Wuv! Troooo wuv!
October 21, 2013 1:00 PM Subscribe
Help me add nerd cred to a wedding speech.
I’m looking for extensive quotes about true love, finding your soulmate, or things along that line from nerd culture. An example of what I’m looking for is the speech Dr. Manhattan gave to Silk Spectre on Mars (“…it was you, only you...it's like turning air to gold…”). I’m not looking for something like the Han Solo / Princess Leia exchange in ESB (“I love you.” “I know.”) as it’s too short. I would just like something to add a bit of nerdy flavor.
I’m looking for extensive quotes about true love, finding your soulmate, or things along that line from nerd culture. An example of what I’m looking for is the speech Dr. Manhattan gave to Silk Spectre on Mars (“…it was you, only you...it's like turning air to gold…”). I’m not looking for something like the Han Solo / Princess Leia exchange in ESB (“I love you.” “I know.”) as it’s too short. I would just like something to add a bit of nerdy flavor.
This is one of my favourite wedding readings. It's from So Long and Thanks for All the Fish—hard to get nerdier than Douglas Adams, no?
They looked at each other for a moment.posted by Zozo at 1:23 PM on October 21, 2013 [11 favorites]
The moment became a longer moment, and suddenly it was a very long moment, so long one could hardly tell where all the time was coming from.
For Arthur, who could usually contrive to feel self-conscious if left alone for long enough with a Swiss Cheese plant, the moment was one of sustained revelation. He felt on the sudden like a cramped and zoo-born animal who awakes one morning to find the door to his cage hanging quietly open and the savannah stretching grey and pink to the distant rising sun, while all around new sounds are waking.
He wondered what the new sounds were as he gazed at her openly wondering face and her eyes that smiled with a shared surprise.
He hadn't realized that life speaks with a voice to you, a voice that brings you answers to the questions you continually ask of it, had never consciously detected it or recognized its tones till it now said something it had never said to him before, which was "Yes."
"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in books written by rabbits.”
From The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle,
posted by Mchelly at 1:33 PM on October 21, 2013 [5 favorites]
From The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle,
posted by Mchelly at 1:33 PM on October 21, 2013 [5 favorites]
“The soft bonds of love are indifferent to life and death. They hold through time so that yesterday’s love is part of today’s and the confidence in tomorrow’s love is also part of today’s. And when one dies, the memory lives in the other, and is warm and breathing. And when both die — I almost believe, rationalist though I am — that somewhere it remains, indestructible and eternal, enriching all of the universe by the mere fact that once it existed.”
― Isaac Asimov, It's Been a Good Life
Or the following, depending on how colorful you want to be as Asimov was quite the witty poem/limerick writer.
“Tell me why the stars do shine,
Tell me why the ivy twines,
Tell me what makes skies so blue,
And I'll tell you why I love you.
Nuclear fusion makes stars to shine,
Tropisms make the ivy twine,
Raleigh scattering make skies so blue,
Testicular hormones are why I love you. ”
― recalled by Isaac Asimov in his Treasury of Humor
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:40 PM on October 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
― Isaac Asimov, It's Been a Good Life
Or the following, depending on how colorful you want to be as Asimov was quite the witty poem/limerick writer.
“Tell me why the stars do shine,
Tell me why the ivy twines,
Tell me what makes skies so blue,
And I'll tell you why I love you.
