A/N: So the reason why it took me so long to post this chapter is because not only is it pretty long but I also had to do a lot of research. Seriously I read about ten different web pages and watched like 5 wedding ceremonies on youtube to make sure I got some of the parts right. Now for those of you who are hispanic you've probably seen an arras and lasso ceremony at a wedding and you'll notice the differences in Jordan and Beth's wedding. Well you have to remember that this is a lesbian wedding so I had to change somethings and I mixed some of the religious part of the cermony with non religious parts. And believe it or not this chapter was suppose to be the wedding AND reception but I decided that would just be too damn long so I'm splitting them up. Seeing how late it is on the east coast (where I live) I probably won't be able to post my fourth update bu midnight tonight east coast time but it'll probably be up before midnight on the west coast. oh well! Anyway, enjoy the wedding!
-Third update of Dec. 27 10:54 pm EST
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters but I do own a lot of knowledge about traditional Mexican/Hispanic weddings so if there is a single hispanic lesbian out there who wants to get married and make it traditional, you can marry me because I already know everything now ;)
They say a girl's wedding day is the most important day of her life. They fail to mention however that is it also the most nerve wracking day as well. They forget to tell you that right before the ceremony you have this urge to throw up because you're so nervous and you don't want this day to screw up.
I'm staring at myself in the mirror and I can't believe it. Not only am I getting married but I'm also in a dress. It took forever but I found the dress for me. I'm wearing a simple white dress. The silhouette is sheath which means it follows the curves of my body from top to bottom, the neckline is sweetheart, and the fabric is chiffon. There's no train, nothing too spectacular about it but I love it. I have to admit that I do look nice. Of course I'm wearing my hair down and I'm wearing a necklace but no pearls. And I decided not to go with a veil. That was just too much of a hassle for me. And don't tell anyone but I'm wearing white shoes under this dress. Hey, walking in heels is hard enough. Walking in heels in a football field is just damn near impossible.
"Hey, it's almost time," says a voice behind me.
I turn around and Alex is standing in the doorway. She's in her cherry red bride's maid dress with her signature hoop earrings. She decided to wear her hair up and I must say that she looks nice.
"I think I'm going to throw up," I tell her seriously.
Alex chuckles. "No you're not," she says. "That's just the nerves talking." Alex walks over to me and places both hands on my shoulders. "You look beautiful."
I grin. "Thanks."
"So before we go out there I have to ask," she starts. "Did you tell Beth aboot Vegas?"
I turn around and look at Alex. "Christie kissed me and I pushed her away. I said no. Although there was really nothing to tell I did tell her about it. I wasn't going to start this marriage off on a lie."
Alex smiles. "Good choice."
The tent opens up and my mother walks in. She sees me and I can already tell she's on the verge of tears.
"Sweetie, you look so beautiful!" she cries out.
"Thanks Mom," I say. "Maybe you should save the tears for the actual ceremony."
She waves me off. "Trust me, I have plenty of tears for now and later. But I did not come in here to cry, I came in here to give you a few things."
She walks over to me and Alex with a bag in her hand. Mom reaches into the bag and pulls out a pearl necklace.
"Something old," Mom says and puts the pearls around my neck.
Alex reaches into the bag and pulls out cherry ChapStick that's still in the package.
"Something new," she says and hands it to me. "You might want to go ahead and put some on. Your lips are looking a bit chapped."
I can't help but laugh. "Thanks Alex."
Mom reaches into the bag again and this time pulls out a pair of earrings.
"Something borrowed," she says while putting the earrings into my ears. "I wore these earrings when I married your father. I want them back afterward."
I laugh a little. "Ok."
"I'm serious Jordan Johnson. These are my favorite pair of earrings, do not lose them," she says seriously.
"Yes ma'am."
Alex reaches into the bag. "And of course," Alex says and pulls out a blue boutonnière. "Something blue."
Alex pins the boutonnière on me. I look at myself at the mirror. I thought I looked good before but now I look really good. I turn around and smile at Alex and my mother.
"Thank you," I tell them.
"Of course honey," Mom says. "I have to go now but they are ready whenever you are." Mom pulls me into a hug and kisses me on the cheek. She exits the tent and now it's just me and Alex.
"You ready?" Alex asks me.
I take a deep breath and nod. "I'm ready."
Alex and I exit the tent and walk to the area where Amy, Cindy, Marco, Jay, Josh, and Brian are waiting. Brian sees me and grins widely.
"You're beautiful," he tells me and kisses me on the cheek.
"Thanks Dad," I say. "I'm really nervous."
"Girl you have nothing to be nervous about," Cindy says. "You're getting married today to a woman that you love and who loves you. Plus think about the great sex you're gonna have on your honeymoon."
