~He's no Casanova
He's no pushover
He's no king
And I hope he's no queen
He is kind and I know you'll agree
He is my chosen family

This is it.
Today is the day.
I'm excited.
I'm nervous.
I'm nauseous.
I'm gettin' married!
We've fixed the house up real nice, bought all new furniture and stuff.
Shan said that we needed new stuff for a new beginning.
That's what this is - our new beginning.
I let him pick the date, the flowers and the food.
I asked him if he was gonna wear a dress and he smacked me.
I loved every second of it.
I ain't seen him yet today. Bad luck and all that.
Lord knows we've had enough bad luck in our lives.
All our friends are here.
Joey is watching me pace around like a madman.
Jason is helping Shan get ready.
It's cold up here, but Canada is really beautiful this time of year.
I just wish we coulda done this at home, but…as long as we're together it don't matter where we are.

~And when his hands are in mine
I know that we'll be fine
And no ocean can keep me away
My love

I've dreamed of this day my entire life.
I always wondered what it would be like to stand at the altar and wait for the person I was gonna spend the rest of my life with.
And now I know.
It hurts.
But the pain is a good thing.
I'm here.
I'm alive.
I'm in love.
And I'm about to promise to love, honor and cherish the only person that makes me complete.
Shan wrote his own vows for the ceremony.
I went the safe route and picked one of my favorite poems to read.
I ain't that good with words.
I watched him walk down the aisle, dressed in true Shanny fashion.
I smiled as he gave me his hand and we looked at the minister.

He goes through the usual stuff, talking about love and devotion.
Yeah, I know these well.
I hear him talk about what a big step this is, the sacred commitment of two people to each other, and on and on.
I wonder if my voice is gonna croak like a damn frog when I have to speak.
Finally, he says that we've chosen to say our own vows and I turn to look into those beautiful green eyes I've loved for so long, and I recite my poem I chose.

*My true love hath my heart and I have his,
By just exchange one for the other given;
I hold his dear and mine he cannot miss;
There never was a better bargain driven.
My true love hath my heart and I have his,

His heart in me keeps him and me in one;
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides;
He loves my heart for once it was his own,
I cherish his because in me it bides.
My true love hath my heart and I have his.*

~He's no star
But he drives a fast car
He lost his folks a long time ago
And if you look
You can still catch the blow
He is my chosen family

He wiped the tears from his eyes, smiling at me like I was his knight in shining armor.
And I was.
And he was my salvation.
When I told my family that I loved him, that we planned to be together for the rest of our lives, they deserted me.
When he needed his 'family' the most, they abandoned him.
We're all we have left.
And we're going to make it.

He's looking at me now, smiling through his tears. He took a deep breath, then spoke the most beautiful words I ever heard.

°I promise to stand by you,
To be fair and honest with you
To accept you as you really are
To forget the past and to move on with the future

We'll stick together,
Through thick & thin
Through sadness and happiness
Through pain & misery
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficulty and at ease

I will trust you and honor you
I will love you faithfully °

The minister is reading again, asking us to repeat after him.
And I hear the angels sing as Shan says
"Today in front of all our friends
I, Shannon Brian Moore, accept you, Gregory Shane Helms
To be my partner in life and my one and only true love eternally...
and nothing will ever tear us apart..."

I looked down at him, smiling.
I declare my love for him, for everyone to hear.
We exchange rings, kiss and turn to face the world…together.
He's the one I chose to be with.
He's the one I chose to love.
He's the one that I'm going to grow old with, and raise a family with, and one day, years from now, he's the one I'll be buried next to.
Forever.
That isn't such a scary concept any more.
Me.
Him.
Us.
Finally.

~And when his hands are in mine I know that we'll be fine And no ocean can keep me away My love