Wedding Ceremony Sample 4
PROCESSION:
(Jane and Bill walk down the hill together when the bagpipe music starts. This path takes them towards the rear of the seating. Once they reach the seating, Bill walks down the outside of the left section, stopping in the front row to hug her parents. At the same time, Jane walks down the outside of the right section, stopping in the front row to hug her parents. Bill and Jane arrive in front of the minister at the same time.)
GATHERING WORDS / MARRIAGE INTRODUCTION:
Jane and Bill have asked all of you to be with them today because they deeply appreciate all the love, joy, support, and guidance you have given them over the years. Your friendship and love will always be appreciated. They welcome you and thank you for being here today to share their happiness and celebrate their marriage.
Jane and Bill have brought us together here for an occasion of great joy and a cause for great celebration. Having found each other, they have built the kind of relationship that will serve them well as the foundation for their marriage.They have chosen each and every one of us to be here with them to witness their wedding vows as they join together as marriage partners.
Each of us knows that a marriage is not created by a law or a ceremony; rather it occurs in the hearts of two human beings. It grows out of loving, caring, and sharing ourselves with another.
And so it is that Jane and Bill have connected their hearts and souls, one to the other, drawing upon the depths of their being, into the deep well of human need B The need to live united, loving, and complete.
So, in witnessing this ceremony today. We are observing only an outward sign of an inward union that already exists between
Jane and Bill. Today, they have come before us to publicly affirm their love; to promise to nurture themselves, each other, and this union; and to acknowledge its centrality in their lives. They do so knowing that marriage is at once the most tender, yet challenging, of all relations in life. And so, we have gathered here together as family and friends to witness and to celebrate the coming together of Jane and Bill as they enter into a loving marriage partnership.
REMEMBRANCES & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Jane and Bill have asked that we take a moment to honor the memory of those loved ones who could only be here in spirit and in our hearts. We welcome their presence here with us today and celebrate their special places in our lives.
READING BY:
Author: The Buddha
May every creature abound in well-being and peace.
May every living being, weak or strong, the long and the small,
The short and the medium-sized, the mean and the great,
May every living being, seen or unseen, those dwelling far off,
Those near by, those already born, those waiting to be born,
May all attain inward peace.
Let no one deceive another.
Let no one despise another in any situation.
Let no one, from antipathy or hatred, wish evil to anyone at all.
Just as a mother, with her own life, protects her only son from hurt,
So within yourself foster a limitless concern for every living creature.
Display a heart of boundless love for all the world,
In all its height and depth and broad extent,
Love unrestrained, without hate or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk, sit or lie, until overcome by drowsiness,
Devote your mind entirely to this, it is known as living here, life divine.
READING BY:
Author: Venerable Lama Gendun Rinpoche
Happiness cannot be found through great effort and willpower
But is already there, in relaxation and letting-go.
Don't strain yourself, there is nothing to do.
Whatever arises in the mind has no importance at all,
Because it has no reality whatsoever.
Don't become attached to it.
Don't pass judgment.
Let the game happen on its own, springing up and falling back,
Without changing anything,
And all will vanish and reappear, without end.
Only our searching for happiness prevents us from seeing it.
It is like a rainbow,
Which you run after without ever catching it.
Although it does not exist,
It has always been there and accompanies you every instant.
Don't believe in the reality of good and bad experiences;
They are like rainbows.
Waiting to grasp the ungraspable, you exhaust yourself in vain,
As soon as you relax this grasping, space is there,
Open, inviting, and comfortable.
So, make use of it. All is yours already.
Don't search any further.
Don't go into the inextricable jungle looking for the elephant -
Who is already quietly at home.
Nothing to do, Nothing to force,
Nothing to want, -- And everything happens by itself.
READING BY:
Author: The Buddha
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
MARRIAGE ADDRESS
Jane and Bill, your marriage will, no doubt, be filled with surprises. Some you will welcome, while others will test the strength and flexibility of your bond.
Your life together will present many opportunities to refine and deepen your love and to explore the profound depths of your being.
May you be compassionate with each other and nurture yourselves, each other, and this union with tender loving care.
May your love create a safe haven for you both on the journey that lays ahead of you. Lead with your hearts and take the time to do the simple things that will nurture your love.
Deeply listen to each other B To your dreams and to your frustrations. Be helpmates. Be playful in finding ways to give your love anew to each other every day.
Let your love be an inspiration to others to reach for what is good within us all. May your love be so abundant that you have plenty to share with the rest of us as well.