Nuclear fusion makes stars to shine,
Tropisms make the ivy twine,
Raleigh scattering make skies so blue,
Testicular hormones are why I love you. ”
― recalled by Isaac Asimov in his Treasury of Humor
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:40 PM on October 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
I was just at a wedding, and one of the readings was an adaption of this speech from the Princess Bride (book):
“I love you,' Buttercup said. 'I know this must come as something of a surprise to you, since all I've ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm. Your eyes are like that, did you know? Well they are. How many minutes ago was I? Twenty? Had I brought my feelings up to then? It doesn't matter.' Buttercup still could not look at him. The sun was rising behind her now; she could feel the heat on her back, and it gave her courage. 'I love you so much more now than twenty minutes ago that there cannot be comparison. I love you so much more now then when you opened your hovel door, there cannot be comparison. There is no room in my body for anything but you. My arms love you, my ears adore you, my knees shake with blind affection. My mind begs you to ask it something so it can obey. Do you want me to follow you for the rest of your days? I will do that. Do you want me to crawl? I will crawl. I will be quiet for you or sing for you, or if you are hungry, let me bring you food, or if you have thirst and nothing will quench it but Arabian wine, I will go to Araby, even though it is across the world, and bring a bottle back for your lunch. Anything there is that I can do for you, I will do for you; anything there is that I cannot do, I will learn to do."posted by likeatoaster at 2:02 PM on October 21, 2013 [8 favorites]
Also you could try fitting in this gem from Terry Pratchett:
"Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken.”
posted by Mchelly at 2:24 PM on October 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
"Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken.”
posted by Mchelly at 2:24 PM on October 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Perhaps too specifically dorky, but my favorite:" I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. Eowyn, Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!'" (Faramir the Dreamy, Return of the King)
posted by theweasel at 3:30 PM on October 21, 2013
posted by theweasel at 3:30 PM on October 21, 2013
This.
ALRIGHT FINE I ADMIT IT I SOMETIMES WATCH BIG BANG THEORY
posted by Sys Rq at 3:44 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
ALRIGHT FINE I ADMIT IT I SOMETIMES WATCH BIG BANG THEORY
posted by Sys Rq at 3:44 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Our wedding included this bit from Homer Simpson's personalized vows from episode six of season eight of The Simpsons, in which Homer and Marge get married again:
Do you, ______, take ______, in richness and in poorness--poorness is underlined
It was seriously apropos in our case, too.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:04 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Do you, ______, take ______, in richness and in poorness--poorness is underlined
It was seriously apropos in our case, too.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:04 PM on October 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Not sure if this is the right kind of nerd culture, but we used parts of Knee Play 5 from Einstein on the Beach in our wedding.
posted by pompelmo at 5:25 PM on October 21, 2013
posted by pompelmo at 5:25 PM on October 21, 2013
I always thought the Mimbari Rebirth Ceremony from Babylon 5 was on the romantic side, and it's even explicitly called out as being able to double as a marriage ceremony:
"Will you follow me into fire, into storm, into darkness, into death?"
And the Nine said, Yes.
"Then do this as testimony to the One who will follow,
who will bring death, couched in the promise of new life,
and renewal, disguised as defeat.
From birth,
Through death and renewal,
We must put aside old things,
Old fears,
Old lives.
This is your death:
the death of flesh,
the death of pain,
the death of yesterday.
Taste of it!
Taste of it!
Be not afraid,
For I am with you, till the end of time.
posted by radwolf76 at 1:13 AM on October 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
"Will you follow me into fire, into storm, into darkness, into death?"
And the Nine said, Yes.
"Then do this as testimony to the One who will follow,
who will bring death, couched in the promise of new life,
and renewal, disguised as defeat.
From birth,
Through death and renewal,
We must put aside old things,
Old fears,
Old lives.
This is your death:
the death of flesh,
the death of pain,
the death of yesterday.
Taste of it!
Taste of it!
Be not afraid,
For I am with you, till the end of time.
posted by radwolf76 at 1:13 AM on October 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I did a wedding toast for nerds and I included a quote from Richard Feynman: "Dearest riches have never made people great but love does it every day."
I have also seen quotes from the Narn declaration of principles used as a wedding reading - some of it could go in a speech.
posted by rmd1023 at 4:38 AM on October 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I have also seen quotes from the Narn declaration of principles used as a wedding reading - some of it could go in a speech.
posted by rmd1023 at 4:38 AM on October 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by phunniemee at 1:06 PM on October 21, 2013 [7 favorites]