Wedding Ceremony Sample 2
Processional
The bride is escorted to the altar.
INVOCATION
We are Children of the Light. May the Light of God shine
through us each and every day.
Marriage Introduction
We are gathered here in the presence of God and of this company to join in holy matrimony Bill and JANE and to bear witness to the transforming power of love.
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 Bill and JANE are
undertaking here.
In acknowledgement of this holy purpose and the power of this occasion, let us pray.
PRAYER
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
On Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom
And the Power and the Glory are Yours
Now and forever.
Amen.
Address
Love is the life of the soul. It is the harmony of the universe.
Today we celebrate the beginning of a journey for JANE and Bill. This journey is filled with joy because it is approached through love. JANE and Bill choose this path because they love each other. They have come to a point where two paths became one path - where two souls joined to share in life’s joys and challenges. For what greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen each other in all labour, to minister to each other in all sorrow, and to share with each other all gladness.
Love is a quality of Spirit. A journey through love is therefore a Spiritual journey and is sanctified by the presence of God. This simple ceremony, this celebration, is the outward token of a sacred and inward union of hearts, a union created by loving purpose and kept by abiding will.
READING
The following Reading from “ The Prophet” by Khalil Gibran talks about an ideal for marriage..
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 others 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
but not too near together,
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each others shadow.
But let there be space in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens
dance between you.
Love one another
but make not a bond of love.
Expression of Intent / Vows
Preamble.
Bill and JANE, no other human ties are more tender and sacred than those you now assume.
Bill, will you have JANE to be your wedded wife, to live together in the holy estate
of matrimony?
Bill: I will.
Then turn to her and repeat after me.
Vows
Until we both shall grow old
And the sight fall from our eyes,
And our being fall from life to light,
I choose to go with you, always.
For better, for worse
For richer, for poorer
In sickness, and in health
To love and to cherish.
From this day, until the end of our days.
This is my solemn vow.
JANE, will you have Bill to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony?
JANE: I will.
Then turn to him and repeat after me.
Vows
Until we both shall grow old
And the sight fall from our eyes,
And our being fall from life to light,
I choose to go with you, always.
For better, for worse
For richer, for poorer
In sickness, and in health
To love and to cherish.
From this day, until the end of our days.
This is my solemn vow.
Reading by
The Art Of A Good Marriage
- Wilferd Arlan Peterson
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created. In the art of marriage, the little things are
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 never taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the 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.
Who presents JANE to be married to Bill?
Escort: I do.
Marriage is more than a man and a woman and making them husband and wife. For they who give a son and they who give a daughter become one family and so the miracle of love spreads its ties throughout the earth.
(Best man hands the wedding rings to the minister)
Throughout the ages, the circle has been a symbol of wholeness, of oneness, of perfect harmony. The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts in wedded love. These rings are symbols of the unity in which your lives are joined in one unbroken circle.
Blessing of the Rings
Sanctify 0 Lord these rings, that they may be to these Thy children, a token of their solemn vows and a pledge of
pure and endless love. Amen.
Exchange of Rings
Bill: Placing the ring on JANE’s finger repeats after the minister
I give you this ring
As the symbol that I have cast my lot with yours
That I am bound to you always
Through my love
With my soul, And with all my heart
JANE: Placing the ring on Bill’s finger repeats after the minister
I give you this ring
As the symbol that I have cast my lot with yours
That I am bound to you always
Through my love
With my soul, And with all my heart
Forasmuch as Bill and JANE have consented together in Holy Wedlock and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth to each other, and have declared the same by the presenting and receiving of rings and by the joining of hands.
I hereby pronounce you to be husband and wife together. May your journey be filled
with love and joy.
Kiss
Benediction:
The Lord bless you and keep you both. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious upon you. The Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you peace, happiness, and joy, at this moment, throughout your married life, and forevermore. Amen.
Let us offer a prayer of thanksgiving that Bill and JANE have found such joy and happiness.
Prayer for the newlyweds.
Lord God, great is the love that has been given to us. Great are the responsibilities on each of us as we become aware that we are instruments of God’s love in all of life. Bless by the Holy Breath of Spirit, the commitment of love that JANE and Bill have made to each other. Grant that their love and our love may grow to the fullness of eternal love.
Amen
Signing of the Register
And now we will close this service with the Apache Blessing.
Apache Blessing
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now you will feel no loneliness, for each of you will be companionship to the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life between 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 good
and long upon the earth.
Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness.
Pronouncement of Marriage
Ladies and Gentleman, may I introduce to you Bill and JANE for the first time as husband and wife.
Recessional:
For more information or to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs call: 1-(902)-629-1385,
or email us at weddingsonpei@gmail.com
or email us at weddingsonpei@gmail.com
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