Ever since we met on Earth so long ago, Jaal and I have married frequently in our reincarnated lives. We were so in love the very first time we got married that we felt like we were floating.

  Jaal had a simple but exquisitely tatted white dress and veil made for herself. It was quite an extravagance, knowing it would go straight into her clothes chest at the end of the day and she wouldn’t wear it again. It has since been borrowed by relatives, but it has always looked best on her. I know I laugh at the gnomes who get married in what I consider an overly frilly style, but when the time came, I couldn’t imagine Jaal in anything but lace. She looked exquisite.

  We married in early summer, so her flowers featured white daisies, pale yellow roses and baby’s breath, with a few lavender-tipped lilies tucked in the bouquet to honor Jaal’s clan.

  I know men usually don’t get very excited about their wedding outfits, but I felt quite smart in my white wool shirt, fashioned with a raised band collar, worn loose over matching pants. My long vest featured thin vertical stripes in Jaal’s clan colors.

  We had decided on a fragrant vanilla wedding cake with the very top of the cake colored with a species of lavender that not only gave a beautiful color, but gave a hint of lemony-lavender flavor. The cake baker, who was one of my many cousins, added a sprinkling of tiny lavender blooms across the top of the cake.

  She also added two carved and painted figures to top the cake, with fresh flowers tucked around them. They looked just like us! Even the colors were perfect.

  As per tradition, I was presented to Jaal’s mother just before the wedding so she could bestow final approval for Jaal to marry me. Our two groups of friends surrounded us in a mock protective style, but there was more laughing and chattering than serious worry about being allowed to marry. Indeed, my mother-in-law behaved admirably at our wedding and in fact ever after.

  My own parents were also pleased by our nuptials. They have always loved Jaal and thought we were an excellent match.

  With parents, close relatives, and our two groups of friends, there was quite a throng on the wedding platform. Everyone crowded in closely. Jaal and I stepped forward from the group to pledge all the days of this life to each other, amid much cheering and drinking of toasts.

  It would be incorrect to say that gnomes have religious rites. Gnomes don't so much have a religion as they have a celebration of being part of the Creator. We are simply reminded to live in awe of that fact in our wedding ceremonies.

  Jaal and I swore to uphold our gnomish duties, meaning we must take care of all living beings, animals and plants, in every realm on every world. We also swore to take care of each other, our family, and all gnomes everywhere. Our community elders witnessed our vows and approved the signing of the scrolls.

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  Our wedding reception was traditional, with the usual feasting, drinking and entertainments. I’ve heard that a tradition is what you do when you can’t think of anything better. For us there really didn’t seem to be a better way to celebrate a wedding that joins two lives and two clans, than with family, good friends and highly satisfying food and drink.

  The celebration lasted until dawn started to streak the sky. We enjoyed ourselves so much that the guests kept lingering. As much as we wanted to spend time alone together, it was hard to leave the affectionate assemblage of friends and family. Eventually the party wound down and it really was time to leave. We were showered with fresh, fragrant flower blooms as the group waved goodbye. Then we winked out of sight.

  As with many couples, we spent our wedding trip at the Honeymoon Planet.

  The Honeymoon Planet is quite beautiful and isolated, and seems like it was perfectly created just for newly married beings who are looking for a bit of privacy and relaxation. It is a world consisting of gently sloping white beaches, calm blue oceans with exceptional snorkeling, and scenic woodland trails leading to exquisite waterfalls. The concierges have tucked secluded outdoor hammocks here and there for visitors who want to rest during their explorations. When hunger calls, refreshments can be delivered to the hammocks or sent to a private cabin.

  The cabins are simple bamboo structures on stilts, where newlyweds can sit on quiet terraces with gorgeous views or step inside and roll up rope ladders for complete privacy.

  The Honeymoon Planet is a delightful place for newlyweds to visit after a stressful wedding. It’s not only popular with humanoid couples, but it has areas just for us magical small folks. Everyone enjoys meeting new species as they stroll the trails or dine in any of the hundreds of restaurants.

  We didn’t remain only on the Honeymoon Planet during our visit. We took advantage of our ability to instantly transport anywhere and took many short trips. We visited a rumbling volcano planet where we dodged fast-moving lava flows; we collected souvenir diamonds from a planet where skies rained minerals; and we took a spaceship tour that got daringly close to a black hole. We visited a planet with the deepest caves in the universe and observed the strange, sightless creatures who lived there; lastly, we took a tasting tour of a winery planet that produces the most exquisite wines in the universe, where we sipped wine and tasted exotic cheeses made from the milk of rare animals from around the cosmos.

  Then, just in time before we reached exhaustion from our busy trip, we returned to our home planet.

  Jaal and I had planned a new stone house to have a permanent home to live in when we weren’t working on other planets. I hadn’t managed to complete it and was feeling a little embarrassed to show the unfinished shell to Jaal. However, the best wedding present of all was waiting for us: our relatives had gotten together for a house raising. The house was not completed when we left but it was finished and furnished when we got home. There was even food in the pantry if we felt like eating.

  Gnomes always make sure that a project is finished and ready when it is needed. It’s one of our best traits. Our new home was a fine start to anyone’s wedded life.

  We were just as happy every time we got married in every new lifetime, but there is nothing like the enjoyment of a first wedding and starting a first lifetime together.

  Now that I’ve enjoyed reminiscing about our first wedding, it’s probably a good time to start talking about our next project: our children.