"Adam, do you take Jessica Grace Whitlock to be your wife?" Judge Wynn asked.
"I do" he said. As he spoke, I couldn't help but stare into his eyes. They were enthralling, like sparkling kaleidoscopes of colour. They were celery green, but also ocean blue. Dashes of chestnut brown speckled his irises. And for some reason, they looked like they had seen a lifetime, when in reality they had only seen a fraction.
"Do you promise to love, honour, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding unto her forever more?"
"I do" I repeated.
"Would you like to say your vows? Jessica?" I liked the informality of our wedding. The fact that as we stood before hundreds of our friends and family, it seemed as if it were only us two alone. It was a beautiful May day. Gorgeous cerulean-tipped butterflies danced in the clear blue sky, embracing the sunny lilac petals on which they rested. Their wings shaded from a soft white coating to the darkest blue of the ocean. The stunning blossom trees were in full bloom, abundant with pink and white fronds, some of which had blown into the weaves of grass that surrounded us. There were so many familiar faces sitting in unison in the white garden chairs lining the long matching carpet that played as our aisle runner.
"Jess?" Adam whispered, nudging my hands in his.
"Yes, I'm sorry" I apologised, a coy smile appearing on my nude-painted lips. "I promise to love you dearly even on days when I do not even like you." The crowd chuckled quietly as I continued. "I shall laugh with you, not at you when you do something stupid. With this hand, I shall lift your sorrows. Your cup shall never be empty, for I shall be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in the darkness and with this ring, I ask you to be mine." I paused before the last sentence, exhaling deeply and looking up into his watery emerald eyes. "Adam Logan Dean, I will love you forever, even when you become old and wrinkled."
"I love you" he mouthed, removing one hand from mine to wipe the forming tears from his eyes. I smiled.
"Adam?" Judge Wynn prompted.
"Jessica, you are my best friend, mentor, playmate, confidant and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever have imagined and more loved than I ever thought possible" My eyes began to prickle as he spoke and a large lump formed in my throat. "You have made me a better person, as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live my life. So I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together. I knew from the moment I saw you in your super woman pyjamas in that lousy station that I loved you. When you saw me staring, you stared back, determined to win our newly found staring competition. It still has not stopped because I cannot tear my eyes away from your absolute perfection." A stray tear rolled down my cheek as the rest of the room laughed as they learnt the humorous way in which we met. He moved our hands together to wipe it away and then leaned forward, softly kissing my cheek.
"With that, I can now pronounce you husband and wife! Adam, you may kiss your bride." We both lean't forward, falling into a light kiss between two smiles. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present Mrs Jessica and Mr Adam Dean!" The crowds erupted into applause and a gentle beat began to play.
"Shall we?" Adam said, taking my hands in his. "Mrs Dean."
