Kayla's Vows to Ben:

When Ram Dass was asked about marriage they responded: “The reason we form a conscious marriage on the physical plane with a partner is in order to do the work of coming to God together. That is the only reason for marriage when one is conscious. The only reason. If we marry for economics, if we marry for passion, if we marry for romantic love, if we marry for convenience, if we marry for sexual gratification, it will pass and there is suffering. The only marriage contract that works is what the original contract was -- we enter into this contract in order to come to God, together.”

Ben when I first met you I saw a man so deeply passionate about all of life, whether it be the plants pushing through the soil or the people in your life. You put your time, thought and actions towards others, in doing so you make sure no one feels othered. You have always treated strangers like family. You not only show up for me but you show up for others that I love for that I am grateful. One of the many ways you won my heart was through my stomach and I know many people here today have enjoyed your delectable cooking too. You are going to become an excellent father to our future children someday. You are humble and kind. I love how brilliant you are, how you change the world around you with your knowledge, how amazing of an engineer you are and how you take the time to enjoy the simple things in life. I am honored I get to become your wife.

Promises:

1. I promise to take care of your kind heart and to always love you with all of mine.

2. I promise to respect and love you endlessly and continue to do the work to strengthen our relationship.

3. I promise to always communicate and be honest and vulnerable with you about my needs and fears.

4. I promise to leave the scorecard behind, even in moments of victory, unless, of course, I find myself triumphing in Catan or any other board game.

5. As your wife I promise to join in all your adventures and expand our horizons by traveling to places unknown.

6. I promise to meet you in lifetimes beyond this and continue to seek you wherever my soul may journey.

7. I promise to love each version of you as we grow and change throughout the years.

You are my better half and I am forever yours.

Ben's Vows to Kayla:

When asked how to know when one has found their soul mate, Ram Dass answered, “Got it! Keep looking! I’ll give you the farthest out answer first and then we’ll come back to something that everybody can handle. In the farthest out answer, we have all been around so many times that every one of us has been everything with everybody else. Now, behind all of it is the One. And that is all there is. All of us here are One in drag, appearing to be many. So we are all “soul mate”.

Kayla, of all the souls woven together in this crazy universe, I have chosen you to be my life partner, to dance through life’s up and downs together. Since I met you, I stopped looking and started finding. It is the honor of a lifetime to publicly choose you as my soul mate today. I feel extremely lucky to have found someone who grows flowers in the darkest part of me, you truly are the sun to me. When I’m with you, I don’t feel like anything is beyond our reach. You have empowered the best part of me and support me with my crazy ideas and lifestyle. When I think about the years to come by your side and the family we grow together, it makes the endless, mundane cycle of life every day seem worth it. Your endless drive and compassion help give my life a glorious purpose I’m excited to live out together.

Promises:

1. I promise to work everyday to help you understand how amazing you are and make you feel the same way about yourself as I feel about you.

2. I promise to support you to achieve your goals and dreams.

3. I promise to be a patient and compassionate partner and consider your needs the same way I consider mine.

4. I promise to work my hardest to focus on the better parts of life rather than the negative ones.

5. I promise to always value your input and seek your advice on important matters.

6. I promise

7. I promise to never give up on us.

You are my better half and I am forever yours.