Wedding Ceremonies traditionally consist of at least five parts:
The Opening and Comments
The Intent
The Vows
The Ring Exchange
The Closing and Pronouncement
Many couples also elect to
include various readings
and/or little ceremonies
within the ceremony.
Please chose from the
following or combine parts of the following:
OPENING/COMMENTS
#1 -
This day, , and are here in
, in the beautiful
to avow their marriage.
May their life together be
filled with happiness, good health,
many friends, much love
and all of the wonderful
things that life can offer.
Before these witnesses, their dearest family and
friends,
and pledge
their love, their lives and their hearts to each other.
May their
hearts always be full with kindness and understanding
and may they always be free of any pretense or
mistrust.
May they always be sweethearts, lovers and friends,
and together, may they meet the cares and obstacles of
life more bravely
and may they
always find contentment in the joy of their companionship
#2 - Love is a miraculous gift, and a wedding is a
celebration of that magic,
and that’s what we’re here to
do today.
We are gathered together to be
overjoyed for and with and ,
who are so wonderfully suited
to one another that it’s a pure delight for the rest of us to see how
ebulliently happy two people can be.
When we think of love we
sometimes talk about people who “deserve” one another.
Not only do and
deserve one another,
but they are a perfect match,
a pair, a fit, soul mates, if you will;
and their marriage, far from
being something they have had to work hard
to achieve, was pure inevitability.
They were given to one another
and fell so deeply in love that they had no choice.
They are the embodiment of
true romance which, matured, becomes true love.
They are the example of love
that in its lightheartedness,
dissolves the notion of love
as hard work.
They are the promise of
possibility, the expectation of joyful surprise.
Today is also a celebration
for the rest of us,
for it is a pleasure for us to
see love in bloom,
to participate in the wedding
of two people so delightfully suited to one another.
It lifts our spirits to be in
the presence of such a love,
to bask in the sweet energies
of two people who so obviously adore one another,
who want to play together,
laugh together
and walk together for a
lifetime.
So, HOORAY!
We’re here to celebrate, to
honor, to laugh, to dance and to be glad
because the real fun has just
begun!
Love is alive and well in the
land. and are here to prove it,
and we are here to share in
their joy.
#3 -
Beloved family, friends, accomplices and witnesses,
we have come here to the edge
of the earth to celebrate the marriage
of and
,
who through being ruthlessly
and wonderfully themselves,
have chosen to be married.
This is an occasion of both
profound joy and great responsibility,
and we who partake in it bind
ourselves as witnesses to the labor of love
that these two are undertaking
here.
and , you give us hope, you remind us of love,
and we are overjoyed to be
your witnesses as you vow to marry,
and to create a home where you
can best love each other (and your child/children).
Dear family and friends, and
acknowledge that the living examples
in their lives of other true
loves has helped remind them
that the commitment of marriage
is a true blessing,
and not one to be taken
lightly.
In celebration of this, you
married couples here this evening are invited
to give a brief renewal of
your own marriage vows to each other
as the sun sets on the
birthday of a brand new marriage.
Please feel free to face your
partner, hold hands and repeat after me:
"I love you, and thank
you again for the gift of your love.
Thank you for being here to
love me all these years,
in every way you have, in all
the ways you will.
I pledge again to love you for
the rest of our days."
#4 -
Family and friends, and have invited us here today
to , in the beautiful
We come together not to mark
the start of a relationship,
but to recognize a bond that
already exists.
This marriage is one
expression of the many varieties of love.
Love is one, though its
expressions are infinite.
It is fitting to speak briefly
about love.
We live in a world of joy and
fear, and search for meaning
and strength in the seeming
disorder.
We discover the truest
guideline to our quest
when we realize love in all
its magnitudes.
Love is the eternal force of
life.
Love is the force that allows
us to face fear and uncertainty with courage.
But, you must “be of love a
little more careful than of anything.”
The giving of yourself in love
is difficult, for you must learn
to give of your love without total submission of
yourself.
Therefore, in your giving,
give your joy, your sadness, your interest,
your understanding, your
knowledge-all expressions that make up life.
But in this giving, remember
to preserve yourself-your integrity, your individuality.
This is the challenge of love
within marriage.
Although you will be sharing
one life, never forget, you are two separate people.
Cherish and affirm your differences.
Love each other. Keep your commitment primary.
Together you will laugh and
cry, be sick and well, be happy and angry, share and grow.
Grow, sometimes together,
sometimes separately. But never remain
stagnant.
