SHORT & SWEET CEREMONY

 Greetings:
Richard and Ann Marie, you have come here today to celebrate the love that you have for each other. We share in this with you by giving recognition of your decision to accept each other as husband and wife. Into this state of marriage you now come to be united. There is no surprise more magical than being loved. It is God's finger on a man's shoulder. For what greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined, to strengthen each other, and to be at one with each other in life's silent, countless memories.

Memorial (optional)

While we have all gathered here today for this occasion, we recognize that, as is unfortunate in life, there are loved ones who are not here in body, but are here through the presence of their spirit and the warm embrace of their memory. Let us take a moment of silence  to remember (name/s of loved ones) and  ALL of our loved ones who are not with us today.

 Please Join Hands and Face one Another...

 CONSENT:

 Richard, do you take this woman whose hands you now hold, choosing her alone to be your wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her with kindness, understanding and respect throughout your lives?

(I Will)

Ann Marie, do you take this man whose hands you now hold, choosing him alone to be your wedded husband? Will you love him, comfort him with kindness, understanding and respect throughout your lives?

(I Will)

VOWS:

I Richard take you Ann Marie, to be my wedded 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 cherish, now and forever. May my heart be your shelter, my arms be your home. You shall always see in my eyes the memory of this moment.

 

I Ann Marie  take you Richard, to be my wedded husband, 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 cherish, now and forever. May my heart be your shelter, my arms be your home. You shall always see in my eyes the memory of this moment.

 
RING PASSAGES:
 

Marriage is like a golden ring, whose beginning is a glance, and whose ending is eternity. The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond  that unites two loyal hearts in endless love.  As often as you see these rings, you will be reminded of this moment, and the eternal love you have promised one another.

RING EXCHANGE: 

Please place the ring on her/his finger and repeat after me.

 
"I give you this ring in token and pledge, as a symbol of all that we share, with my constant faith and abiding love.


PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS:
(optional)
 

Father, we thank you for this beautiful day, and we thank you for Richard and Ann Marie.   We thank you Lord for bringing them safely thus far on their journey. We pray that as you join their hands and hearts together to become husband and wife that you will bless them.


We pray that you will give them strength and courage as they face all the tasks and decisions that lie before them. We also pray Lord that you bless these rings that he and she wear and may they ever bide in your peace living together in unity, love, and happiness with good purpose to do your will. 

This we pray in your name.

Amen

CLOSING

 
These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness.  May these two find in each other, the love for which all men and women long. May they grow in understanding and in compassion.  May this man grow strong in the arms of this woman. May this woman grow glorious in the love of this man...and may these two rings symbolize the spirit of undying love in the hearts of both of them.

You may now kiss to seal your vows!!!

Lasting Love Vows 

Today we have gathered in this place of natural beauty to be joyful, in celebration of the relationship of Shaun and Tammy. By their commitment to marry each other, they are saying yes to love, yes to caring, yes to the family. May the spirit of God–which is in the blue sky, in the wind, and in the fresh smells of the Earth–enter your bodies, fill your hearts, and bless your lives.

Have you come here in the midst of these natural surroundings to affirm your commitment to each other?

Bride and Groom:
We have.

Minister:
Please share your vows with each other:

Groom:
I promise to live with you, to encourage and celebrate your growth and fulfillment through all the changes of our lives, and to be your faithful husband. May respect for ourselves, for each other and for the earth continue to be the cornerstone of our lives together.

Bride:
I promise to live with you, to encourage and celebrate your growth and fulfillment through all the changes of our lives, and to be your faithful wife. May respect for ourselves, for each other and for the earth continue to be the cornerstone of our lives together.

Minister:
What do you give to each other as a symbol of this pledge?

Groom to the Bride, placing her ring on her finger:
I give you this ring, and I welcome you into my life as the companion of my days.

Bride to the Groom, placing his ring on his finger:
I give you this ring, and I welcome you into my life as the companion of my days.

Minister:
These two people have been drawn together by their love for each other. May they practice self-discipline and patience throughout their marriage, for these are essential to lasting love. May they continue to trust each other, for trust is the foundation on which all love is built.

Minister:
Since Shaun and Tammy have pledged their love and commitment to each other before these witnesses, I declare that they are husband and wife.

Congratulations! You may kiss.

 

Optional Love Letter Ceremony

 

Officiant: Ian and Holly have chosen as a couple to perform a Love Letter ceremony. 

