SAMPLE 6: TIME ~10 MINUTES
Procession
The Presentation/Giving Away of the Bride
{To Father} Who brings this woman to be wedded to this man? Response: Her Mother and I do.
As our sons and daughters find partners and found the homes of the next generation each family is enlarged.
{To both sets of parents} Do you, who have nurtured these two, give your blessing to their union and their home?
Response: Both families, “we do”.
Gathering Words/Welcome/Statement of Intent/Prayer of Aspiration
We are gathered here today to recognize and celebrate the marriage of ________ and _________.
Marriage consists of entrusting our deepest selves into the loving care of another.
It is a public and legal act to be sure. It is also an emotional and deeply spiritual and sacred act. The spiritual aspect of marriage must be embraced openly, seriously, and completely for the marriage to endure. Today, _______ and ______ commit themselves to each other in sacred trust.
I would like to share with you now a prayer of aspiration…
We cannot know what the future may bring into the lives of _______ and ________ but we pray that together they may be equal to the demands of all their tomorrows.
- May their marriage always be a shared adventure, rich with moments of serenity as well as excitement, vital with problems that test as well as achievements that lift, marked by a sense of personal freedom as well as mutual responsibility.
- May you find in each other companionship as well as love, understanding as well as compassion, challenge as well as agreement.
- From their life together may they draw patience in time of strain, strength in time of weakness, courage in time of discouragement, vision in time of doubt, and above all, a growing love which radiates into the world around them.
Amen..
Welcome Couple
The ceremony in which we now join marks neither a beginning nor an end in your relationship, but one step in a continuing process of change and growth. Growth is an essential part of marriage as it is an essential part of life. Your relationship must keep unfolding into new dimensions, but if you can keep in step as you go forward together, your marriage will remain a source of new strength and insight.
Inevitably there will be mistakes; inevitably there will be times of tension and conflict. But if these are openly acknowledged and faced, they can be turned from problems into opportunities, and you will find new meanings and richness in your shared life together.
Their Story/Reflection
The marriage ceremony has been an important feature across nearly every culture, religion, generation, and society. It is sacred. We have thousands of important moments that happen throughout our lives, but this one is regarded as one so critical, we acknowledge its special status by sharing it with others.
Why this moment? Because despite all of our differences, love is what we all share. It’s the great unifier — our one universal truth.
That no matter who we are, where we’ve come from, what we believe, we know this one thing: love is what we’re doing right. That’s why you are both standing here. And that’s why you all are here to watch them stand up here.
We have all loved in our lifetimes, and in this moment, we’re reminded that the ability to love is the very best part of our humanity. All of us here today have our own love stories. Some are short, others long. Some are yet unwritten, while others are just getting to the good part. There are chapters in all of our stories that are sad or disappointing — and others that are exciting and full of adventure.
Over 2,000 miles from where we stand today and almost an decade ago, the two of you met, and by all accounts it was a “stop in the street. love at first sight” moment. Your story began on New Year’s Eve and picked up its next chapter on Valentine’s Day.
- You have lived separate and together,
- You have grown as individuals and as a couple
- You challenged each other to live life fully, play more often, to laugh with each and at each other, to speak your minds and to share your hopes, dreams and concerns.
While not every chapter in your story has been a holiday, together you are better and you have become trusted partners and best friends.
And that brings us here to the place where you reunited and where it was clear the only way forward was together. Today is a time to pause, look back, and smile at all the moments that brought you here. And a time to look ahead to all the moments that are still to come. I’m here — we’re all here — because we want those moments for you.
We’re here to hope with you, to support you, to pray with you, to be proud of you, and to remind you that love isn’t happily ever after, love is the experience of writing your story.
{Couple to Share Words}
Introduction to The Exchange of Vows
Today you are beginning a journey together that will last the rest of your lives. And like any journey, there will be amazing experiences on mountaintops, today hopefully being one such experience.
Sometimes you will walk through valleys and have trouble finding your way. But no matter where you go, and no matter how long the journey is or how difficult, the person beside you will make your journey worthwhile. And let me just remind you that love and loyalty are the essence of a happy and enduring marriage. No other human ties are more tender, and certainly none are more sacred than those that you share with each other now.
Exchange of Vows
________ and _______ do you pledge to help each other develop and strengthen your hearts and minds, cultivating compassion, enthusiasm, patience, concentration and wisdom as you encounter the inevitable changes, expected and unexpected, welcome and unwelcome in your journey through life together?
{Couple} Response: We do.
{Bride}
In the presence of these witnesses I, _____ take you ____, to be my husband. To have and to hold. From this day forward, For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, in sorrow or in joy, to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.
{Groom}
In the presence of these witnesses I, _____ take you ________, to be my wife. To have and to hold. From this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, in sorrow or in joy, to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.
Introduction to the Exchange of Rings
From the earliest of times, the circle has been a symbol of completeness, a symbol of committed love. It is a symbol of holiness and of perfection and of peace. An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolized 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 these commitments to one another, which you make today.
Exchange of Rings
May I have _______’s ring, please? [minister holds ring in hand]
______, 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.
May I have ______s ring, please? [minister holds ring in hand]
______, 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.
May these rings be blessed by God as the changeless symbol of this affectionate unity. May the vows and promises you have made today be as ever-present in your hearts as these rings are on your fingers.
Blessing of Marriage
Tomorrow is unto us as a door to be opened, as a journey, an adventure. Go into the world and fulfill your dreams. Love, support, and help one another as you grow. Seek out opportunities to be good to each other. May the seeds of your love, now planted in marriage, continue to grow. May your life together be as a pebble dropped in a pond — an example of love and unity spread outward to your family, your friends and to the wider circle of the world.
Amen.
Closing Words/Declaration of Marriage
________ and ________, in the presence of God, your family and friends today, you have spoken the words and performed the rites which unite your lives.
It is my legal right as a minister and my greatest joy and privilege to declare you husband and wife.
You may now kiss the Bride.