RENOWNED BATCHELOR jt Till threw off his 'playboy' status earlier today when he took the beautiful Shantell Jewell as his bride in a beautifully poetic ceremony by Wedding Officiate, Rick Wake, at their Kittyland residence.
Everything was exquisite - from the lovely little castle invitation; the greeting at the venue; the magnificent setting, emotionally-charged music; beautiful bridesmaids - Nickyla Sands, Summer Deadlight, Trinity Angel Carnell, Iraie Jewell, and groom's attendants Kitty Tully, Anna Spearman, Mrs. Stallion and best man, Maxx Bourne.
(jt is the only person I've met whose attendants were mostly female!)
The bride was fashionably late and people started getting teary before the bride even walked down the aisle when Enya sang "Only Time".
The wedding vows were especially moving and are worth repeating (in part) here:
"We're gathered not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is! A deep respect, friendship and love between two people. Marriage is a promise, made in the hearts of two people who love each other. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships.
"A wife and a husband are each other's lover, teacher, listener, critic and best friend. It is the sharing of experience, and an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. True love is the soul's recognition of its counterpoint in another. It is a rare thing and something to be valued.
"To love, is to see things other people do not see. To see beneath the surface, to the qualities which make our beloved special and unique. To see with loving eyes, is to know inner beauty. To be loved, is to be seen, and known, as we are known to no other.
"Always remember ... the one who loves us, is giving us an exclusive gift - a piece of themselves, and that piece is something only they could give us.
"It takes more than love to make any relationship work. It takes trust. To know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other.
"It takes dedication, to stay open to one another. To learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so.
"And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and having a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
"It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
"It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
"You are each receiving a gift - the life and love of the other. Cherish it forever."
So it was with these profoundly moving words, that Wedding Officiate Rick Wake pronounced Shantell Jewell and jt Till man and wife at exactly 18.42 on 21st July 2007.
At their reception, where the music of Beethoven and Vivaldi could be heard, the happy couple very graciously gave me some time for a quick interview.
"I fell for Shantell at our first meeting," said jt, "but didn't propose for ten days. An eternity in SL. And then another month til today's wedding."
"And it means this confirmed bachelor is no more."
jt explained that he always reads people's profiles when he meets them and when he met Shantell, hers said that she wanted to fulfil fantasies and so he challenged her to fulfil his.
"As you can see from my profile, I've been around SL for a long time and I'm a well known, or was a well known, playboy, but no more."
For Shantell's part, the romance began when she accidentally tp'd into jt's Bacchus Mall club just over a month ago. "He IM'd me before I rezzed, " explained Shantell. "So I had to stay." (Well, we all know she didn't HAVE to stay, but there was obviously some chemistry there, because she did.
I asked whether she had any reservations about getting involved with someone who was so generally acknowledged as a "playboy".
"Mmmm, no, I wasn't wanting to settle down," explained Shantell, acknowledging my comment that jt had obviously fallen hard for her. "He did ... I'm still surprised how much so every day,"
"I wasn't expecting the sweetness from him," she added. "jt is a very very sweet guy .... more than a fantasy."
And their plans for the future? "I'm only thinking about our honeymoon coming up .. after that, Gates is building our dream castle .... and after that, jt and I just get to enjoy our life." (jt is planning the honeymoon as a surprise gift to his bride).
The couple paid tribute to their staff who had helped put the wedding together, especially Kitty Tully and Gates Lucerne who had been involved in erecting the wedding venue, which was absolutely divine.
An amusing anecdote of the wedding was that throughout the ceremony, whenever the officiate typed 'hide' for the poseballs (so they wouldn't interfere in people's photos), another cushion would disappear from a seat. Organiser Gates Lucerne soon realised that he and the officiate had used the same script!
Guests included Freya Mokusei, Dev Carnell, Tobira Vanbeeck and her new husband, Spence Slade, LilMari69 Babii, FallOutBoy Ajax, Craig Stallion, Piper Pawpaw, Gates Lucerne, Luther Carfagno,Caon Chadbourne, Kyte Iuga, Lori Nicholas, Raffian Shepherd, Misha Otaared, Ionnes Jacobus and Fatel Mission.
And because the banquet was THE best looking spread I've ever seen in SL, I'm also reproducing it here. This was the most impressive looking event I've been to in SL!
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