It was October 31, in the middle of Missouri. There was a bit of a chill in the air. The leaves on the towering trees, as they do, had turned many colors other than green. A rustic meeting hall sat among the trees. It was to be the scene of the reception. We, the friends and relatives, gathered there after the ceremony.
The ceremony was outside, beneath the trees of many colors, an arboreal rainbow. Besides the vows and the rings, the ceremony included a handfasting. As the couple clasped hands, a cord was wrapped around their hands and wristes, binding them together. It was a simple symbolic act.
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