"I consent and gladly give." Rory said the words, not understanding entirely what they meant, and the Doctor understood that, from this day forward, his fate was sealed to that of the woman before him.
It was necessary, this brief ceremony – to preserve the integrity of the universe, he had to marry River. And, truth be told, he was quite fond of her, and had no doubt she would prove an excellent companion – and a better distraction than any he'd had since he lost his pink and yellow girl.
That thought made his hearts hurt more than a little bit. He'd thought the pain of her loss (twice over!) would be reduced somewhat after he'd regenerated, but she was never far from his mind – and he knew now she would haunt his dreams til the day he ceased to exist entirely.
He wondered if she'd had a ceremony like this, with the clone he left behind. The other Doctor was a part of his past, but their futures would never be joined. The thought of Rose in a white dress, walking down the aisle of a church with a veil over her face and flowers in her hands, to be joined to that other him in marriage was absolutely gut-wrenching. He wondered if his clone, his other self, had convinced her to include some Time Lord traditions in that wedding.
Did they use a fancier cloth to bind their hands together? Did Jackie agree to the odd wording? He never thought he'd prefer Jackie Tyler's company to that of the Ponds, but he had to admit he would give anything right now if it was her voice speaking those words – "I consent and gladly give" – rather than the voices of Rory and Amy.
But the brief ceremony was nearly done, and it was time to put these thoughts from his mind. It wasn't Rose in front of him, it could never be – and so he told River his secret, and kissed her, and set time right.
Not that anything would ever be completely right for him, knowing that Rose was living her life with a mere copy of him in another dimension. He hoped she was happy. One of them should be.