I look at Cindy with wide eyes. "My dad is standing right there," I tell her while pointing at Brian.
Cindy shrugs her shoulders and looks at Brian. "Uncle Brian you know your daughter is a sexual being and will probably have a lot of sex during her honeymoon right?"
Brian looks really uncomfortable. "Cindy, you always find the perfect moments to be inappropriate," he tells her.
"I must say Johnson you clean up nicely," Jay says.
"You do too Jay," I tell him.
"Are you ready?" Marco asks.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
We all walk over to the beginning of the aisle. I can see all the guests and there are a lot of them here. People I graduated with from Degrassi including Jimmy, Spinner, Emma, Toby, and others. My friends from FSU and from work are also here. We make sure everyone is ready. Jay gives Peter the cue to start the music. Peter and his band start playing soft music first. My party is walking down the aisle with Beth's party. Once they reach the alter Juliana's sister, Juanita, goes down the aisle tossing flowers. Right behind her is Major in his tiny little tux carrying a pillow. Those two are just the cutest kids I've ever seen.
"Now you're sure you want to do this?" Brian whispers.
I look at him. "Are you trying to talk me out of this?"
He shakes his head. "Of course not. It's just, when I give you away it means you won't be my little girl anymore."
"Dad, I'll always be your little girl." I kiss Brian on the cheek.
Alex gives Peter the signal and his band starts to play the Bridal March, the rock version. All the guests stand up and turn their heads toward Brian and me. I take his arm with my right arm while my left hand is holding my bouquet. Brian and I start walking down the aisle. Everyone is smiling and some are taking pictures. This isn't too bad, not as bad I thought it was going to be. Don't trip Jordan, don't trip.
We reach the altar and I didn't trip! Brian stands beside me. Peter and his band stop playing. The sounds of a fiddle, Irish flute, a harp, and a bouzouki begin to fill the air. Eventually all the sounds come together and I finally recognize the song, it's Here Comes the Bride. I should have know Beth would play this song using traditional Irish instruments. I look down the aisle. Oh my God, I think I've stopped breathing. There she is, my future wife, standing there in her beautiful blue dress next to her father. Beth and Mr. Perez begin their journey down the aisle. I can't stop smiling, even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to stop smiling right now. Beth is smiling back at me which is easing my nerves. Beth and Mr. Perez finally make it down here.
"Who gives this woman to this woman in marriage?" the priest ask, first pointing to me and then to Beth.
"I do," Brian says.
"And who gives this woman to this woman in marriage?" the priest asks again, but this time point to Beth and then to me.
"I do," Mr. Perez says.
Brian gives my hand to Beth while Mr. Perez gives Beth's hand to me. They both sit down in their seats.
"Dear family and friends, on behalf of Jordan and Bethany I welcome all of you for this marriage celebration," the minister says. "We are here today to encourage, celebrate and support the covenant these two people Jordan Athena Johnson and Bethany Catherine Dorotea Perez, beloved to us, now make and to share in the joy that Jordan and Bethany are feeling as they pledge their love and commitment to each other. We rejoice and celebrate in the ways life has led them to each other and got them to the place where they now stand.
"True marriage is more than joining the bonds of marriage of two persons; it is the union of two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is love. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share moments of quiet and peace, when the day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and a home of warmth and understanding."
I can't stop looking at Beth. She's just so beautiful. I think the minister is about to say something to me because he's looking at me.
"Jordan, will you take Bethany to be your wife?" he asks me." Will you love her, comfort her, honor and protect her and forsaking all others to be faithful to her until death do you apart?"
I look at Beth and grin. "I do," I say.
Beth breathes out a sigh of relief. Did she really think I wasn't going to say "I do"? I wouldn't be at this altar if I wasn't going to say it. The minister turns to Beth.
"Bethany, will you take Jordan, to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and protect her and forsaking all others to be faithful to him/her until death do you apart?"
"I do," Beth says.
I exhale a breath I didn't even know I was holding in. Beth giggles and squeezes my hand.
"We will now do the passing of the thirteen arras," the minister announce.
Mrs. Perez gets up from her seat and gives the minister thirteen gold coins. The minister holds up the gold coins a little bit into the air.
"The symbolism of the 13 gold coins in this ceremony is that Bethany recognizes her responsibility as a provider, and pledges her ability to support and care for Jordan," the minister tells us. "Acceptance by Jordan means taking that trust and confidence unconditionally with total dedication and prudence. Thirteen gold coins, will now be counted out to Bethany."
The minister begins places the gold coins, one by one into Bethany's hands.
