| Sample Ceremony - Tom & Christine (Traditional) |
Procession
Giving of the Bride and Groom
Welcome
Please be seated. Friends and family, what a joy it is to welcome you here, for we have come to celebrate the miracle of love and to witness the union of this man and this woman in holy Matrimony.
Tom and Christine, every experience you have ever had, everything you have ever done, and every twist and turn in life has miraculously brought you to this very moment as you now stand before these witnesses to take each other as husband and wife.
Charge to the Bride and Groom
As the two of you have joined in this marriage uniting as husband and
wife, and as you this day affirm your faith and love for one another, I would ask that you always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive, do not hold grudges, and live each day that you may share it together — as from this day forward you shall be each other’s home, comfort, and refuge. Your marriage will be strengthened by your love and respect for each other.
Just as two threads woven in opposite directions will form a most beautiful tapestry, so too can your two lives merge together to make a beautiful marriage. To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust to know in your hearts that you truly want the best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open to one another — and to learn and grow together. It will take faith to go forward together without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment; to hold true to the journey you both pledge today to share together.
Prayer
Let up pray. Lord, we ask that you bless the marriage of Tom and Christine.
When there is injury, help them find comfort
When there is discord, help them find harmony
When there is doubt, help them find faith
When there is despair, help them find hope
When there is darkness, help them find joy
Show them that it is only in giving that they will receive
It is only in forgiving that they are forgiven
And it is only in dying that they are born to eternal life
We ask this not just for Tom and Christine but for all of us here today as well as those not here that we now name in our hearts. (pause) We ask that you and those that have gone watch over them and be with them for all the days of their lives.
In your name we pray, AMEN
Betrothal
Tom and Christine, the two of you are about to become husband and wife. You are about to pledge everything you have and everything you are to each other. The promises you are about to make to each other must be honored every moment of every day for the rest of your lives. But...these promises come with the greatest reward you could possibly imagine — true and honest love.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, ¡t is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.
Today, you are taking into your care and trust the happiness of the one person in this world whom you love with all your heart. You are agreeing to share life’s deepest and richest experiences. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other but also the companionship and blessing of mutual respect. You have invited these guests to share in the celebration of your love; a very special love that now culminates in your union as husband and wife.
When you enter into marriage, you enter into life’s most important relationship. It is a gift given to bring comfort when there is sorrow, peace when there is unrest, laughter when there is happiness and love when it is shared. Real love goes far beyond the feelings of romance and desires. Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger so you can become involved with in ways you dare not risk alone. Real love says you are stronger together than when you are apart.
A successful marriage is not something that just happens. It takes work, it takes understanding and it takes time. Most importantly, it takes a commitment from both of you – a commitment to do whatever it takes to make your relationship thrive and not just simply survive. A good marriage must be created. Listen to these words of wisdom on the Art of Marriage.
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 at no time 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 facing the world together.
• 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 the 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 fro the things of the spirit.
• It is the common search for the good and the beautiful.
• It is the establishing of a relationship in which the independence is equal, the dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
• And finally, it is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
With this knowledge, Tom, do you take Christine to be your wedded wife, and in the presence of these witnesses do you vow that you will do everything in your power to make your love for her a growing part of your life? Will you continue to strengthen it from day to day and week to week with your best resources? Will you stand by her throughout your lives together, and give everything you are today and everything you will become to her unconditionally? If so, answer “I Do”
Christine, do you take Tom to be your wedded husband, and in the presence of these witnesses do you vow that you will do everything in your power to make your love for him a growing part of your life? Will you continue to strengthen it from day to day and week to week with your best resources? Will you stand by her throughout your lives together, and give everything you are today and everything you will become to her unconditionally? If so, answer, “I Do”
Please turn and face each other, taking the other’s hands in yours. I’d like you to take a moment to look down at the hands that each you know hold. These are the hands of your best friend, young and 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 work alongside yours as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and when fear or grief temporally comes you way. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief temporally comes your way. 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 give you support and encouragement to chase down your dreams. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. These are the hands that will lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.
Sharing of Vows
Groom
I, Tom take you, Christine
To be my wife
To have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better, or for worse,
for richer, or for poorer
In sickness, and in health,
To love and to honor
And to cherish unconditionally.
Forsaking all others,
I will be faithful to you.
Bride
I, Christine take you, Tom
To be my wife
To have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better, or for worse,
for richer, or for poorer
In sickness, and in health,
To love and to honor
And to cherish unconditionally.
Forsaking all others,
I will be faithful to you.
Exchange of the Rings
The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity. It is an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible bond which unites two hearts in endless love. As a token of your love and of this bond, Tom please place the ring on the finger of your bride and repeat after me: Christine, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love
and faithfulness to you.
By the same token Christine, please place the ring on the finer of your groom and repeat after me: Tom, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you.
Pronouncement
Christine and Tom, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by the vows, the giving of these rings and the joining of your hands, I now declare you to be husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you Mr & Mrs Tom Lastname
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