It is your love that has brought us together here today. May it grow deeper and sweeter with each passing year.
WEDDING VOWS/ EXPRESSION OF INTENT
Do you each believe that being with the other helps you to be the person you want to be, and pledge to stay open to growing through your relationship?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Will you travel with each other and be constant companions from this day forward, cherishing always the wonder and freedom you have found together?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Will you honor all that you are and all that you may become? Through the changes of your lives, will you love each other with your heart and your soul, your words and your actions?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Will you celebrate each other's individuality and support each other's creativity? Will you laugh with each other and dream with each other? Will you each labor happily by each other's side, in your home and in the world?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
When you are sick or hurting, will you provide your love and care? When you are happy, will you share your joy? Whenever you are needed, will you be there for each other?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Through the fellowship of family and friends, you have come to this day, your paths entwined. As you step forward, will you continue to support your relationships with others and value the many ways in which your community supports you?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Will you honor your partners trust and be worthy of that trust?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Do you choose each other to be your partner for life, your true love, and your mate?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: Today and every day, I choose you.
We are small in this universe, but Love is limitless. Being with each other, your spirit is strengthened.
READING BY:
Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Our true home is in the present moment.
To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment,
To appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.
Peace is all around us,
In the world and in nature,
And within us.
In our bodies and our spirits.
Once we learn to touch this peace,
We will be healed and transformed.
It is not a matter of faith;
It is a matter of practice.
RIBBON CEREMONY
(a Declaration of Support)
Could the keepers of the rings please bring them forward?
(John Smith holding one ring and Sam Jones holding another bring their rings up and hand to the minister when asked.)
Dear Jane, Dear Bill,
We are here to wish you all the best for your Love. And we are going to do this in a very special way: Here is a ribbon. This ribbon now goes from guest to guest, and so do these rings. And while these rings are moving from guest to guest, Each guest should B when holding these rings BSilently extend a wish or blessing to Jane and Bill for a loving, healthy, and happy marriage.
(The minister takes the spool of ribbon, and hands the cut end to Bill, who keeps holding on to the ribbon. The spool end of the ribbon is then passed through each of the guests, from row to row, all the way through all the guests, making its way back to the front -unraveling the ribbon as they go. Each guest holds a part of the one long ribbon. The spool end of the ribbon will make it back to the minister. Once the spool has returned, the minister cuts the spool end of the ribbon and hands it to Jane. Then the minister places both rings on the ribbon at the cut end which Bill is holding. The rings will then travel down the ribbon from person to person in attendance, so that everyone touches the rings and can extend their own silent wish for the wedding couple. When the rings come back, the rings come off of the ribbon.)
Jane and Bill, your vow to each other constitutes a very special bond between you, and through you, a very special bond between your families and friends. These rings are heavy with their wishes. This ribbon shall symbolize this strong connection, and this ribbon shall symbolize the support that you can expect from your families and friends in good times and in bad.
Having said that, I ask you all, dear guests, to support Jane and Bill whenever they need you.
RING EXCHANGE:
These rings are circles, and circles are symbolic of the sun, the earth, and the universe. As arms that embrace, these wedding rings you give and receive this day reflect the circle of shared love into which you enter as partners in life. May these rings serve to remind you of the freedom and the power of your love.
(Jane repeat after me):
Bill. I give you this ring. As a symbol that I choose you t be my husband, my partner, and my best friend. Today, tomorrow, and always.
(Bill repeat after me):
Jane, I give you this ring as a symbol that I choose you to be my wife, my partner, and my best friend. Today, tomorrow, and always.
Now that Jane and Bill have joined themselves to each other by solemn vows and by the giving and receiving of rings I, Rev. _____ King, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Marriage Act of Prince Edward Island, do hereby pronounce you to be a married couple.
KISS
You may now kiss...
SIGNING OF THE REGISTER
FINAL BLESSING
Author: Shaman Ochaum Climbing Eagle
Keep your passion alive - it will warm you when the world around you grows cold. It will not allow comfortable familiarity to rob you of that special glow that comes with loving deeply. It can lift you over stone walls of anger and carry you across vast deserts of alienation.
But its greatest gift is that of touch B for passion cannot dwell in solitude B it thrives best in loving embrace. So keep your passion alive - hold one another as a tree holds the Earth and your love will bear the fruit of many, many seasons.
INTRODUCTION OF THE COUPLE
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you for the first time Jane and Bill as a married couple.
