We looked through several readings, but none of them really expressed what we wanted to convey. So we wrote our own:

What is marriage? Marriage is the public affirmation of the intertwining of two lives into a single shared experience. While marriage may merely be a societal construct, it is not bound by our society.

The essence of marriage transcends today's definition of it. Look beyond your culture, your peers, and today's time, and you will still see the essence of marriage flourish whether it is across boundaries, across nature, or in the past.

Marriage is more than the love of two people for each other. To love someone is easy; to live with them, to grow with them, and to learn with them — this is the commitment marriage asks of each person.

I believe a successful marriage requires each person to both remain an individual while also merging into a single team. By facing the world together, instead of facing roadblocks alone, we take the best parts of each of us and infuse them into our partnership. Where I am weak and you are strong, we are strong. Where you are weak and I am strong, we are strong.

Even when we face challenges which neither of us can easily individually overcome, we gain strength by facing them together. This is the reward marriage gives to each person.

The essence of marriage does not require a ceremony or certificate, and those things are not sufficient to sustain a marriage. Marriage asks you to always be considerate of your partner, always strive to understand your partner, and always love your partner. Remember this, and the rewards of marriage will be with you throughout your lives.