"As I count out the 13 coins and place them in Bethany's hands they also represent different values that the couple desire to share between themselves: love, harmony. cooperation, commitment, peace, happiness, trust, respect, caring, wisdom, joy, wholeness and nurturing," the minister says while placing the coins into Beth's hand. "May these coins be a symbol of this couple's mutual love, fidelity and trust." The minister turns his head to Beth. "Bethany, please repeat after me."
The minister says a mini speech and Beth's nods his head after he's done. She turns her head and looks at me with a smile on her face.
"I, Bethany, give you Jordan, these 13 coins as a symbol of my unquestionable trust and confidence I place in you as my beloved wife. As we unite our lives today I share all material responsibility with you."
Beth hands me the gold coins one by one. I have all the coins in my hands now. The minister looks at me.
"Jordan, please repeat after me."
The minister gives another mini speech for me today. Alrighty, I got this.
"I Jordan, accept these coins and assure you of my total love and dedication in looking after you, your possessions and my unconditional love," I tell Beth.
The minister nods and gives us a thumbs up.
"In exchanging these coins, Bethany and Jordan are essentially saying, "What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine." I bless these coins knowing that they are also symbolic of the unlimited good the universe has in store for this loving couple. I accept this for Bethany and Jordan, and so it is, Amen."
Everyone says "amen" after the minister. I turn around and put the coins into the tiny chest Alex is holding. I turn back around and take Beth's hands into mine.
"It is now time for the vows," the minister announces. "The couple have written and prepared their own vows. Jordan, you will go first."
The minister turns the microphone in my direction. Ok I can do this.
"Beth," I start. "I remember the exact moment I realized I was in love with you. We were at anti-prom senior year of high school and the DJ started playing K-Ci and JoJo's "All My Life" and I remember looking at you and you were glowing. It was like the sun had came out in the middle of the night and was shining directly at you and I knew at that moment that I loved you with all my heart."
My voice just cracked. My eyes are stinging and I know I'm about to cry.
"The day I told you I loved you and you said it back it felt like a hole in my heart, that I didn't even know was there, was finally filled. I never thought I would meet someone so kind, so sweet, someone who would keep me grounded and sane but there you were. Every day that I get to spend with you is another day I thank God for bringing such an amazing woman into my life."
Ok, I'm definitely crying now but it's ok because Beth is crying too. I raise my hand to her face and wipe away a tear.
"I promise to be there, always, to wipe away your tears. I promise you that I will use all the power in my being to make sure there is always a smile on your face. I promise that I will always love you until the day my heart stops beating. I love you with all my heart and I will forever keep loving you."
I don't think there's a dry tear in this whole football field right now. I know I can't see him but I'm pretty sure Jay is crying right now. I look up at the minister, indicating that I'm done. He turns to Beth.
"Bethany, it's now your turn," he tells her. He turns the microphone toward her.
Beth takes a deep breath and exhales. "I probably should have gone first because now I'm crying like a big baby," she says.
Everyone starts laughing. I smile at her and squeeze her hands.
"I remember the day I first saw you," she starts. "It was the second day of grade 11 and I remember walking down the hallway and seeing this girl doing some kind of weird dance and I remember thinking to myself that that girl was crazy. Little did I know I would end up loving the crazy dancing girl."
Everyone starts laughing again.
"I never thought I'd meet the love of my life in high school," she continues. "I never expected my first date with my future soul mate would be at the movies seeing The Hills Have Eyes 2, yet it was. When I look at you Jordan I see a confident, sweet, funny, confident woman. Someone I can love and look up to. We have our days where I just want to toss you out of the car but at the end of every day the only thing I can think aboot is kissing you."
That's right people, my kisses are amazing.
"I promise to try to stop you from saying or doing stupid things. I promise to never let you get too crazy. But most of all I promise to love forever until the day the world ends. I give you my heart, my life, my everything. I love you."
We're both smiling and still crying. The minister puts the microphone back in his direction. I see him wipe away a tear.
"Beautiful vows, really beautiful," he says. He clears his throat. "Jordan and Bethany have chosen to incorporate the Lasso ritual into their wedding ceremony today. The Lasso is a wedding ritual in which the couple are bound together with a ceremonial rosary. Lassoing is a declaration of intent, where the bride and groom clearly state that they are marrying of their own free will."
Bethany's grandmother gets up from her seat and presents the lasso to the minister. The lasso is made of white rose petals and is in the form of an "8", the infinity symbol. Beth and I kneel down as Beth's grandmother drapes the lasso over our shoulders.
"Jordan and Beth, as you are bound together now, so too your lives and spirits are joined in a union of everlasting love and trust," the minister says. Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow."
