Forsaking All Others - Part One

June 2025


It's your wedding day, and it's going to be amazing.

You gave in and let your parents plan it, and it's going to be bigger than you ever imagined it would be.  The ceremony will be at the biggest church in the city, with the reception in the ballroom next door.  A special day that you would never have planned for yourself.

But the most special part of all is, you know that even if you'd invited a few family and friends to a little party on the beach somewhere like you'd originally wanted, it would still be just as amazing.

A big ceremony in a fancy place doesn't make a wedding day special.  It doesn't stop it from being special, either.  In the end, it doesn't matter who planned it or where they do it, by tonight you'll be married, and it's going to be amazing.

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It's her wedding day - your sister, the baby of the family.  And, you're dreading it.

Dreading all the joy and the hope.  Dreading sitting there with your wife, listening to the vows and the promises, knowing that the ones you haven't broken already, are stretched so thin that it feels like they might snap at any moment.

But you'll do it, for her, for your family.  You won't spoil their happiness this day.  You'll sit and smile while they talk of forsaking all others, of promising to be each other's alone.  You'll face them like nothing's wrong.

Even when you can barely face yourself.

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It's her wedding day - your room-mate, your friend.  

His sister.  Today, he'll be there, with his wife and his family, and you'll watch them together and try not to think about what can't be.

Your ex-boyfriend will be there too, standing up for the groom on the other side of the alter, while you stand up for the bride.  You can't think of anything more awkward.

But today, it's not about what you think.  It's her day, its about her.  She asked you, and you'll be there.

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Its her wedding day - your youngest, your only child together.

You've waited a long time for this, and gone to a lot of trouble to see that the celebration will be worthy of such a special occasion.  And really, it's the wedding you both wanted, and never had - with your previous spouses, or with each other.

The whole family are here, the boys and their families have come from out of town.  It's been too long since you were all together like this, and who knows when - if - you'll have another chance.  But you won't think about that today.

Today is a day of joy and celebration.  Nothing can change that.

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It's your wedding day, and you're nervous as hell.

This church is huge, and its mostly filled with people you've never met - her family, her friends.  You start to wonder what on earth you're doing here, in this place, with this woman, promising forever, forsaking all others.  Forever is huge, even bigger than this building and this crowd, and what if you got it wrong?  What if she's not the one?   What if...

... then you look up, and she's there, and she's amazing.  And you know that you didn't get it wrong.

You got it right, more right than you've ever been in all your life.

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Obligatory wedding picspam...

Helen's family - Aaron, Chris & Cory Green; their father Serdar Green; Helen; Brandi Green; her sons Dustin, Beau and Ethan Broke.

The attendants

Andrew *whispers*: This is really awkward...

Samantha *whispers*: Just keep smiling...

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