Love and life are always
changing, always new.
If you will ensure a healthy
lasting marriage, always, always value each other.
Although you will disagree,
remember to respect each other’s feelings, needs, and wants.
And above all, never, never,
lose your sense of humor.
It is in this spirit, I know,
that you two have come to be married.
So let us proceed.
#5 -
and are met here today to
become one through the rite of matrimony.
As the waters of the sea are
vast, flowing, deep and endless,
so may be their love for each
other.
May their love hold within it
the essence of life
and be constant, enduring and
limitless.
They are today pledging their
love and their lives to each other
for all the days that remain
to them.
They celebrate their
commitment to a strong and enduring relationship
and as the seas touch the many
shores of the earth,
may their love and their lives
enrich everyone with whom they come in contact.
6 -
This day, , and
are here in Islamorada,
in the beautiful
It means the world to them
that you have traveled so many miles
to share in this special
celebration.
They have asked you here
because they hold you, their family and friends,
as a valued part of what they
are as individuals,
and what they will become as a
married couple.
Your presence is a gift of
support and caring,
and they appreciate your
sharing their very special occasion.
We are gathered here today to
take part in the most time-honored celebration
of the human family-uniting a
man and woman in marriage.
and have come to witness before you,
telling of their love for each
other.
If you would have the
foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for one another,
not just at this moment, but
for all the days to come,
then treasure the hopes and
dreams that you bring here today.
Establish that your love will
never be blotted out by the common,
nor obscured by the ordinary
in life.
Dedication, love, and joy can
grow only when you nourish them together.
Stand fast in that hope and
confidence, having faith in your shared destiny—
just as strongly as you have
faith in yourselves and in one another today.
Only with the spirit can you
forge a union that will
strengthen and endure all the
days of your lives.
#7 - We
are gathered here today, in in the
beautiful
to celebrate the marriage of and
.
You may ask, why did we have
to come to
to do what we could have done
back home in .
The reality is that beautiful
moments should happen in beautiful places
and most of life's greatest experiences
require a journey of some dimension.
and
would like to thank all of you for making the journey to share in this
most special of days.
Marriage is an outward symbol
of an inward union of hearts,
a union created by friendship, respect, faith,
passion and love.
Love is one of the greatest experiences that
we as humans can have,
but it is when love is
combined with real friendship that both are infinitely enhanced.
#8 -
Before these witnesses,
and pledge their love, their
lives and their hearts to each other.
May they ever be true and loving, never bringing remorse or heartbreak
into their marriage.
Temper their hearts with kindness and
understanding
and may they always be free of
any pretense or mistrust.
May they always be
sweethearts, helpmates and friends,
and together, may they meet
the cares and problems of life more bravely.
May they find contentment in
the joy of their rich companionship.
#9 - This day,
and are here in , in the beautiful
May their life
together be filled with happiness, good health, many friends, much love
and all of the wonderful things that life can bring.
Through the ages, one of the most meaningful
definitions
of love is taken from the Book of Corinthians:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not
delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never
fails. And of the three blessings,
faith, hope and love, the greatest of these is love.
#10 - This day,
, and are here in the beautiful
their love for each other, to give notice to their
truth;
to declare their choice to live and partner and grow
together-
out loud and in your presence, out of their desire
that you will all come to feel a very real and
intimate part of their decision,
and thus make it even more powerful.
They’ve also come here tonight in the further hope
that their ritual of bonding will help bring us all
closer together.
If you are here tonight with a spouse or a partner,
let this ceremony be a reminder-a rededication of your
own loving bond.
#11 - Dear Family and Friends, I welcome you today
in celebration of and
's Love.
God lives in us, and his Love has been brought to full
expression
through this couple this morning.
The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that
we are loved,
loved for ourselves and especially in spite of our
selves.
Happiness in marriage is not something that just
happens.
A good marriage must be created. It is where the
little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say I love you at least
once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry. It is at
no time taking the other for granted.
The courtship should not end after the
honeymoon,
it should continue through the years.
It is
having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together to face the world
and forming a
circle of love that gathers the entire family.
It is doing things for each other, in the spirit
of joy, not sacrifice.
It is speaking words of appreciation.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience,
understanding and A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR!
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is allowing each other to grow.
It is establishing a relationship in which
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.
And out of the entire world and
have chosen one another.
INTENT
#1 -
,do you take to be your
lawful wedded wife/husband,
to live together in the estate of matrimony,
to love, honor, comfort her/him
and keep her/him in sickness and in health,
and forsaking all others,
keep you only unto her/him so
long as you both shall live?
