We did not get a chance to read these during our civil wedding, as the judge had her own set of vows. So I thought I would share them here.

I promise
To love you for all you are
To share with you all that I am
To celebrate the good times
To cry in the bad times
To be honest when it hurts
To forgive when I am afraid
And to stay beside you
For as long as I am able.

Laurie & Cassie Ellen

These were based upon our relationship.

To love you for all you are
It is important that we love the other for who they are now. It just does not work to love them for who we want them to be because that is setting up us both for failure.

To share with you all that I am
Your love of me as I am gives me the ability to be myself. And that person I will share to the best of my ability.

To celebrate the good times
As we grow, we need to acknowledge our achievements. That is what builds relationships And it is important to remind the other of their successes when they are down and do not see them.

To cry in the bad times
There will be bad times. Crying lets us accept them both emotionaly and physically. And crying for many of us trans-women is a symbol of freedom we were never allowed before.

To be honest even when it hurts
It is most difficult to honestly tell you something I know will hurt you. But I love you enough to do so and you know that I would never hurt you intentionally.

To forgive when I am afraid
My past has taught me to never forgive when I have been hurt because I thought it was the pain that protected me. But I know that it is your love that protects me and I will face my fears so that I can embrace that love.

And to stay beside you, for as long as I am able.
We will live as a team; together facing what comes before us. I acknowledge that some things like death will end that. Anything short of those catastrophic events, I will fight to keep us together.