This box contains a bottle of wine (or whatever beverage you prefer), two glasses, and a love letter from each to the other.  The letters describe the good qualities they find in one another, the reasons they fell in love, and their reasons for choosing to marry.  The letters are sealed in individual envelopes and they have not seen what the other has written. 

I recommend that you keep the box in a place of honor prominently displayed in your home as a constant reminder of your commitment to each other. 

Ian and Holly, should you ever find your marriage enduring insurmountable hardships, you are to as a couple, open this box, sit and drink the wine (or other beverage) together, then separate and read the letters you wrote to one another when you were united as a couple in marriage.   By reading these love letters you will reflect upon the reasons you fell in love and chose to marry each other here today. 

The hope is, however, that you will never have a reason to open this box.   And if this is the case, you are to open this box to share and enjoy on your 5th wedding anniversary! 

Ian and Holly, you may now lock the box.

Celebration of Marriage Ceremony

Welcome

Officiant: Welcome, family, friends and loved ones. We gather here today to celebrate the wedding of Jessica and Jameson. You have come here to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Jessica and Jameson to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them. 

So welcome to one and all, who have traveled from near and far. Jessica and Jameson thank you for your presence here today, and now ask for your blessing, encouragement, and lifelong support for their decision to be married.

Memorial

Officiant: While we have all gathered here today for this occasion, we recognize that, as is unfortunate in life, there are loved ones who are not here in body, but are here through the presence of their spirit and the warm embrace of their memory.

At this time, I would like to invite Jameson's father (Kirby), his sister (Jessica) and his aunt (Donna) to join Jameson in the lighting of a memorial candle in honor of his mother, Paula.

(lighting of candle)

And now, let's take a moment to remember Paula, and ALL of our loved ones who are not with us, today.

Definition of Marriage

Officiant: Marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging adventure of human relationships. No ceremony can create your marriage; only you can do that – through love and patience; through dedication and perseverance; through talking and listening, helping and supporting and believing in each other; through tenderness and laughter; through learning to forgive, learning to appreciate your differences, and by learning to make the important things matter, and to let go of the rest. What this ceremony can do is to witness and affirm the choice you make to stand together as lifemates and partners.

Declaration of Intent

Officiant: Jameson, do you take this woman whose hands you now hold, choosing her alone to be your wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her with kindness, understanding and respect throughout your lives?

Groom: I will

Officiant: Jessica, do you take this man whose hands you now hold, choosing him alone to be your wedded husband? Will you love him, comfort him with kindness, understanding and respect throughout your lives?

Bride I will

Readings

Officiant: In the spirit of the importance of strong friendships to a marriage, Jessica and Jameson have asked two friends to read selections about love that especially resonate with them.

1st READING: i carry your heart with me by e.e. cummings

2nd READING Love Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda

Support of Community

Officiant: 

Two people in love do not live in isolation. Their love is a source of strength with which they may nourish not only each other but also the world around them. And in turn, we, their community of friends and family, have a responsibility to this couple. By our steadfast care, respect, and love, we can support their marriage and the new family they are creating today. 

Will everyone please rise. 

Officiant: Will you who are present here today, surround Jameson and Jessica in love, offering them the joys of your friendship, and supporting them in their marriage? 

All: We will

Officiant You may be seated.

Wedding Vows

Officiant: We've come to the point of your ceremony where you're going to say your vows to one another. But before you do that, I ask you to remember that love – which is rooted in faith, trust, and acceptance - will be the foundation of an abiding and deepening relationship. No other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred than those you now assume. If you are able to keep the vows you take here today, not because of any religious or civic law, but out of a desire to love and be loved by another person fully, without limitation, then your life will have joy and the home you establish will be a place in which you both will find the direction of your growth, your freedom, and your responsibility.

Please now read the vows you have written for each other. 

Bride and Groom

1. Personal vows

2. Scripted vows

I, Jameson, take you, Jessica, to be my wedded 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 cherish, now and forever. May my heart be your shelter, my arms be your home. You shall always see in my eyes the memory of this moment.

I, Jessica, take you, Jameson, to be my wedded husband, 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 cherish, now and forever. May my heart be your shelter, my arms be your home. You shall always see in my eyes the memory of this moment.

Officiant: May I have the rings, please? The ring is the visible sign of the inward and spiritual bond that unites two loyal hearts in endless love. As often as you see these rings, you will be reminded of this moment, and of the eternal love you have promised one another.

Please place the ring on his/her finger and repeat after me: I give you this ring, in token and in pledge, as a symbol of all that we share with my constant faith and abiding love.

Officiant: By the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss each other!