Before marriage there must be love,
And after marriage there must be even more love,
For love cannot be the vessel to a marriage alone.
It must also be what nurtures and grows
The happiness of the life together thereafter.
Love and marriage and love in that order,
In very good times and equally in bad,
On sunny summer days and cold winter nights,
During sounds of laughter and sniffles with tears,
When the pantry is full and glass half empty.
Love and marriage and love in that order,
Even when the jobs become very demanding,
And especially when the world becomes distracting,
Magnifying the lines between yours and mine
When they should clearly and continuously be “ours.”
Love and marriage and love in that order,
Just like this year will lead to the next,
And this decade to the one after,
As your young minds and bodies age
Evolving for better and for worse.
After marriage there must be more love,
For your everlasting love will be the foundation
That makes your strong marriage the fulfillment
Of a life you were truly destined
To share together hand in hand.
©Copyright 2024, Charles A. Bruns
This poem was written for the marriage of my youngest son, Kevin, and daughter-in-law Hillary, and read for the first time at their wedding ceremony.