RECESSIONAL
(Jane and Bill walk down the hill together when the bagpipe music starts. This path takes them towards the rear of the seating. Once they reach the seating, Bill walks down the outside of the left section, stopping in the front row to hug her parents. At the same time, Jane walks down the outside of the right section, stopping in the front row to hug her parents. Bill and Jane arrive in front of the minister at the same time.)
GATHERING WORDS / MARRIAGE INTRODUCTION:
Jane and Bill have asked all of you to be with them today because they deeply appreciate all the love, joy, support, and guidance you have given them over the years. Your friendship and love will always be appreciated. They welcome you and thank you for being here today to share their happiness and celebrate their marriage.
Jane and Bill have brought us together here for an occasion of great joy and a cause for great celebration. Having found each other, they have built the kind of relationship that will serve them well as the foundation for their marriage.They have chosen each and every one of us to be here with them to witness their wedding vows as they join together as marriage partners.
Each of us knows that a marriage is not created by a law or a ceremony; rather it occurs in the hearts of two human beings. It grows out of loving, caring, and sharing ourselves with another.
And so it is that Jane and Bill have connected their hearts and souls, one to the other, drawing upon the depths of their being, into the deep well of human need B The need to live united, loving, and complete.
So, in witnessing this ceremony today. We are observing only an outward sign of an inward union that already exists between
Jane and Bill. Today, they have come before us to publicly affirm their love; to promise to nurture themselves, each other, and this union; and to acknowledge its centrality in their lives. They do so knowing that marriage is at once the most tender, yet challenging, of all relations in life. And so, we have gathered here together as family and friends to witness and to celebrate the coming together of Jane and Bill as they enter into a loving marriage partnership.
REMEMBRANCES & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Jane and Bill have asked that we take a moment to honor the memory of those loved ones who could only be here in spirit and in our hearts. We welcome their presence here with us today and celebrate their special places in our lives.
READING BY:
Author: The Buddha
May every creature abound in well-being and peace.
May every living being, weak or strong, the long and the small,
The short and the medium-sized, the mean and the great,
May every living being, seen or unseen, those dwelling far off,
Those near by, those already born, those waiting to be born,
May all attain inward peace.
Let no one deceive another.
Let no one despise another in any situation.
Let no one, from antipathy or hatred, wish evil to anyone at all.
Just as a mother, with her own life, protects her only son from hurt,
So within yourself foster a limitless concern for every living creature.
Display a heart of boundless love for all the world,
In all its height and depth and broad extent,
Love unrestrained, without hate or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk, sit or lie, until overcome by drowsiness,
Devote your mind entirely to this, it is known as living here, life divine.
READING BY:
Author: Venerable Lama Gendun Rinpoche
Happiness cannot be found through great effort and willpower
But is already there, in relaxation and letting-go.
Don't strain yourself, there is nothing to do.
Whatever arises in the mind has no importance at all,
Because it has no reality whatsoever.
Don't become attached to it.
Don't pass judgment.
Let the game happen on its own, springing up and falling back,
Without changing anything,
And all will vanish and reappear, without end.
Only our searching for happiness prevents us from seeing it.
It is like a rainbow,
Which you run after without ever catching it.
Although it does not exist,
It has always been there and accompanies you every instant.
Don't believe in the reality of good and bad experiences;
They are like rainbows.
Waiting to grasp the ungraspable, you exhaust yourself in vain,
As soon as you relax this grasping, space is there,
Open, inviting, and comfortable.
So, make use of it. All is yours already.
Don't search any further.
Don't go into the inextricable jungle looking for the elephant -
Who is already quietly at home.
Nothing to do, Nothing to force,
Nothing to want, -- And everything happens by itself.
READING BY:
Author: The Buddha
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
MARRIAGE ADDRESS
Jane and Bill, your marriage will, no doubt, be filled with surprises. Some you will welcome, while others will test the strength and flexibility of your bond.
Your life together will present many opportunities to refine and deepen your love and to explore the profound depths of your being.
May you be compassionate with each other and nurture yourselves, each other, and this union with tender loving care.
May your love create a safe haven for you both on the journey that lays ahead of you. Lead with your hearts and take the time to do the simple things that will nurture your love.
Deeply listen to each other B To your dreams and to your frustrations. Be helpmates. Be playful in finding ways to give your love anew to each other every day.
Let your love be an inspiration to others to reach for what is good within us all. May your love be so abundant that you have plenty to share with the rest of us as well.
