For this White Wedding we married the Snow in St. Brigid's Centre for the Arts in Ottawa, Canada. This wedding was intended to show our love, and appreciation for water everywhere and in all forms. Water is sexy and we'd just die with out.
Many thanks to the photographers who helped document this event: Nichola Feldman-Kiss and Benoit Aubry.
There is a male and a female disembodied voice speaking loudly into microphone.
Man: Elizabeth M. Stepens, Annie M. Sprinkle, and Shnow. Please step forward!
Woman: Elizabeth M. Stephens, Annie M. Sprinkle et la Neige. Veuillez vous avancer!
(All come forward.)
Man: We are gathered here today to join Elizabeth and Annie in holy matrimony with the SNOW. They love and care about Snow, and about our water here on Earth. Annie and Elizabeth would like invite YOU to join them in making these sacred vows to the snow, if you so desire.
Woman: Nous sommes réunis ici aujourd’hui pour unir ensemble Elizabeth et Annie dans le saint mariage avec la NEIGE. Elles aiment et se soucient de la Neige et de notre eau ici sur Terre. Annie et Elizabeth souhaitent VOUS inviter à vous unir à elles pour prononcer leurs vœux sacrés à la neige, si vous le désirez.
Man: Are you ready to make your vows?
Woman: Êtes-vous prêtes à prononcer vos vœux?
Beth: Oui!
Annie: Oui!
Man: Before we proceed with the sacred vows, does anyone here today object to this UNION? Speak NOW or forever hold your peace!
Woman: Si quelqu’un dans l’assistance s’oppose à cette UNION, qu’il parle maintenant ou se taise à jamais!
(Objector #1- Brigid Rowan)
Man: Does anyone ELSE object to this Union between Beth, Annie and the Snow? Speak now or forever hold your peace!
Woman:Il y en a-t-il d’AUTRES qui s’opposent à cette union entre Beth, Annie et la Neige? Parlez maintenant ou taisez-vous à jamais!
(Objector #2, Sha LaBare)
Man: Thank you for sharing. These are important concerns. We’ll keep them in mind as we proceed with the ceremony.
Woman: Merci de partager avec nous ces importantes inquiétudes. Gardons-les en tête lors de la cérémonie.
Man: Annie and Elizabeth, open your seventh chakras—the chakra of bliss and union.
Woman: Annie et Elizabeth, ouvrez votre septième chakra – le chakra du bonheur et de l’union. Faites les cercles.
Annie and Beth make 3 circles around each other. Then they walk in a circle together, to make a total of 7 circles.
Beth and Annie chant and tune in to each other.
Snow
la neige
Water
l’eau
Love
l’amour
Dashing through the snow, on a one horse open sled.
O’re the fields we go, laughing all the way… ha ha ha.
Male: Annie and Beth, before making your vows to the snow, do you have vows for each other?
Female: Annie et Beth, avant de faire vos voeux à la neige, auriez-vous des voeux à prononcer l’une à l’autre?
Beth: Oui
Annie: Oui
Beth: (To Annie) I promise to love honor and cherish you as long as there is one snowflake left on the highest Himalayan Mountain.
I promise to help you attain everything you desire even if your desires are different from my own.
I promise to always be there for you in pleasure and in pain, in sickness and in health and through mutual debt and mutual riches.
Thank you for making me laugh and for seducing me away from my studies to have sex and other yummy pleasures. You always know when I need your love. You are as precious and as vital as all of the water in the world and after 10 of the best years of my life I realize how very much I need you.
Annie: (To Beth) We have been together for ten exhilarating years... It's not easy to find other ecosexuals in the world. I’m overjoyed that I have found YOU. I vow to spend more time with you in nature. I vow to devote myself to building the ecosex movement together with you. I vow to support you in getting your Ph.D. however I can. I love you.
Man: Annie and Beth are you ready to make your vows to the SNOW?
Woman: Annie et Beth, êtes-vous prêtes à faire vos voeux à la NEIGE?
Beth: OUI!
Annie: OUI!
Beth: (Pick up snow) I promise to love you, snow, and try to keep the world cold enough that you will return to us year after year. I promise to fight against mountain top removal strip mining so that you will have mountain tops to rest upon from early winter through late spring, and so you can melt and give us water during the summer and fall. Thank you snow for being there for us, for providing us with beauty, with pleasure, with the miracle of individual snowflakes and for making sure that we have enough water for life, all year long.
Annie: (Pick up snow) I love you snow, for being the water we drink that keeps us alive. I vow to learn more about the environmental issues that effect you and about global warming. I vow to do seven projects, or protests, or actions, that will further help in caring for you. Snow…
Man (to audience): Do any of you, dear guests and witnesses, wish to make vows to the SNOW?
Woman (to audience): Chers invités et témoins, il y en a-t-il parmi vous qui souhaitez aussi faire des voeux à la NEIGE?
Bang!
Audience: Oui! (Bridal parties join.)
Man: Repeat after me.
Woman: Répétez après moi.
Man: “I vow
Woman: “Je promets
Man: To love, honor and cherish you, Snow
Woman: De t’aimer, t’honorer et de chérir, toi, la Neige
Man: For as long as I shall live
Woman: Tant que je vivrai.
Man: If anyone wants to make any additional vows, please speak them out LOUD now! You can approach the microphone in the centre aisle or shout out your vows from your seat.
Woman: Ceux d’entre vous qui veulent faire des voeux additionnels, veuillez les faire à haute voix maintenant! Veuillez vous rendre au microphone dans l’allée centrale, ou crier vos voeux de votre banc.
Man: To remind you of your vows to the Snow, and to each other, each and every day, you will have rings.
Woman: Pour vous rappeler chaque jour vos voeux à la neige et à l’une l’autre, vous allez porter chacune un anneau.
Man: May we have the rings please?
Woman: Veuillez apporter les anneaux.
Ring bearers present the rings, performance by Ring Bearers.
The brides put rings on each other.
Man: To consummate your union with the Snow you will have icicles. The icicles please.
Woman: Veuillez apporter les glaçons.
Ring Bearers give icicles to Annie and Beth. They insert them into each other.
Man: I now pronounce you MARRIED TO THE SNOW!!!
Woman: Je vous déclare maintenant ÉPOUSES DE LA NEIGE!!!
Woman: Je vous déclare maintenant ÉPOUSES DE LA NEIGE!!!
(MUSIC LOUD)
Annie and Beth squat on the snow then kiss each other.
Snow machine goes on!
Snow ball fight. (Ushers wad up paper and throw it at audience. Encourage audience members that brought paper to throw their paper.)