Beth and I stand up but with the lasso still draped around our shoulders.
"And now it is time for the exchange of the rings," the minister announces,
Due to us being lassoed together I just stick my hand out behind me. I see Beth do the same thing as me. I feel Alex place the wedding band in the palm of my hand and she closes my hand for me. I bring my hand back around my body to the front as Beth does the same.
"The wedding ring symbolizes unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end," the minister says. "And today Jordan and Bethany exchange these rings as confirmation of their vows to join their lives, to work at all times to create a life that is complete and unbroken, and to love each other without end. May these rings, which you give to each other, be a symbol of your love and fidelity." The minister turns to me. "Jordan, take this ring and place it on Bethany's finger, and state your pledge to her, repeating after me."
I listen to what the minister says. I nod my head, signaling that I got all of it. I begin to slide the matching wedding band onto Beth's finger on top of her ring. Yeah I got the matching wedding band for the ring.
"With this ring I thee wed," I tell Beth as I slide the band onto her finger."I offer you my hand, and my heart as I know they will be safe with you. All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you."
Beth has started crying again. The minister turns to her.
"Bethany, take this ring and place it on Jordan's finger, and state your pledge to her, repeating after me."
Once again the minster repeats the mini ring speech. Beth begins sliding the band down my finger.
"With this ring I thee wed," Beth says while sliding the band down my finger."I offer you my hand, and my heart as I know they will be safe with you. All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you."
And now my tears have started back up. I look up and Beth a smile at her. She's grinning at me from ear to ear.
"Until now Jordan and Bethany have spent each moment of their lives as separate individuals," the minister says. "But from this day on, and every day after their each moment shall be shared and spent as one. By the power enthroned in me by the government of Ontario and by God, I now pronounce you lawful and long loving wives."
Once again Beth's grandmother comes up to us. We kneel down so she can take the lasso off.
"You may now kiss," the minister tells us.
I start laughing a little bit because I'm so happy. Beth puts her hands around my neck and bring me closer to her. We share our first kiss as a married couple. Wow, this is a really good kiss. I place my hands on Beth's hips and pull her closer. I can hear everyone clapping but the only thing that matters right now is this kiss. I feel Alex tapping me on my shoulder and I'm guessing that the kiss has lasted long enough.
I reluctantly pull away from Beth. We both have goofy grins on our faces. I take her hand in mine and we turn around to look at our guests.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," the minister starts. "I present to you Mrs. Jordan Johnson-Perez and Mrs. Bethany Perez-Johnson."
The whole football field erupts into noise. There's clapping, hollering, and whistling. Yeah, Beth and I decided to both take each others' last names. It only made sense. Beth's grandmother hand her the lasso back. We begin walking down the aisle as everyone continues to clap and some people are even throwing rice. I knew throwing rice was a bad idea, it's going to be all up in my hair now.
Beth and I walk to the 50 yard line of the football field. I wrap my arms around her waist as she wraps her arms around my neck.
"Congratulations Mrs. Perez-Johnson," I say.
"Felicidades Señora Johnson-Perez," Beth says.
I smile at Beth and pull her closer to me. Mm, married kisses are so much better than non-married kisses. I'm married. HELL YEAH!
A/N: so I figured y'all would want visual images of the dresses used in the wedding. Well fanfic won't allow me to directly copy and paste links so for the links i have up here I had to put some spaces in the address so I could actually have them. Also are the links for the rings. Have fun!
Jordans: www. helenebridal . com / Wedding - Dresses / WD4717 /
Beth's dress: type in 'blue wedding dress' into google and go to the fifth picture of the woman in the big fancy blue dress and that's Beth's dress. umm... yeah
Jordan's bridesmaids: www. alfredangeloca . com / Collections / ProductDisplay . aspx ? productID = b7473058-3809-4793-8cad-eb1a3be87b52&categoryID=053f22f3-72d9-4a6d-af34-392c45fe8c96&pg=1&colorId1=6fa35001-2785-456e-abcd-1daf9d908f98
Beth's bridesmaids: same dress as Jordan's bridesmaids except Beth's is like a pool blue.
Beth's ring and band: This is what Jordan gave to Beth, www. kay . com / webapp / wcs / stores / servlet /product1%7C10101%7C10001%7C-1%7C950027300%7C15051%7C15051.15057
Jordan's ring and band: This is what Beth gave to Jordan, www. goldenmine . com / p / Engagement - Ring - Sets / Striped - Textured - 14K - Two - Tone - Gold - Diamond - Wedding - Ring -Set / 99035 . html
If you have any questions about the wedding then feel free to message me. Next chapter is the reception and some Palex action! Woo!