It is your love that has brought us together here today. May it grow deeper and sweeter with each passing year.
WEDDING VOWS/ EXPRESSION OF INTENT
Do you each believe that being with the other helps you to be the person you want to be, and pledge to stay open to growing through your relationship?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Will you travel with each other and be constant companions from this day forward, cherishing always the wonder and freedom you have found together?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Will you honor all that you are and all that you may become? Through the changes of your lives, will you love each other with your heart and your soul, your words and your actions?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Will you celebrate each other's individuality and support each other's creativity? Will you laugh with each other and dream with each other? Will you each labor happily by each other's side, in your home and in the world?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
When you are sick or hurting, will you provide your love and care? When you are happy, will you share your joy? Whenever you are needed, will you be there for each other?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Through the fellowship of family and friends, you have come to this day, your paths entwined. As you step forward, will you continue to support your relationships with others and value the many ways in which your community supports you?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Will you honor your partners trust and be worthy of that trust?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: We will.
Do you choose each other to be your partner for life, your true love, and your mate?
Both Bill and Jane Answer: Today and every day, I choose you.
We are small in this universe, but Love is limitless. Being with each other, your spirit is strengthened.
READING BY:
Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Our true home is in the present moment.
To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment,
To appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.
Peace is all around us,
In the world and in nature,
And within us.
In our bodies and our spirits.
Once we learn to touch this peace,
We will be healed and transformed.
It is not a matter of faith;
It is a matter of practice.
RIBBON CEREMONY
(a Declaration of Support)
Could the keepers of the rings please bring them forward?
(John Smith holding one ring and Sam Jones holding another bring their rings up and hand to the minister when asked.)
Dear Jane, Dear Bill,
We are here to wish you all the best for your Love. And we are going to do this in a very special way: Here is a ribbon. This ribbon now goes from guest to guest, and so do these rings. And while these rings are moving from guest to guest, Each guest should B when holding these rings BSilently extend a wish or blessing to Jane and Bill for a loving, healthy, and happy marriage.
(The minister takes the spool of ribbon, and hands the cut end to Bill, who keeps holding on to the ribbon. The spool end of the ribbon is then passed through each of the guests, from row to row, all the way through all the guests, making its way back to the front -unraveling the ribbon as they go. Each guest holds a part of the one long ribbon. The spool end of the ribbon will make it back to the minister. Once the spool has returned, the minister cuts the spool end of the ribbon and hands it to Jane. Then the minister places both rings on the ribbon at the cut end which Bill is holding. The rings will then travel down the ribbon from person to person in attendance, so that everyone touches the rings and can extend their own silent wish for the wedding couple. When the rings come back, the rings come off of the ribbon.)
Jane and Bill, your vow to each other constitutes a very special bond between you, and through you, a very special bond between your families and friends. These rings are heavy with their wishes. This ribbon shall symbolize this strong connection, and this ribbon shall symbolize the support that you can expect from your families and friends in good times and in bad.
Having said that, I ask you all, dear guests, to support Jane and Bill whenever they need you.
RING EXCHANGE:
These rings are circles, and circles are symbolic of the sun, the earth, and the universe. As arms that embrace, these wedding rings you give and receive this day reflect the circle of shared love into which you enter as partners in life. May these rings serve to remind you of the freedom and the power of your love.
(Jane repeat after me):
Bill. I give you this ring. As a symbol that I choose you t be my husband, my partner, and my best friend. Today, tomorrow, and always.
(Bill repeat after me):
Jane, I give you this ring as a symbol that I choose you to be my wife, my partner, and my best friend. Today, tomorrow, and always.
Now that Jane and Bill have joined themselves to each other by solemn vows and by the giving and receiving of rings I, Rev. _____ King, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Marriage Act of Prince Edward Island, do hereby pronounce you to be a married couple.
KISS
You may now kiss...
SIGNING OF THE REGISTER
FINAL BLESSING
Author: Shaman Ochaum Climbing Eagle
Keep your passion alive - it will warm you when the world around you grows cold. It will not allow comfortable familiarity to rob you of that special glow that comes with loving deeply. It can lift you over stone walls of anger and carry you across vast deserts of alienation.
But its greatest gift is that of touch B for passion cannot dwell in solitude B it thrives best in loving embrace. So keep your passion alive - hold one another as a tree holds the Earth and your love will bear the fruit of many, many seasons.
INTRODUCTION OF THE COUPLE
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you for the first time Jane and Bill as a married couple.
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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