I do.
#2 -
, do you take to be your
wife/husband,
and do you pledge your trust
in her/him today,
in all love and honor, in
faith and tenderness,
to live with and cherish
her/him always?
I do.
#3 -
, do you choose to marry and
to speak before your family and friends
the words that will commit you
to her/him as her/his husband/wife
for the rest of the days of your life?
I do.
# 4 -
Do you, take , to be your lawful wedded wife/husband,
and do you promise to be
her/his faithful, loving and devoted husband/wife
in sickness and in health, in
plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow,
as long as you both shall live?
I do.
5. (Groom’s name), today you join your life to ’s.
Will you have
her as your wedded wife, to live together in the covenant of faith, hope, and
love?
Will you listen
to her deepest thoughts, be tenderhearted, kind, and wise in your daily care of
her,
and do you
promise to stand faithfully at her side
as a loving and
devoted husband, in sickness and in
health ?
Will you
encourage her in times of doubt, comfort her in times of sorrow, and honor her
always? And will you cherish and adore
every moment of your life together as long as you both shall live?
I will.
(Bride’s Name), today you join your life to ’s.
Will you have
him as your wedded husband, to live together in the covenant of faith, hope,
and love? Will you be his partner and
companion, lover and best friend
and will you find joy in his successes as well as the
ones you share together?
Will you promise to stand by his side and be his
loving, faithful,
and devoted
wife, in sickness and in health?
Will you
promise to laugh with him through good times,
to struggle
with him through bad, and appreciate him always?
Will you undertake to care for his happiness and
well-being?
And will you
cherish and adore every moment of your life together as long as you both shall
live?
I will.
6. Will
you, ,take to be your husband/wife?
Will you love him/her, comfort
him/her, honor and keep him/her,
in sickness and in health, for
richer, for poorer, for better, for worse,
in sadness and in joy, to
cherish and continually bestow upon him/her
your heart’s deepest devotion,
forsaking all others,
keep yourself only unto him/her
as long as you both shall live?
I will.
VOWS
(Vows can be read by the bride
and groom to each other, or can be repeated after the officiant)
#1 -
From this day on, I choose you, ,
to be my wife/husband,
to live with you and laugh
with you;
to stand by your side and
sleep in your arms;
to be joy to your heart and
food to your soul;
to bring out the best in you
always;
and, for you, to be the most
that I can.
#2 -
I, , choose you , to be my beloved wife/husband.
To love you, to be a comfort
and a safe haven in your life,
To hold you close, to listen
when you are sad or angry,
To learn compassion with you,
To nourish you with my
gentleness, to uphold you with my strength,
To weigh the effects of the
words I speak and the things I do,
To never take you for granted,
but always give thanks for your presence,
To be faithful, to nourish
your mind, express the truth,
And warm you with my
laughter. I promise you this from my
heart,
For all the rest of my days.
#3 -
I, , take you, , to be my wife/husband, as my friend and my
love.
I will be yours in plenty and in want, in
health and in sickness, in failure and in triumph.
I will cherish and respect you, comfort and
encourage you, and stay with you from this day forward.
#4 -
I, , take you, , to be no other than yourself.
Loving what I know of you,
trusting what I do not yet know,
with respect for your integrity and faith in
your love for me.
Through all years and all that life may bring
us,
I will strive everyday to make
our relationship stronger.
My promise to you today is to be your friend,
your love and your partner
for all the days of our lives.
#5 – I, , take you, to be my lawfully wedded wife/husband,
knowing in my heart that you
will be my constant friend,
my faithful partner in life,
and my one true love.
On this special day, I give to you, in the
presence of God and these witnesses,
my sacred promise to stay by
your side as your faithful wife/husband
in sickness and in health, in joy and in
sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad.
I promise to love you without reservation,
honor and respect you,
provide for your needs as best
I can, protect you from harm, comfort you in times of distress,
grow with you in mind and spirit, encourage
you to achieve higher goals,
always be open and honest with
you and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
#6. , how
blessed I am that I can walk beside you, lean upon you,
and live within the warmth of your love.
I promise to give you the best of myself
and to ask of you no more than you can give.
I promise to respect you as your own person,
And to realize that your interests, desires and needs
Are no less important than my own.
I promise to share with you my time and attention
And to bring joy, strength and imagination to our
relationship.
I promise to keep myself open to you,
To let you see through the window of my world
Into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and
dreams.
I promise to grow along with you,
To be willing to face changes in order to keep our
relationship alive and exciting.
I promise to love you in good times and in bad,
With all that I have, in the only way I know how.
Completely and forever.
#7 My dear
,
I choose to truly love you
with kindness, faithfulness and respect,
Through every circumstance
that life may bring.
Because I treasure you, I will
daily devote myself
To support, encourage, comfort
and defend you
As we together face the coming
moments of
Sorrow and joy, sickness and
health, poverty and wealth.
When I have been wronged, I
will forgive,
When I do wrong, I will
confess with contrition,
When conflict dims our days, I
will exercise the patience of true love
and seek the light of wise
counsel.
Most of all, I will rejoice
and thank the Lord For completing me with the gift of you.
I know that no matter what may
come,
I will remain by your side
with enduring devotion and fidelity
For as long as we share our
lives on earth.
8. , today, I join my life to yours
as your friend, your lover, and your companion.
I choose now to stay this path with you,
wherever it leads, whatever the outcome;
To travel with you through the adventures of life,
loving you at my side; in all that we will find,
I pledge to you my friendship, my faith and my love
9. (Groom
speaks)
I promise to be true to you, to love you and cherish
you.
I promise to hold
you when you are sad, laugh with you
when you are
happy, and never stop loving you.
I will always be there in good times and bad,
and I will
strive to be the best husband I can be now and forever.
Finally I
promise to commit myself to you because today I join my life to yours
not only as
your husband but as your best friend, lover and partner.
I consider it
an honor and a privilege to be the one you’ve chosen
and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with
you.
(Bride speaks)
I promise to always encourage your dreams and support
you in everything you do;
to be honest and faithful, and respect you as an
individual;
to be your best friend and always listen to you with
an open mind and open heart;
to always stand
by your side because together there is nothing we cannot overcome;
to grow old with you and create a lifetime full of
happiness and memories.
Finally I
promise to commit myself to you because today I join my life to yours
not only as
your wife but as your best friend, lover and partner.
I consider it an honor and a privilege to be the one
you’ve chosen
and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with
you.
10.
I, , take you, , to be my
husband/wife,
my partner in life and my one true love.
I will cherish our union and love you more
each day
than I did the day before.
I will trust you and respect you, laugh with
you and cry with you,
loving you faithfully through good times and
bad,
regardless of the obstacles we may face
together.
I give you my hand, my heart, and my love,
from this day forward
for as long as we both shall live.
RING EXCHANGE
#1 -
, place the ring on 's finger
and repeat after me:
With this ring, I thee wed, in love and truth,
and with all my worldly goods,
I thee endow.
#2 -
, place the ring on ‘s finger and repeat after me:
I hope that you will wear this
ring as a reminder
that I love you every single
day of your life.
#3 -
From the earliest times, the circle has been a symbol
of completeness, a symbol of
committed love.
An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolizes
a commitment of love that is also
never-ending.
As often as either of you looks at this
symbol,
I hope that you will be
reminded of the commitment to love each other
that you have made today.
As a token of mutual fidelity
and affection the rings will now be given and received.
, place the ring on ‘s finger
and repeat after me:
I, , give to you, , this ring
as a symbol
of my commitment to love, honor, and respect
you.
#4 -
This circlet of precious metal is justly regarded as a fitting emblem
of the purity and perpetuity of the
The ancients were reminded by the circle of
eternity,
as it is so fashioned as to have neither
beginning nor end;
while gold is so incorruptible
that it cannot be tarnished by use or time.
So may the union, at this time
solemnized, be incorruptible in its purity
and more lasting than time itself.
, please place the ring
on ’s finger and repeat after me:
Wear this ring forever, , as a symbol
of love and peace and of all
that is unending.
#5 -
Traditionally, the marking of the passage to the status of husband
and wife is marked by the exchange
of rings.
These rings are a symbol of
the unbroken circle of love.
Love freely given has no
beginning and no end.
Love freely given has no giver
and no receiver - for each is the giver and each is the receiver.
May these rings remind you always
of the vows you have taken here today.
- place the ring on ‘s finger and repeat
after me:
, I give you this ring as a symbol of my
vow,
and with all that I am, and all that I have, I
honor you.
#6 -
Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux, has written:
Everything the power of the world does is done
in a circle.
The sky is round and I have
heard that the earth is round like a ball and so are the stars.
The wind in its greatest power
whirls. Birds make their nest in
circles.
The sun comes forth and goes
down again in a circle.
Even the seasons form a great
circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man or a woman is a circle from
childhood to childhood,
and so it is in everything where power moves.
The circle is the symbol of
the sun and the earth and the universe.
It is a symbol of holiness and of perfection
and of peace.
In this ring is the symbol of unity, in which
your two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle,
in which, wherever you go, you will always
return unto one another to your togetherness.
, place the ring on ‘s finger
and repeat after me:
I give you this ring as a
token that I shall love you,
in all times, in all places,
and in all ways, forever.
#7 - As this ring encircles your finger, from this
day forward, so will my love forever encircle you. Wear this ring as a symbol of my love.
#8 – The ring is the
traditional symbol of the promises binding two people together in
marriage. It is the promises themselves
which are important, but the ring is a physical reminder of ties which cannot
be seen by the human eye.
Place the ring on ‘s finger and repeat after me:
I give you this ring as a
symbol of my constant respect and love for you.
#9 - The
circle is the symbol of the sun and the earth and the universe.
It is a symbol of holiness and of perfection
and of peace.
This ring is a symbol of
unity, in which your two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle.
, please place this ring on ‘s finger and repeat after me:
I give you this ring to wear
upon your hand as a symbol of our unity.
As the
rings encircle your fingers, let love encompass your hearts.
, please place the ring on ’s finger and repeat after
me:
, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and
faithfulness.
With this ring, I thee wed, in love and truth,
and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow.
11. , place the
ring on ’s finger and repeat after me:
I, , give to you, , this ring as a symbol
of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you.
One life, One heart, One Soul,
from this life to the next, you are my Wife/Husband.
CLOSING
#1 - In
as much as and this day consented together in holy
wedlock
and have given and pledged
their love, each to the other, in the presence of this company,
by the virtue of the authority
vested in me under the laws of the State of
I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
#2 -
Now, because you have chosen one another,
honored each other with the
precious gift of your rings,
and pledged to love and care
for each other for all the days of your lives,
it gives me great joy to
pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
#3 -
As and join their lives in marriage,
they also bring you together
in a new relationship,
creating new bonds of trust and ties of
affection.
Will you give them your love,
blessing, and your support.
If so please show them your support by saying
"we will".
Before this gathering, and
have promised each other their love
and have given each other
rings to wear as a sign of their deep commitment.
Therefore, by virtue of the
authority vested in me under the laws of the State of
I now declare you to be
husband and wife.
Kiss!
#4 -
Inasmuch as and have declared their love and devotion
to each other before family and friends,
I now greet them with you as husband and wife.
You may kiss your bride!
#5 - and
, you have expressed your desire to be husband and wife.
You have shown your love and affection by
joining hands
and making promises of devotion to one
another,
and you have sealed these
promises by the giving and receiving of rings.
Remember always to give to one
another new experiences of joy.
Challenge one another so that you may
grow.
May the love you hold for each
other, now sealed in marriage,
continue to mature with the
passing years.
May you always experience the wonder of your
union.
Be slow to anger, quick to
forgive, leaving no tracks of resentment behind each day.
May your love consist not only
of gazing into each other’s eyes,
but looking outward in the same direction.
May your life together be a
source of strength and inspiration
to yourselves, your families,
your friends, and to all whose lives you touch.
Today and
have become a family.
May they be content in each
other’s presence
and may they find joy, happiness, peace and a
lot of laughter together.
Now, by the virtue of the
authority vested in me
under the laws of the State of
it gives me great joy to pronounce you husband
and wife.
You may kiss your bride!
#6 -
This is a moment of celebration.
Let it also be a moment of dedication.
The world does a good job of reminding us of
how fragile we are.
Individuals are fragile;
relationships are fragile, too.
Every marriage needs the love, nurture and
support of a network of family and friends.
On this wedding day, I ask you not only to be
family and friends of or ,
but family and friends of and
together, friends of the relationship.
In the moment of silence that
follows, I ask each of you, in you own way,
to confer a silent prayer,
blessing, wish or hope upon this marriage.
May the love you have found
grow in meaning and strength
until its beauty is shown in a
common devotion to all that is compassionate and life-giving.
May the flow of your love help
brighten the face of the earth.
May the source of all love
touch and bless you and grace your lives with color and courage.
Now that and
have given themselves to each other by solemn vows,
with the joining of hands and
the giving and receiving of a ring,
I pronounce that they are
husband and wife.
You may kiss your bride!
and may
life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding.
And long, long years from now, may you look at one another
and be able to say “Because of you, I have lived the
life I always wanted to live;
Because of you, I have become the person I longed to
be.”
Now by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the State of
I pronounce that you are
husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
8. May the love you have found grow in meaning
and strength
until its beauty is shown in a common devotion
to all that is compassionate and life-giving.
May the flow of your love help
brighten the face of the earth and the blue in the sky.
May the source of all love
touch and bless you and grace your lives with color and courage.
I now happily pronounce you
husband and wife.
You may kiss your bride
Play. Communicate with each other. Laugh often.
Focus on what you want and entice your intentions into
being.
Plan for the
things that are important to you and do them.
This love is to be nurtured, to be lived out to the
fullest in every aspect of its dreams –
in the simple
activities of shared daily life, in realized hopes and long-deferred plans,
in a quality of emotional exchange and spiritual
communion
toward which the whole of your life has been leaning.
And finally, be thankful for each other.
Love is always
a gift and this great gift has been given to you.
and , we ask that you always keep your feelings of
joy, excitement, possibility
and challenge
about what you are undertaking here.
We hope that you always have peace of heart and
strength of spirit
so you may
honor these vows that you make here today.
And we know that your love for each other will gently
guide you through your lives.
I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss your bride!
OPTIONAL
Love one another, but make not
a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea
between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but
drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your
bread, but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be
joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute
are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into
each other’s keeping,
For only the hand of Life can
contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not
too near together,
For the pillars of the temple
stand apart,
And the oak tree and the
cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.
Now you will feel no rain, for
each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for
each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there will be no
loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two persons, but
there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both
in the journey ahead and through all the years.
May happiness be your
companion and your days together be full and long upon the earth.
Cherokee Prayer
God in heaven above, please
protect the ones we love.
We honour all you created as
we pledge our hearts and lives together.
We honour Mother Earth, and ask for our
marriage
to be abundant and grow
stronger through the seasons.
We honour fire, and ask that our union be
warm and glowing with love in our hearts.
We honour wind and ask that we sail through
life safe and calm as in our father’s arms.
We honour water, to clean and
soothe our relationship, that it may never thirst for love.
With all the forces of the universe you
created, we pray for harmony and true happiness
as we forever grow young together. Amen.
Blessing for a Marriage
May your marriage bring you
all the excitement a marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also patience,
tolerance and understanding.
May you always need one
another - not so much to fill your emptiness
as to help you to know your
fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the
valley does not make the mountain less, but more;
and the valley is more a
valley because it has a mountain towering over it.
So let it be with you and you.
May you need one another, but
not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but
not out of loneliness.
May you invite one another,
but never insist.
May you embrace one another,
but not overwhelm.
May you succeed in all
important ways with one another, and not fail in the smaller ways.
May you look for things to
praise and often say, "I love you."
If you have quarrels that push
you apart, may both of you
have sense enough to take the
first step back.
May you enter into the mystery
which is the awareness of one another's presence –
both physical and spiritual,
obvious when you are side by side,
but still there when you are in separate rooms
or even distant cities.
May you have happiness, and
may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you
find it loving one another.
All I Want Is to Love You Forever
All I want is to love you for the rest of my life…
to wake up every morning with you by my side,
knowing that no matter what happens,
I’ll be able to come home to your loving arms
All I want is to share everything with you…
to talk to you about our ideas,
our dreams, the little everyday things that make us
laugh,
and the not-so-little that we can’t help worrying
about.
All I want is to give you my love…
as a place you can always come to for acceptance
or the simple comfort that silence brings,
when things left unspoken can still be understood.
All I want is to grow old with you…
to watch our life unfold, our dreams, one by one, come
true.
All I want is to love you
Forever.
Treat yourselves and each
other with respect,
and remind yourselves often of
what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness,
gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration,
difficulty and fear assail your relationship,
as they threaten all
relationships at one time or another,
remember to focus on what is
right between you, not only the part which seems wrong.
In this way, you can ride out the storms when
clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives; remembering that even if you
lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there.
And if each of you takes responsibility for
the quality of your life together,
it will be marked by abundance
and delight.
May God go with you and bless
you.
May you see your children’s
children.
May you be poor in misfortune.
May you be rich in blessings.
May you be slow to make
enemies.
May you be quick to make
friends.
But rich or poor, quick or
slow
May you know nothing but
happiness from this day forward.
Irish Wedding Blessing #2
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
River Song
You and I found the gift of a
lifetime
A love that will last
eternally.
Many have been in our lives
But no one has ever reached
the depths of our love,
The love of you and I.
We were not seeking and yet we
found
Not needing and yet we
received
Different and now one
My love reaches out to you and
your love to me.
By: Lynda King
Poem by Elizabeth Barret
Browning
How do I love thee? Let me
count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and
breadth and height
My soul can reach, when
feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and
ideal Grace,
I love thee to the level of
everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and
candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men
strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they
turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion
put to use
In my grief’s, and with my
childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I
seemed to lose
With my lost saints, ---I love
thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!
--- and, if God choose,
I shall love thee better after
death.
Prayer for a Marriage
Let us now join in prayer.
Spirit of Love and Life: out of this whole world, two souls have found
each other.
Their destinies
shall now be woven into one design,
and their perils and their joys shall not be known
apart.
and , may your home be a place of happiness for all
who enter it;
a place where the old and the young are renewed in
each other’s company,
a place for growing and a place for sharing, a place
for music and a place for laughter,
a place for prayer and a place for love.
May those who are nearest to you be constantly
enriched
by the beauty and
the bounty of your love for one another,
may your work be a joy of your life that serves the
world,
and may your days be good and long upon the Earth.
OTHER OPTIONS
WINE CEREMONY
Through time, wine has been a
symbol of life.
Its grapes teach us the value of patience, and
that life’s gifts ripen over time.
and ,
may your life together continue to grow and ripen more fully with each day.
As you fill each other’s cups, drink in life
deeply
– a life full of love, laughter, and joy.
We fill each other’s cups, but
drink from our own.
Chuppah explanation
and stand together today
underneath a wedding canopy called a Chuppah.
In Jewish tradition, the chuppah shelters the bride
and groom
during their wedding ceremony.
It also symbolizes the marital home that will shelter
them through life’s storms.
But the chuppah is open on all sides,
to symbolize openness and welcome to their family and
friends.
Breaking of the Glass #1
The breaking of the glass at
the end of a wedding ceremony
serves to remind us of two
very important aspects of a marriage.
The bride and groom - and
everyone - should consider these marriage vows as an irrevocable act .
Just as permanent and final as
the breaking of this glass is unchangeable.
But the breaking of the glass is also a
warning of the frailty of a marriage;
that sometimes a single thoughtless act,
breech of trust or infidelity
can damage a marriage in ways that are very
difficult to undo –
just as it would be so difficult to undo the
breaking of this glass.
Knowing that this marriage is
permanent, the bride and groom should strive
to show each other the love
and respect befitting their spouse and the love of their life.
I now happily pronounce you
husband and wife.
You may kiss your bride and you may now break
the glass.
Breaking of the Glass #2
It is customary in Jewish weddings for the end of the
ceremony
to be marked by
the crushing of a wine glass under the groom's foot.
This tradition has many meanings.
It is a symbol of the destruction of the First Temple
in Jerusalem;
a
representation of the fragility of relationships;
and a reminder
that marriage changes the lives of individuals forever.
When crushes
the glass, it is customary for the congregation to say "Mazel Tov"
which means
"good luck".
Breaking of the Glass #3
We conclude this ceremony with the breaking of the glass.
It is a joyous ceremony.
There are many different explanations for the breaking
of the glass.
Today, the fragility of the glass suggests the frailty
of human relationships.
The glass is broken to protect this marriage with the
implied prayer...
May your bond of love be as difficult to break
as it would be to put together the pieces of this
glass.
After the bride and groom break the glass, I invite
everyone to shout the Hebrew words "Mazel Tov," which means
"Good Luck" and "Congratulations."
Sand Ceremony #1
and , you have
just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings,
and this covenant is a relationship pledge between two
people
who agree that they will commit themselves
to one another throughout their lives.
The most beautiful example of this partnership is the
marriage relationship.
You have committed here today to share the rest of
your lives with each other. Today, this
realtionship is symbolized
through the pouring of these two individual containers
of sand;
one, representing you , , and all that you were, all that you are,
and all that you will ever be
and the other representing you, ,and all that you were and all that you are
and all that you will ever be.
As these two containers of sand are poured into the
third container,
the individual containers of sand will no longter
exist,
but will be joined together as one.
Just as these grains of sand can never be separated
and poured again into the individual containers,
so will be your marriage.
Sand Ceremony #2
We will now perform a sand ceremony.
A sand ceremony is similar to the Unity candle,
showing the uniting of two families.
Each mother will now bring forward a vial of sand
representing the unique values and traditions of their
family.
They will pour the sand into this container.
As we combine these two containers, the individual
grain of sand still exist,
but are so intertwined that they can not be separated—
just as
and will continue to be
individuals, yet inseparable.
Rose Ceremony
(The Rose Ceremony is placed at the end of the
ceremony
just before being pronounced husband and wife)
Your gift to each other for your wedding today has
been your wedding rings,
which shall always be an outward demonstration of your
vows of love and respect, and a public showing of your commitment to each
other.
You now have what remains the most honorable title
which may exist
between a man and a woman - the title of
"husband" and "wife."
For your first gift as husband and wife, that gift
will be a single rose.
In the past, the rose was considered a symbol of love
and a single rose always meant only one thing - it
meant the words "I love you."
So it is appropriate ,that for your first gift as
husband and wife,
your gift would be a single rose.
Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife.
In some ways it seems like you have not done anything
at all.
Just a moment ago you were holding one small rose –
and now you are holding one small rose.
In some ways, a marriage ceremony is like this.
In some ways, tomorrow is going to seem no different
than yesterday.
But in fact, today, just now, you both have given and
received
one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life -
one I hope you always remember –
the gift of
true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage.
and , I
would ask that wherever you make your home in the future –
whether it be a large and elegant home - or a small
and graceful one –
that you both pick one very special location for
roses;
so that on each anniversary of this truly wonderful
occasion
you both may take a rose to that spot, both as a
recommitment to your marriage and a recommitment that THIS will be a marriage
based on love.
In every marriage there are times where it is
difficult to find the right words.
It is easiest to hurt the one we most love.
It is easiest to be most hurt by the one we most love.
It might be difficult sometimes to say "I am
sorry" or " I forgive you"
or "I need you" or "I am hurting".
If this should happen, leave a rose at that spot which
both of you have selected;
for that rose says what matters most of all
and should overpower all other things and all other
words.
That rose says the words, "I still love
you".
The other should accept this rose for the words which
cannot be found,
and remember the love and hope that you both share
today.
Sand Ceremony Including Children
and , you have
just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings,
and this covenant is a relationship pledge between two
people
who agree that they will commit themselves
to one another throughout their lives.
Today you have formed a new family.
You have committed here today to share the rest of
your lives
with each other and with and .
Today, this new family relationship is symbolized
through the pouring of these individual containers of
sand into one container.
Each container represents all that you were,
all that you are,and all that you will ever be.
As these containers of sand are poured into this
container,
the individual containers of sand will no longer
exist,
but will be joined together as one.
Just as these grains of sand can never be separated
and poured again into the individual containers,
so will be your new family.
At this time,
and wish to present gifts
to and and
.
Groom:
(Child’s/Children’s Name(s)) I love your Mother and
today I have taken her as my wife.
, I love
you, too. I want to be as a father to
you, and I invite you into my heart.
We will have happy times together, you, your Mom and
I,
and with this ring your Mom and I give you our love.
Bride:
Not only do I choose your Father, I choose you to be
my family.
I promise to
make our home a haven where trust, love and laughter are abundant
and where memories are created, shared and cherished.
I feel blessed to have each of you in my life.
Stone Ceremony
(Prior to ceremony, stones are handed out to each
guest)
In the moment of silence that follows,
I ask each of you to take out the stones that were
given to you earlier.
These stones will be placed in a prominent location in
Mike and Jodi’s home
and will represent all of the positive energy you have
transferred to them today.
I ask you now, in you own way, to confer a silent
prayer,
blessing, wish or hope upon this marriage.
UNITY CANDLE
and , together as you light this candle of
unity,
you symbolize the flame of your individual
selves
joining to ignite the
partnership of marriage.
You bring the warmth, strength
and wisdom of your family’s fire
as kindling for your own.
From this day onward, may you
bask in the beauty of the light of your love,
may its light shine bright and
steady upon your path together
and may its heat keep you warm
through all the days of your lives.
This candle you are about to
light is a candle of marriage.
Its fire is magical because it represents the
light of two people in love.
This candle before you is a
candle of commitment
because it takes two people working together
to keep it aflame.
This candle is also a candle
of Unity because both must come together,
a spark of themselves, to create the new
light.
As you light this candle
today, may the brightness
of the flame shine throughout
your lives.
May it fire your courage
providing strength and joy
for your minds, bodies, and spirits.