Weddingbee boards

Yesterday my FI and I met with our secular humanist officiant for the first time.

I was a little nervous because I wasn't even sure that I wanted a ceremony at first and I also don't want to stand up in front of people and make vows that are beyond my control. By this I mean that I was afraid that our vows would be similar to the standard "for the rest of your life" ones which I feel have been pretty devalued by all the people who say them, mean them, and then get divorced. My FI and I have some promises that we have agreed upon, but we don't want to say them in front of people who probably wouldn't understand. (For example, one of the promises is that we will never leave eachother for somebody better -- unless our kids are already grown up and we each have found somebody else. I'm pretty sure people would find this sort of practical vow to be very unromantic.)

Our officiant walked us through the entire ceremony and was very accommodating. Even better, there was nothing in it that I felt I couldn't promise! She was awesome. She laughed and joked with us and seemed to really "get" us!

There's even a part in the ceremony where she explains secular humanism and talks about how awesome science is. I knew I loved that bit as soon as I saw it, but was worried my FI wouldn't want it in. Though he is an atheist like me, atheism is not as central to his sense of self as it is to me. But, he loved it too! Especially the science stuff!

Sorry for the ramble. I'm just happy and wanted to share this with all of you.

@atalante:

I think she's going to send us some stuff about the ceremony, so I'd be happy to post that.

That promise was actually my idea! I want the stability of staying together while being realistic about the challenges that face most married couples. I can totally see though, how some people would take it the wrong way and why you would punch your FI in the mouth for suggesting it. :)