On 18 June 2016, we were married.

We were married before most of Raven's relatives, and a few of mine. Raven's bridesmaids were Brianne Lyons and Marcie Winter. One of my best friends, Fred Rains, was my best man. My brother, Theodore, was a groomsman. The proceedings were officiated—delivered Rod Serling-style—by Raven's brother, Neils Schoenfelder.

We wrote our vows, and Neils wrote the interstitial narration:

There is a door that is unlocked with the keys of patience, understanding, and love. Beyond it, there is another institution—an institution both sacred and secular; a covenant to which two people pledge themselves.

We’re gathered here to witness two people opening that door, so they can walk through it together. They’ll start their journey before us today, and they’ll continue it side-by-side, into… their twilight years.

Presented for your approval, Raven Amos and Scott Elyard. A couple that bonded over their their mutual love of dinosaurs, art, and things fantastical. A couple now bonded in mutual affection, admiration, and respect. A couple devoted to each other above all else. A couple deeply in love.

Today, Scott and Raven begin a lifelong journey together. It’s a journey that that promises great sadness, and great joys. A journey filled with both the weird and the mundane. A journey on which they will persevere to overcome personal dragons. A journey and a bond that they eagerly take together, beginning today before us, their closest family and friends.

To begin this journey, Raven and Scott have prepared some special words to share with each other and with us.


• Scott: Ours is a story of woman alone meets man alone and are then alone together—no longer alone!
• Raven: We fell into weird and never got out. In our weirding way we will thrive together unconventionally!
• Scott: Our future is like layers of fossil rocks mixed with tiki cosmonauts—together in time, fantasy, and reality.
• Raven: Together we'll explore the world, and if we can't get to the world, we'll invent our own worlds, and explore those.
• Scott: We will continue to embrace painting, drawing, and illustrating dinosaurs and unrelated extinct and extant fauna—together.
• Raven: We will work, together, to fight dragons and hydras with kraken captains, and we will take on all comers and face adversity, conquer chaos, and make a little of our own on the side.
• Scott: We will, together, for the rest of our lives, be equals in mutual respect, love, and patience.
• Raven: Together we are stronger than we ever were apart.
• Both: Together, we vow.


Raven and Scott remind us of the importance of “togetherness” in their vows to each other. But this togetherness isn’t restricted to just the two of them. We’re all participants in their journey. They’ll rely on us for help, advice, and comfort, just as we will rely on them for the same. This “togetherness” is what it means to be a family—whether it’s the family that they’re joining together to form today; or the extended family that we form around them.

Representing this “togetherness”, Raven and Scott will exchange rings as reminders of the vows they’ve already exchanged. This exchange will be witnessed by all of us, and will represent a physical reminder of the loving and supportive extended family that we’re all part of.

We also started a means for crowdfunding our honeymoon, during which we're still hoping to attend SVP in Utah this October (2016).

We also participated in an ancient tradition of jumping together over a broom, and I threw parsley on the lawn. (Which is now my new favorite faux-tradition.)

We'll be posting more photos as they become available. Thanks to everyone who attended! You helped make our day most special.

—Scott