Скачать или смотреть Ali and Ben Wed September 5, 2021

On September 5, 2021 at Tuck's Point in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts Ali and Ben were married.

Lonnie Leeman, Ali's cousin-in-law, performed the ceremony with Alison's brother Jonny speaking about the significance of the Celtic Wedding or Oathing Stone that was handed to each attendee to infuse with their wishes for the couple.* Alison's mother Connie Baxter Marlow read "The Art of Marriage" by Wilfred A. Peterson** Alison's aunt Judy Baxter read "The Irrational Season" by Madeleine L'Engle*** and Ben's mother Gail read " Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its Love" by Edmund O'Neill. (not enough space to reproduce this one.)All readings were chosen by Ali and Ben.

A 1920's lawn party followed, with swing dancing, games and great food. A good time was had by all!

The couple departed in a 1950's Porsche.

This slideshow features the Baxter/Marlow family. Alison's brother Jonny Marlow, her sister Consi Marlow, with husband John Chmielewski and daughter Logan Mae (11), her aunt Judy Baxter, cousin Scott Baxter, her father David O. Marlow, step-father Andrew Cameron Bailey, cousin-in-law Lonnie Leeman and other friends.

Photos: Leah Martingano, Connie Baxter Marlow, Andrew Cameron Bailey, Scott Baxter.

*The Oathing Stone Tradition

Ben and Ali said their vows to each other using the Celtic tradition of the oathing stone. For those of you not familiar with this tradition, it originated in Scotland and is when the bride and groom hold their hands together on a stone as they repeat their wedding vows. An oath given near a stone or water was considered to be more binding. Some believe that it is where the phrase 'set in stone' comes from.

The oathing stone tradition goes far, far back into the Celtic spirit. A physical object, such as a stone or piece of wood, was used to help transfer the wedding oaths to the spirit energies present in a sacred location. It served as a kind of mediator or bridge between the couple, ancestors and the immediate sacred place. A couple wedding with the oathing stone was witnessed by the people and the chief, as well as the ancestors, and was tied to the land. This intimacy with the environment was critical for future survival

Ali and Ben chose the oathing stone to root their future into the wisdom of the past at the start of their new life. They asked their friends and family to infuse the stone with blessings and good wishes.


**"The Art of Marriage" by Wilfred A. Peterson
The little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating
gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

***"The Irrational Season" by Madeleine L'Engle
“Ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take…It is indeed a fearful gamble…Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature. To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take…If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation…It takes a lifetime to learn another person…When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling."