A Wedding Resources Anthology
Create Your Own Ceremony.
You are invited to choose portions of the service by cutting and pasting your selection into a Word document and in this way gradually building your ceremony. Where there are options provided, choose just one. If there is a blank for your name, please fill it in each time. You may choose one or two Scriptures or add a reading or poem if you so desire. If you are planning to have members of your community do the Readings please write their names in colour after the heading right into the service.
When you are finished, email the file as an attachment to Reverend Sanguin with your names and wedding date and time. If you have questions, include them in the email. Double check you have inserted the names into all the blanks given in the ceremony. Particularly write in the names you wish to be called at service end when you are presented as a married couple.
1. Welcome & Statement of Purpose:
A.
We are gathered here today in the presence of God, as friends and family to witness the marriage of - [Full Name] - and - [Full Name] - and to ask God to bless them.
It is written: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain." It is also written: "In all your ways acknowledge God, and he will make straight your paths"
B.
We are here on a very special occasion - to witness and to thank God for the union of - [Full Name] - and - [Full Name] - in the bonds of Holy Matrimony.
It is written in Holy Scripture that "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain." It is also written, "In all you ways acknowledge God, and he will make straight your paths".
C.
Dearly beloved, we are here assembled, in the presence of God and these witnesses, to join together this man, - [Full Name] - and this woman - [Full Name] - in holy marriage, which is blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, governed by God's commandments, and is to be held in high honour among all people. Therefore it is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, and in awe of God.
D.
Dear family and friends, we are gathered here, amid the beauty of nature, and in the presence of God, to unite ___ and ___ in marriage.
Love and right relationship to one another and to all of creation is fundamental to life. Our hope for ___ and ___ is that they will share their lives, to encourage creativity, inspire each other to reach beyond the limits of the ordinary….not at the expense of each partner’s individuality, but rather, by the strength of the common bond, this is the hope in which ___ and ___ come to be married.
In the wedding ritual, two persons declare publicly their intent to keep a relationship of enduring love. For the Christian, this occasion is worship – a participation in the will of God for life. A wedding is the celebration of the highest we know in love, the pledging of the deepest fidelity, the expression of the highest aspiration. A relationship so sacred must not be entered into casually, but thoughtfully and deliberately. So today, ___ and ___ come before family and friends to affirm the choice that they have made to be life partners, honouring their past years together, and setting the intention to establish a home in the fulfillment of life together.
E.
Dear Friends, let us love one another, because love is from God. Everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God, but the unloving know nothing of God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
F.
May include a candle lighting ritual to include those who by death or other reason are unable to be present today, but are in our thoughts.
G.
We are gathered here in this company to join in holy marriage ___ and ___ and to bear witness to the transforming power of love.
H.
Love is a quality of spirit and an attitude of the emotions but a marriage is a life’s work, a spiritual art form. Therefore, this is an occasion of both profound joy and great responsibility, and we who partake in it bind ourselves as witnesses to the labour of love that ___ and ___ are undertaking here.
I.
Dear family and friends, we are gathered here, in each other's presence, and in the presence of God, to unite ___ and ___ in marriage.
Love and right relationship to one another and to all of creation is fundamental to life. Our hope for ___ and ___ is that they will share their lives, to encourage creativity, inspire each other to reach beyond the limits of the ordinary….not at the expense of each partner’s individuality, but rather, by the strength of the common bond, this is the hope in which ___ and ___ come to be married.
In the wedding ritual, two persons declare publicly their intent to keep a relationship of enduring love. For the Christian, this occasion is worship – a participation in the will of God for life. A wedding is the celebration of the highest we know in love, the pledging of the deepest fidelity, the expression of the highest aspiration. A relationship so sacred must not be entered into casually, but thoughtfully and deliberately. So today, and come before family and friends to affirm the choice that they have made to be life partners, honouring their past years together, and setting the intention to establish a home in the fulfillment of life together.
2. Opening Prayer
A.
In acknowledgement of this holy purpose and of the power of this occasion. Let us pray. Enfolded in joy, inhabited by hope, bathed in the infinite spectrum of light that is love, may you always be infused with it and beautifully illumined by it.
B.
Love Divine, all other loves excelling, we bring before you two lives that long to be joined in a bond that merits your blessing. On different paths they have approached this point of their merging, and each brings memories the other knows not. Each in your sight is a person distinct, and each stands alone in your judgment and calling. Yet both desire to be one, and we pray that their oneness may be one of your hallowing. In what they do here, help them to be aware of you. Stir in their hearts the will to respond to and henceforward to obey your will. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
C.
Almighty and Everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being: grant unto us purity of heart and strength of purpose, so that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing your will, and no weakness from doing it; that in your light we may see light, and in your service find perfect freedom through Jesus Christ our Lord. Be present at this hour and grant that what is said and done in this place may be blessed, both now and forevermore. Amen
D.
O God, you are the Creator of all things. You make us and you sustain us; we depend you. Grant unto us all purity of heart and strength of purpose, so that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing your will and no weakness from doing it. Bless ___ and ___ as they come before you to join in holy wedlock and help us to rejoice with them and support them in all their endeavours. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
E.
Maker of All Beauty, who makes the sun to rise in splendour, and to march in quiet radiance across the sky; who has filled the earth with trees, perfumed the flowers, provided harmony to thought, and moral consciousness to character, we rejoice in your perfection, and in the marvellous design that unites us as families. Teach us to live in the beauty of your Holiness as known in Jesus Christ. Be with us today as these two people come before you to dedicate themselves to one another in your presence. Amen.
F.
In this sacred and joyful moment we call upon the highest in ___ and ___, the divine presence that always knows exactly what you need, that gives and asks the best of them, that brought them to love and has chosen them for the sweet commitment of marriage. For them we ask every blessing of this moment: a confirmation of the wisdom of their choice; great happiness on the path that is set before them; discretion, kindness, and care as they walk upon it; strength to live out their purpose; grace and peace through each step of their journey; and beloved friends to support them. May they be filled with joy; may they keep their promises with ease; may love abide with them always.
G.
Love Divine, all other loves excelling, we bring before you two lives that long to be joined in a bond that merits your blessing. On different paths they have approached this point of their merging, and each brings memories the other knows not. Each in your sight is a person distinct, and each stands alone in your judgment and calling. Yet both desire to be one, and we pray that their oneness may be one of your hallowing. In what they do here, help them to be aware of you. Stir in their hearts the will to respond to and henceforward to live according to your plan. Through him who is love incarnate, Jesus the Christ. Amen
3. Scripture Readings:
For an online reference to the scriptures (NRSV), you can look up Oremus Bible Browser. Please be sure to include the text of the scripture right into your ceremony.
First Testament
1. Psalm 42:7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have washed over me.
2. Genesis 1:26-28, 31a The sixth day of creation
3. Genesis 2:15, 18-24 Not good that a human be alone
4. Ruth 1:1-8, 14-17 Where you go, I will go.
5. Song of Solomon 1:15-2:4 You are beautiful, my love
6. Song of Solomon 2:10-14 Rise Up My Love, my fair one and come away...
7. Song of Solomon 8:6-7 A Seal upon your Heart...Love is as Strong as Death
8. Isaiah 61:10, 11; 62:3-5 As a bridegroom, as a bride
9. Jeremiah 31:31-34 The New Covenant
Epistle
10. Romans 8:31b-39 God’s Love In Christ
11. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
12. 1 Corinthians 13 The Gift Of Love.
13. Galatians 5:1, 13, 14, 22-25 The Fruit Of The Spirit
14. Ephesians 3:14-21 Rooted And Grounded In Love
15. Ephesians 5:1, 2, 8-14 Live In Love
16. Philippians 2:1-11 The Same Mind In You As In Christ
17. Colossians 3:1-4, 12,17 Clothe, Yourselves With Compassion.
18. 1 John 3:18-24 Let Us Love, Not In Word, But In Action
19. 1 John 4:7-12 Love One Another
20. Revelation 19:1, 5-9 Marriage Supper Of The Lamb
21. Revelation 21:1-6 The New Jerusalem
Gospel
22. Matthew 5:10-12a The Beatitudes
23. Matthew 5:13-16 Salt and Light
24. Matthew 7:21, 24-29 A House Built On A Rock
25. Matthew 19:3-6 Let No One Separate
26. Matthew 22:35-40 Love, The Greatest Commandment
27. John 1:1-5, 9-14, 16 The Word Became Flesh
28. John 2:1-11 Wedding at Cana
29. John 15:1-11 Jesus, The True Vine
30. John 15:9-12 Remain in Christ’s love.
The greatest gift of God we give and receive in marriage is love. Jesus spoke about love and about the obedience to God that preserves love, with these words --- As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. {10} If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. {11} I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. {12} "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
4. Poetry:
A.
I Tremble on the Edge of a Maybe
O God of beginnings,
as your Spirit moved
over the face of the deep
on the first day of creation,
Move with us now
in our time of beginnings,
when the air is rain and snow-washed
and the world seems fresh and full of possibilities,
and we feel ready and full.
We tremble on the edge of a maybe,
a second time,
a new try,
a tentative start,
and the wonder of it lays its finger on our lips.
In silence, Lord,
we share now our eagerness
and our uneasiness
about this something different
we would be and do;
and we listen for your leading
to help us separate the light
from the darkness
in the change we seek to shape
and which is shaping us.
~ Ted Loder
B.
Come, Walk on the Water With Me!
Come, walk on the water with me!
Let’s wrap our fears in hope.
Across these waters we must go
our lamps of courage high
scared and hopeful we will go.
At the beginning of this water journey
we’ll be careful
but not too careful.
Being too careful is for the very scared
– those who still need a lot of healing.
Come, walk on the water with me!
Hold high your lamp of courage.
Put all your doubts away.
Let’s take a chance on staying on top.
Come, walk on the water with me!
I’m in the mood for impossible things.
I feel scared
because it seems impossible.
I feel hopeful
because it’s not impossible. (Mark 9:24)
So, scared and hopeful
we will walk together.
Come!
Walk on the water with me!
~ Macrina Wiederkehr
C.
From the Prophet: On Marriage
Then Almitra spoke again and said,
And what of Marriage, master?
And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
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 others’ 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.
~ Kahlil Gibran
D.
From the Prophet: On Love
Then said Almitra, Speak to us of Love.
And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them.
And with a great voice he said: 'When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays wasted the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you.
Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses
your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire,
that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of you tears.
~ Kahlil Gibran
E.
I Love You
What & love and marriage & are to us,
or that which represents & who we are &.
I love you,
Not only for what you are
But for what I am
When I am with you.
I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself
But for what you are making of me.
I love you,
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you,
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can’t help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.
I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple;
Out of works
Of my every day
Not a reproach but a song.
~ Roy Croft
F.
Passage from Captain Corelli's Mandolin
& Love is a kind of dementia with very precise and oft-repeated clinical symptoms. You blush in each other's presence, you both hover in places where you expect the other to pass, you are both a little tongue-tied, you both laugh in explicably and too long, she becomes quite nauseatingly girlish and he becomes quite ridiculously gallant.
Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion...That's just being & in love& , which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away. This is both an art and a fortunate accident.& ;
~ Louis de Bernieres
G.
The Gift From The Sea (excerpt)
When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity – in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.
The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now.
Accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits - islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides.
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
H.
I Carry your Heart with me (I carry it in my Heart)
I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)
I am never without it
(Anywhere I go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you.
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart.
I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)
~ e. e. cummings
I.
Somewhere I have never travelled
Somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which I cannot touch because they are too near.
Your slightest look easily will unclose me
though I have closed myself as fingers,
You open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose.
Or if your wish be to close me, I and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
Nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing
(I do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands.
~ author?
J.
Ode to Marriage
This Marriage – Ode 2667
May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May it be sweet milk,
this marriage, like wine and halvah.
May this marriage offer fruit and shade
like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day - a day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
A seal of happiness here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcome
as the moon in a clear blue sky.
I am out of words to describe
how Spirit mingles in this marriage.
~ Rumi
K.
Instructions For Life In The New Millennium
Take into account that great love
and great achievements involve great risk.
And that a loving atmosphere in your home
is the foundation for your life.
Be gentle with the earth, be gentle with one another.
When disagreements come remember always
to protect the spirit of your union.
When you realize you’ve made a mistake,
take immediate steps to correct it.
Remember that the best relationship is one
in which your love for each other
exceeds your need for each other.
So love yourselves, love one another,
love all that is your life together and all else will follow.
~ His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama
5. Minister's Address to the Guests:
By our presence here we are accepting responsibility for helping this couple and encouraging in the new relationship into which they are about to enter. We are called to rejoice with them in their happiness, to remember them in our prayers, and to be willing to help them in times of trouble. May God be our guide and helper in this.
6. Minister's Address to the Couple:
A.
___ and ___, now you come to forge a future together which is wide enough to hold your hopes. By your promise and your continuing care for one another, you will build a house of memory strong enough to withstand the inevitable encroachments of time, pain, and tragedy.
There is no use pretending that marriage is merely a continuation of romance, or just a ceremony that formalizes your relationship. From the moment you pledge yourselves to each other unconditionally, much will begin to change. As you make a hearth, the ancient gods and demons of childhood will return to live with you. Ask any here today who has been married for more than five years! Within the sanctuary of your intimacy, as the trust between you grows, you will finally become safe enough to allow your deepest fears of abandonment, your long hidden shame, your impolite anger, your infantile omnipotence, your vulnerable dreams, your secret virtues, and the deepest longings of your spirit to emerge into the cleansing light of day.
At long last you will be able to get off stage and explore who you are when you no longer have to pretend. For it is only when we are within the arms that hold us in our brokenness and splendour that we are set free to become ourselves. The poet Rilke has said, "For one human being to love another, that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation."
To attain this love you will need to begin with the realization that you will often fail each other and therefore you can only keep you love alive by practicing the great art of forgiveness. A thousand times you will forget to listen, tread roughly on sacred ground, reopen each other’s ancient wounds, say too much or too little, close your heart to care at the very moment compassion is needed. But your love will remain lively and green if you forgive each other a thousand and one times. And begin again. Be a cheerleader for your partner’s passions and dreams. Give each other the gift of freedom to grow into the unique destiny which God intends for them. As challenging as a life-long commitment to each other is, marriage is still the best forum human beings have for the intentional healing and growth of two people.
As important as retaining our individuality in marriage, make no mistake, from this moment on you are no longer merely two individuals. You are an "us". You will do things as an "us" which you may be born of compromise, but can stretch you to explore terrain you would not otherwise have explored. This too, is a gift of relationship.
Finally, do not be deceived. Relationships need attention in order to thrive. This beautiful garden which blesses us today did not magically appear. Much planning, time, tender loving care, and plain old sweat has gone into it. In the same way, that particular garden which is long-term relationships needs time, attention and hard-work in order to thrive, and to be a blessing to others who experience it. Share the responsibility for this act of tending, and you can be a reflection of God’s fullest dream for humanity. May God bless you as you embrace your destiny as friends and lovers and all that lies in between.
B.
___ and ___, your marriage is intended to join you for life in a relationship so intimate and personal that it has the potential of changing your whole way of being together. It offers you the promise of a love which is true and mature. To attain this love you will have to commit yourselves to each other gladly and without reservation for the sake of an deeper and richer life together. May God be your guide and your helper.
7. Statement Of Intent
A.
F, will you love M
with integrity and gentleness, speaking openly and listening patiently?
Will you risk being honest and vulnerable, trusting in his love for you?
Will you protect, comfort and challenge him with courage,
cherishing the Holy in him?
M, will you love F
with integrity and gentleness, speaking openly and listening patiently?
Will you risk being honest and vulnerable, trusting in her love for you?
Will you protect, comfort and challenge her gently,
cherishing the Holy in her?
B. Traditional:
___ will you have this woman/man to be your wedded wife/husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her/him, comfort her/him, honour 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?
C. United Church of Christ:
___, will you have this woman/man to be your wife/husband, and be faithful to her/him alone? Answer: I will, with the help of God.
D. American Lutheran:
___ and ___; if it is your intention to share with each other your joys and sorrows and all that the years will bring, with your promises bind yourselves to each other as husband and wife.
E. United Methodist:
Christ calls you into union with him and with one another. I ask you now in the presence of God and this congregation to declare your intent. Will you have this man/woman to be your husband/wife, to live together in a holy marriage? Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honour and keep him/her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all other, be faithful to him/her as long as you both shall live? Answer: I will.
F. Contemporary Service #1
___, do you here in the presence of God and these witnesses declare your commitment to ___ and choose her/him as the one with whom you wish to spend your life? Do you give yourself to her/him and accept the gift of self which she/he gives to you? Do you pledge to endure all of the difficulties which life may offer, even as you look forward to sharing the joys to be experienced together? Answer: I do.
G. Contemporary Service #2
The covenant of marriage is one that can be entered into only by persons who are both legally and spiritually free to offer themselves to one another. ___, do you come of your free will and with a conscious desire to be united in marriage with ___?
Answer: I do.
Will you promise to care for ___ in the joys and sorrows of life, come what may, and to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together?
Answer: I will.
8. Affirmation Of Support (Blessing by parents & guests):
A.
To the parents: As parents of ___ and ___, will you welcome your son or daughter’s chosen partner into your family, and pledge your support and encouragement to them in their life together? If so, answer We Will.
We Will.
To other family members and friends: As family and friends of ___ and ___, will you pledge your support and encouragement to them in their life together? If so answer with an enthusiastic We Will!
We Will!!
B.
Let us all remember that the path of love is meant to be walked together with all the human family. All love is nurtured and guided by the love of others. Each of us counts on relatives, friends, and neighbours for the caring and concern that replenishes our own ability to love. We marry this day in the midst of the affection and friendship of you all and, most especially in the presence of those whose love has been their life’s companion, their parents. I ask them now for their blessing on the marriage of their children. Do you, the parents of this couple, give your blessing and promise the support of your love to this marriage?
Parents: We do.
9. Prayer Before The Vows:
A.
Eternal God, source of all love,
Bless ___ and ___
As they pledge their lives to each other.
May they always cherish the power of the love we are witnessing this day.
May their love continue to grow,
And may it be a true reflection of your ever-present love for us all,
Love which renews us for your service in the world. Amen
B.
Spirit of Life, your creative power is seen in the whole universe; in myriad stars and planets, and infinite space. And yet we dare to believe that you care for us and that you are mindful of the things that we do. In your presence we gather today, confirming a new constellation in human relationships – the marriage of ___ and ___. Let your Spirit be known among us, that we may do what we do here with our whole hearts and wills, and that the commitment ___ and ___ make to each other may be a sign of your love on earth. Amen.
C.
Source and spring of all our joy and hope,
By whose spirit our spirits are continually fed,
Through whose mystery the meaning of our life is revealed,
By whose knowledge we come to know ourselves:
Be the abiding and unending presence with this man and this woman,
When they know themselves to be deeply in love
And when they feel estranged,
When they experience elation,
When they know despair.
Because of your love that endures forever,
May their care toward the larger world be shaped by all that is tender.
May they discover that when they are faithful toward you and toward each other
Even words that are critical fall with beauty upon the ear.
Through the intensity of their life together
May they discover words that nurture, gestures that heal, thoughts that illumine,
Sharing those experiences That turn life itself
Into one continuing act of praise,
Through Jesus Christ. Amen.
D.
God, our Creator (or Father), you made man and woman for each other; may your spirit be with your servants as they make their promises; in Jesus’ name. Amen.
10. Exchange Of Vows:
A. Traditional:
I,___, take thee, ___ to be my wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge thee my faith.
B. United Church of Christ:
I, ___, take you, ___ to be my husband/wife, and I promise to love and sustain you, in the bonds of marriage from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, till death shall part us, according to God’s holy ordinance.
C. United Methodist:
In the name of God, I, ___, take you, ___, to be my husband/wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
D. American Lutheran:
I take you, ___, to be my husband/wife from this day forward, to join with you and share all that is to come, and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us.
E. Episcopal:
In the name of God, I, ___, take you, ___, to be my husband/wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worst, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
F. United Church of Canada:
Loving God, as ___ and ___ pledge themselves to each other, help them and bless them; that their love may be pure, and their vows may be true; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
G.
Take ___ by the right hand and say to her/him: ___;
I take you to be my wife/husband;
To laugh with you in joy;
To grieve with you in sorrow;
To grow with you in love;
Serving humankind in peace and hope;
As long as we both shall live.
H.
___, I covenant with you to be your husband/wife. I offer you my love and my support throughout all of our lives. I commit myself to years of growth and sharing as I encourage you to move in new directions. I will strive to achieve my potential as God’s creature and will celebrate your progress toward the same goal. I give myself as I am and as I will be, and I do it for all of life.
I.
I, ___, take you, ___, to be my wife/husband;
And I promise, before God and these witnesses,
To be your loving and faithful husband/wife;
In plenty and in want; In joy and in sorrow; in sickness and in health;
as long as we both shall live.
11. Exchange Of Rings:
Hand
Bride’s name, please face Groom’s name, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love; that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands that will work along side
yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.
These are the hands that will passionately love you & cherish you through the years for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will comfort you in illness and hold you when fear or grief wracks your mind.
Groom’s name, please hold Bride’s name hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you.
These are the hands of your best friend, gentle, young and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.
These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, or console you when you are grieving.
They are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.
God, bless these hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching for your perfection.
A. B.
That ___ and ___ who wear them may know
Both the presence and power of your love
And the unending love of one another. Amen
Round like the sun, like the eye, like arms that embrace.
Circles, for love that is given, come back round again and again.
Therefore, may these symbols remind you that your love,
like the sun, illumines
That your love, like the eye, must see clearly
And that your love, like arms that embrace, is a grace upon this world
Bride's name, I give you this ring as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. C. D. E.
Groom's name, I give you this ring as a symbol of the vows we have made this day.
___, I ...
and that I am choosing
to share my whole life’s journey with you,
and of my knowing that in marrying
I give you this ring, with the pledge
that with you, I shall become most truly myself
in all I am to you and to the world.
Beloved ___, I give you this ring
as a symbol of my steadfastness and joy
in loving you, and as a pledge to honour you
with all that I am and all I shall become
for my whole life.
Round like the sun, like the eye, like arms that embrace.
Circles, for love that is given comes back round again and again.
Therefore, may these symbols remind you that your love, like the sun, illumines, that your love, like the eye, must see clearly;
And that your love, like arms that embrace, is a grace upon this world.
As a sign of my love and that I am choosing to share my whole life's journey with you,
Beloved bride/groom
I give you this ring as a symbol of our completeness and eternity,
a symbol of my joy in loving you,
and as a pledge to honour you with all that I am
and all I shall become for my whole life.
12. The Declaration Of Marriage:
A. B. C. D.
13. The Kiss:
You may seal your covenant with a kiss.
14. Blessing:
A. B. C. D.
fulfillment of hopes,
wisdom in times of trouble,
and peace and contentment of mind.
May there be truth and understanding between you.
May the grace of Christ attend you,
the love of God surround you,
and the Holy Spirit keep you. Amen.
Only a couple can administer the sacrament of marriage to each other, and only a couple can sanctify it. Only these two hearts can declare what only their two souls make real.
And so now, inasmuch as you, groom, and you, bride, have announced the truths that are already written in your hears, and have witnessed the same in the presence of these, your friends, and God -
we observe joyfully that YOU have truly pronounced yourselves to be... husband and wife. E. F.
15. Lighting of the Unity Candle - Optional
16. Signing of the Register & Documents
17. Benediction:
A. B. C.
May those who are nearest to you be constantly enriched by the beauty and 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 this earth. Amen
17. Presentation Of The Married Couple:
I now introduce ___and ___, husband and wife.
Other Resources:
United Church: A New Creed.
We are not alone,
We live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
