Welcome
______ and _________., welcome to your day! I am so honored and thankful to be a part of your wedding, there is no place I would rather be.
You are here today, because you believe that by being together your lives will be richer and more interesting than they would be apart. We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to recognize a bond that already exists.
Please take a moment to hold hands, really look at each other, and cherish today.
- These are the hands of your best friend, strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.
- These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.
- These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it, support and encouragement to pursue your dreams, and comfort in difficult times. And lastly, these are the hands that even years from now will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken love with just one touch.
Love is a choice. Love isn’t just a word; it’s an action. Love isn’t something you say, it’s something you do. In the words of Plato,
“Love is our best friend, our helper, and the healer of the ills that prevent us from being happy.”
You two chose to stand up here today, together and commit. To be successful, you will need strength, courage, patience and a really good sense of humor.
Today you promise to embrace conflict as well as peace;
to work as well as play;
to struggle as well as coast;
to give as well as receive;
and to be with, stay with, and move toward one another.
This new journey will be at times richly rewarding and extremely difficult, but, most importantly, it will be a journey you take together. You are embarking on yet another chapter of your life together and we are here today to honor that.
Their Story
As you prepared for this day, you reflected on what it is that you love about each other. I then started to think about marriage… and what that looks like. In particular, what that will look like for the two of you.
I imagine the marriage between you, ________, and you, ________., will look a little something like this:
- An amazing meal that will be savored and enjoyed. Made from scratch and with love. Complete only with dreaming’s of your next journey.
- Reading, singing in the shower and long meandering hikes.
- Making a home together… full of laughter, kindness and magic..6 ½ years from where you started. The perfect complement of his and hers built on respect, mindfulness and honesty.
- A life with a solid foundation built on a sense of adventure, commitment to love, and ability to tackle challenges in a united manner with grace and compassion.
- The years will come and go…you won’t take each other for granted, you will laugh a lot, you will be the best partners you can be, you will grow older and wiser together.
It’s a good story, and the ending is not in sight!
Bringing us back to today, to this moment.
A good love story is not just one moment – It is the culmination of all the moments that a couple has shared and all of the moments to come.
The big ones like today and perhaps, even more importantly, it’s the thousands of little moments that fuse together into one beautiful life. May your marriage be a never-ending collection of beautiful vignettes—captured and shared alongside, and with each other, for as long as you both shall live.
You stand here today having found each other after literally going to the heavens and roaming the world. It took jumping out of a plane, running a marathon and a lot of patience to find each other. While it took you half a lifetime to find each other, it is clear that is has been well worth the wait. Together you are full of possibilities.
________ and ________, you have each written some words you would like to share with one another.
Exchange of Words
(bride and groom to speak)
Introduction of The Exchange of Rings
And now we will do the exchange of rings.
May these rings symbolize your inherent wholeness and unity with one another, giving you the strength to happily honor your commitments to each other.
May they remind you that marriage is not a destination but a journey, with no beginning and no end, just a moment to moment opportunity to love and be loved to the best of your ability.
These rings represent your vows and the promises you have made to each other. Let them serve as a reminder of this day when challenges arise and reflect on your commitment and the hopes and dreams you share for your future.
Exchange of Rings
_________., as you place the ring on ______’s finger, do you promise to:
• Respect, encourage and challenge her.
• To love and cherish your differences
• And to grow both together and separately for the rest of our lives.
{“I DO”}
______, as you place the ring on _______’s finger, do you promise to:
• Respect, encourage and challenge him.
• To love and cherish your differences
• And to grow both together and separately for the rest of your lives.
{“I DO”}
Blessing of Marriage
______ and _______., today you have called on us to witness and celebrate this amazing day, we have re-lived your relationship journey, you have exchanged vows and have represented your commitment with wedding rings.
Go into the world and fulfill your dreams, together your possibilities are truly infinite.
- Love, support, and give each other room to grow.
- Continue to care for friends and family without forgetting yourselves and each other.
- Remember how to play.
- Laugh at yourselves, at each other and with each other often.
Life is truly better when you embrace the open road in front of you with gratitude, a light heart and the one you love.
Today, the two of you have confirmed that you belong not just together, but to each other. Your sense of adventure, your loyalty and commitment to each other, your passion and joy for life, is exactly what made your journey to this day so memorable and it is also what will sustain your bond and make it unbreakable.
The next chapter in your great adventure begins now.
Pronouncement of Marriage
On this day, _________, 2018 it is my honor to now pronounce you husband and wife.
_______, you may now kiss your bride!