Rev. Susan Anderson
STANDARD VOW RENEWAL CEREMONY
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Standard Vow Renewal Ceremony.....
Welcome and Introduction...
Good afternoon and a very warm welcome to all. We have gathered together today to
honor and celebrate the ______ anniversary of _______ and ______’s marriage. In so
doing, we honor and celebrate the past _____ years of their lives together,
recognizing the hard work that goes into making a true and lasting marriage. We honor
and celebrate ______ and _______ themselves as co-creators of the enduring
friendship and love that is their marriage. And we honor and celebrate the blessings
that their union has brought into each of our lives.
Invocation….
Dear God, Creator of us all, we thank you for your Loving Presence in our lives.
Today, we especially thank you for the gifts of Love made real among-- the beauty of
laughter, the tears of joy, and the warmth of touch made real in this moment of re-
marriage.
Marriage is the coming together … two parts of the whole, transcending the illusion of
separateness, and symbolizing the unity of all humanity. Marriage is a physical
representation of a shared dream of unity, coming forward through this union. It is a
place of safety, where you can find your true home, feeling the freedom to express
your true feelings, thoughts and emotions to each other.
Consecration….
This unity of marriage is the very foundation of family life...and so when forming
this union, ______________and ______________ began a new family as well
as strengthening and perpetuating their historical family.
We celebrate that ___________ and ___________ have found in each other a
loving companion and friend and that through each other, the path of life will
always have meaning, even when it is at its steepest.
Today ______ and ______are here to reaffirm to each other, the choice they
made _____ years ago to become life partners ….in sharing this journey of
possibilities, they have shared experiences with each other, unique only to them
…they have shared the roles of teacher, of student, of companion, and of best
friend….each supporting and uplifting the other along the way.
In today’s world, which at times can be so troubled and appear so fragile, it is in
sacred partnerships such as marriage, that we see the continuing face of human
good, and the power of love which is truly our guide.
As you live out your marriage, your relationship will continue to have moods and
seasons; wonderful times as well as challenges. From time to time, the delightful
spirit of your wedding day may not be with you, and you will have the opportunity
to make the decision to reach for something deeper within yourselves. Reaching
for the love that is stronger, the love that is truer. Your relationship is a
progression, a wondrous journey that will take you to unexpected places within
yourselves: separately and together.
I would like to share with you now a poem by Wilferd A. Peterson in describing
the Art of a Good Marriage…and I invite each of your guests as well, who are in
a committed relationship to reflect on the meaning of these powerful words…
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the little things are the 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 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 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 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 old.
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.
Therefore _____________ and _____________ , remember as you continue
along in your days ahead that marriage is the maturing of love through time; love's
highest calling - it's finest work, and it's own reward. So above all, choose love.
For it is love that will always prevail. It is the love you hold for one another that
will be the answer to any difficulties. Choose love. Return to love. For that is
who you are. In love you shall forgive. In love you shall be healed. In love you
shall join as partners.
Renewal of Vows
_________ & ___________ when you first joined hands and hearts ____ years ago,
you did not know where life would take you. You promised to love, honor, and
cherish one another through all things. Life has brought you both wonderful blessings
and difficult challenges through the years. Therefore you have fulfilled your promise.
And God is smiling! So, as you come here today to reaffirm your wedding vows and
as you reflect back over all the years as husband and wife, do you now wish to
reaffirm the vows you took ____ years ago?
Husband & Wife: Respond: Yes
Then please repeat after me:
Husband:
I, _____, recommit to you ______, as my wife.
I promise to continue to be true to you
In good times and in difficult ones
In sickness and in health
I promise to continue to love and honor you
To comfort and cherish you
The remaining days of my life.
Wife:
I, _____, recommit to you ______, as my husband.
I promise to continue to be true to you
In good times and in difficult ones
In sickness and in health
I promise to continue to love and honor you
To comfort and cherish you
The remaining days of my life.
