hanggang sa huling hininga ng aking buhay."

- Edward

Jei Ann's Vow

My love,

Believe it or not, I can still remember where I was, how I felt and the thoughts that came to my mind the very first time I found out that you had a crush on me. That was 16 years ago, baby, and until I know I still feel giddy as a kid every time I get the chance to talk about you and who you are in my life.

I am savouring this moment and memorizing this unspeakable feeling when my dream is finally coming true. As a girl, long before Pinterest was invented, I have had pictures in my head of how I wanted my wedding to be like. My preferences have changed over the years but I have always known it was going to be with you.

Of course I am biased but I believe that ours is one of the sweetest love stories that God has ever written and I'm glad that you are staying in the picture and that you've also made it easy for me to stick to the character of His story. 

Remaining true to this was not without challenges but it was definitely an easy commitment to make, because you have shown me that what we have was heaven-sent. 

Your friends and peers know you as the guy with many talents but to me, the greatest strength that you possess is how you love.

Thank you for also making it easy for me to love, trust and have faith in others because when I gave these to you as an innocent teenager, you have returned them with sincerity. 

We've had countless disagreements in varying degrees but as we are slowly mastering the art of finding a meeting point, I want to thank you for hearing me and I promise to continue to hear your heart.

I will help you achieve your dreams and purpose by constantly reminding you of your place in God – the authority, grace and empowerment that you inherit by being a child of our Almighty Father.

Today, as we are literally surrounded by the people that we love, I promise to help make it effortless for you to love and enjoy life. I vow to submit to you as your wife. As they say, with authority comes responsibility so when needed, I will remind you of your duties as the leader of our household but I promise I will do this in the gentlest way I know.

We've had many adventures, baby and I’m excited to see what else is in the next pages of this story because I know that nothing comes close to what we are yet to experience together in marriage.

As you become my husband, I can promise that nothing will change… In good times and in bad, rain or shine, I will continue to fall in love with you over and over again, as I admittedly have in the last 4,365 days of my life.

- Jei Ann