Sample Ceremony
Welcome
Today we celebrate your joining in the sacred bond of marriage. This ceremony is a symbol of your journey's beginning. May you be blessed with courage, compassion, and divine guidance.
What Greater Thing
George Eliot
What greater thing is there for two human souls,
Than to feel that they are joined for life
To strengthen each other in all labor,
To rest on each other in all sorrow,
To minister to each other in all pain,
To be one with each other
In silent unspeakable memories..
Vows:
We have been called together as witnesses to the happiness which ______ and ______have found together, and to the pledge that they will now make to each other.
_____ please repeat after me...
I, _____ take you _____, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forevermore.
Rachel repeat after me..
I, _____ take you _____, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forevermore.
Ring Exchange:
These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken.
_____ please take this ring and place it on _____ finger, and repeat after me, “Accept this ring as a token of my vows. With it I give to you my Love, my Honor, and my Friendship. From this day forward you shall not walk alone. My heart will be your shelter, and my arms will be your home.”
_____ please take the ring and place it on _____ finger, and repeat after me, “Accept this ring as a token of my vows. With it I give to you my Love, my Honor, and my Friendship. From this day forward you shall not walk alone. My heart will be your shelter, and my arms will be your home.”
Blessing:
May the love that you share give you strength
May the life that you share bring you joy
May the dreams that you share bring you hope
May the faith that you share bring you peace.
And wherever you are in your journey through life,
May your hearts always find their way home.
Closing:
Inasmuch as you have declared your love to each other before your family and friends I now pronounce you as husband and wife.
You may kiss your bride.
It is my pleasure to introduce you as Mr. and Mrs. ________.