Optional:
Blessing of Your Wedding Rings
And so we come ______________and ______________, to the re-exchange of rings
by which you symbolize and bind your love:
Let Us Pray:
God, bless these rings with your Love, may they be blessed as a symbol of this unity,
so that each who gives and each who receives them shall live together in Peace and
Love always. These rings symbolize the sacred commitment made by each of you
today, for they represent the unending circle of life. Let their strength and beauty
serve to remind you that your love is also unending and strong enough to withstand
what ever may come. May your love, like these rings, shine brightly all the days of
your life together. May you hold the peace of this moment in your minds, and return
to it whenever you need a source of strength and inspiration in your lives.
And So It Is.
HUSBAND, Please repeat after me:
WIFE, with this ring, I promise to grow with you, to build our Love, to speak openly
and honestly, to listen to you, and to love and cherish you now and forever. I give
you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity.
WIFE, Please repeat after me:
HUSBAND, with this ring, I promise to grow with you, to build our Love, to speak
openly and honestly, to listen to you, and to love and cherish you now and forever. I
give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity.
Pronouncement
And now ______________and ______________, because you have, once again,
chosen one another, honored each other with the precious gift of your rings, and
pledged to love each other for all the days of your lives, it is with great pleasure that I
declare your marriage blessed.
Kiss:
You may now kiss.
The Benediction
________ and _______may your home continue to be a place of happiness for all who
enter it; a place where all are renewed in each other’s company, a place for growing
and a place for sharing, a place for community and a place for laughter, a place for
prayer and a place for love.
May the beauty and the bounty of your love for one another constantly enrich those
who are nearest to you; may your daily lives be filled with joy; and may your days be
good and long upon the earth. Amen.
Introduction
And now it is my pleasure to present to you, ______ and _______.
(This introduction can be personalized based on the anniversary the couple is
sharing….for example: And now it is my pleasure to present to you for the first time
in public as members of the elitist club of golden agers, celebrating their Golden
Wedding Anniversary, ______ and _______.)
Welcome and Introduction...
Good afternoon and a very warm welcome to all. We have gathered together today to
honor and celebrate the ______ anniversary of _______ and ______’s marriage. In so
doing, we honor and celebrate the past _____ years of their lives together,
recognizing the hard work that goes into making a true and lasting marriage. We honor
and celebrate ______ and _______ themselves as co-creators of the enduring
friendship and love that is their marriage. And we honor and celebrate the blessings
that their union has brought into each of our lives.
Invocation….
Dear God, Creator of us all, we thank you for your Loving Presence in our lives.
Today, we especially thank you for the gifts of Love made real among-- the beauty of
laughter, the tears of joy, and the warmth of touch made real in this moment of re-
marriage.
Marriage is the coming together … two parts of the whole, transcending the illusion of
separateness, and symbolizing the unity of all humanity. Marriage is a physical
representation of a shared dream of unity, coming forward through this union. It is a
place of safety, where you can find your true home, feeling the freedom to express
your true feelings, thoughts and emotions to each other.
Consecration….
This unity of marriage is the very foundation of family life...and so when forming
this union, ______________and ______________ began a new family as well
as strengthening and perpetuating their historical family.
We celebrate that ___________ and ___________ have found in each other a
loving companion and friend and that through each other, the path of life will
always have meaning, even when it is at its steepest.
Today ______ and ______are here to reaffirm to each other, the choice they
made _____ years ago to become life partners ….in sharing this journey of
possibilities, they have shared experiences with each other, unique only to them
…they have shared the roles of teacher, of student, of companion, and of best
friend….each supporting and uplifting the other along the way.
In today’s world, which at times can be so troubled and appear so fragile, it is in
sacred partnerships such as marriage, that we see the continuing face of human
good, and the power of love which is truly our guide.
As you live out your marriage, your relationship will continue to have moods and
seasons; wonderful times as well as challenges. From time to time, the delightful
spirit of your wedding day may not be with you, and you will have the opportunity
to make the decision to reach for something deeper within yourselves. Reaching
for the love that is stronger, the love that is truer. Your relationship is a
progression, a wondrous journey that will take you to unexpected places within
yourselves: separately and together.
