It isn’t always the case that you have a personal connection to the person who presides over your wedding ceremony. My wife and I did, partly because I had known his family for a very long time, and partly because we had a long and thought-provoking series of counseling sessions with him before the fact. He helped us write a set of vows that included a commitment that I haven’t heard often enough at other weddings: everyone in attendance undertook an express obligation to help ensure the success of this relationship.
Although we didn’t keep in touch with Ros Moore afterward, we always felt that we were fortunate to have had him as part of our lives. He died earlier this month, at the age of 78. A brief, recent account of his life appears here.