I would like to share with you now a poem by Wilferd A. Peterson in describing
the Art of a Good Marriage…and I invite each of your guests as well, who are in
a committed relationship to reflect on the meaning of these powerful words…
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the little things are the 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 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 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 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 old.
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.
Therefore _____________ and _____________ , remember as you continue
along in your days ahead that marriage is the maturing of love through time; love's
highest calling - it's finest work, and it's own reward. So above all, choose love.
For it is love that will always prevail. It is the love you hold for one another that
will be the answer to any difficulties. Choose love. Return to love. For that is
who you are. In love you shall forgive. In love you shall be healed. In love you
shall join as partners.
Renewal of Vows
_________ & ___________ when you first joined hands and hearts ____ years ago,
you did not know where life would take you. You promised to love, honor, and
cherish one another through all things. Life has brought you both wonderful blessings
and difficult challenges through the years. Therefore you have fulfilled your promise.
And God is smiling! So, as you come here today to reaffirm your wedding vows and
as you reflect back over all the years as husband and wife, do you now wish to
reaffirm the vows you took ____ years ago?
Husband & Wife: Respond: Yes
Then please repeat after me:
Husband:
I, _____, recommit to you ______, as my wife.
I promise to continue to be true to you
In good times and in difficult ones
In sickness and in health
I promise to continue to love and honor you
To comfort and cherish you
The remaining days of my life.
Wife:
I, _____, recommit to you ______, as my husband.
I promise to continue to be true to you
In good times and in difficult ones
In sickness and in health
I promise to continue to love and honor you
To comfort and cherish you
The remaining days of my life.
Optional:
Blessing of Your Wedding Rings
And so we come ______________and ______________, to the re-exchange of rings
by which you symbolize and bind your love:
Let Us Pray:
God, bless these rings with your Love, may they be blessed as a symbol of this unity,
so that each who gives and each who receives them shall live together in Peace and
Love always. These rings symbolize the sacred commitment made by each of you
today, for they represent the unending circle of life. Let their strength and beauty
serve to remind you that your love is also unending and strong enough to withstand
what ever may come. May your love, like these rings, shine brightly all the days of
your life together. May you hold the peace of this moment in your minds, and return
to it whenever you need a source of strength and inspiration in your lives.
And So It Is.
HUSBAND, Please repeat after me:
WIFE, with this ring, I promise to grow with you, to build our Love, to speak openly
and honestly, to listen to you, and to love and cherish you now and forever. I give
you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity.
WIFE, Please repeat after me:
HUSBAND, with this ring, I promise to grow with you, to build our Love, to speak
openly and honestly, to listen to you, and to love and cherish you now and forever. I
give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity.
Pronouncement
And now ______________and ______________, because you have, once again,
chosen one another, honored each other with the precious gift of your rings, and
pledged to love each other for all the days of your lives, it is with great pleasure that I
declare your marriage blessed.
Kiss:
You may now kiss.
The Benediction
________ and _______may your home continue to be a place of happiness for all who
enter it; a place where all are renewed in each other’s company, a place for growing
and a place for sharing, a place for community and a place for laughter, a place for
prayer and a place for love.
May the beauty and the bounty of your love for one another constantly enrich those
who are nearest to you; may your daily lives be filled with joy; and may your days be
good and long upon the earth. Amen.
Introduction
And now it is my pleasure to present to you, ______ and _______.
(This introduction can be personalized based on the anniversary the couple is
sharing….for example: And now it is my pleasure to present to you for the first time
in public as members of the elitist club of golden agers, celebrating their Golden
Wedding Anniversary, ______ and _______.)
SEEDS FOR CHANGE
Wellness Center
Providing educational
information, programs,
and holistic health
services, we are
committed to helping
bring about balance and
harmony within the
personal,local and global
environment, by assisting
those working toward a
healthier lifestyle.
Wellness Center
Providing educational
information, programs,
and holistic health
services, we are
committed to helping
bring about balance and
harmony within the
personal,local and global
environment, by assisting
those working toward a
healthier lifestyle.
CEREMONY CELEBRANT AND OFFICIANT