Rev. Susan Anderson
WEDDING CELEBRANT AND OFFICIANT
MANY BLESSINGS MINISTRY...STANDARD WEDDING CEREMONY
Cherished Memories
Love Story
Many Blessings
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Standard Wedding Ceremony...... Standard Ceremony 5 |
SEEDS FOR CHANGE
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CHRISTIAN WEDDING CEREMONY – TRADITIONAL
DECLARATION OF CONSENT:
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Response: I do, or Her mother and I do, or We do
GREETING/ WORDS OF WELCOME:
Blessings and welcome. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight
of God, and the presence of friends and loved ones, to join together BRIDE and
GROOM in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted of God,
since the first man and the first woman walked on the earth. Therefore; it is not
to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly.
Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined.
If any man or woman can show just cause why this couple may not lawfully be
joined together, let them now speak, or else, hereafter, forever hold their peace.
BRIDE and GROOM, marriage is one of the most precious occasions in life
when we are presented with a profound opportunity to enter the timeless
dimension of love. It emphasizes and reminds us that our lives have meaning
and purpose beyond the day to day affairs of worldly life and that love is the
strongest bond, the greatest joy and the sweetest nourishment we can ever
experience.
A marriage ceremony represents one of life's greatest commitments, but also is a
declaration of love. The Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians contains
some of the most beautiful words ever written about love:
If I have not love, then I am nothing...
Love is patient and kind; never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud,
never haughty, or selfish, or rude.
Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, or touchy. Love makes no
record of wrongs and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. Love
rejoices not with evil, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
If you love someone, you will be loyal to them, no matter the cost. You will
always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand your
ground in defending them.
Love's faith, hope, and patience never fail. It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, and endures all things. Love is eternal. These three remain;
faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
EXPRESSION OF INTENT:
Believing that you understand something of the reason for marriage as God has
revealed it, are you ready now to confirm your commitment to God and to each
other in Christian marriage?
Response: We are
Before we come to the exchange of vows, I will ask each of you your intent.
GROOM, do you take BRIDE to be your wedded wife, to live together after
God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony. Do you promise to love, honor,
cherish and protect her, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so
long as you both shall live?
Response: I do
BRIDE, do you take GROOM to be your wedded husband, to live together after
God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony. Do you promise to love, honor,
cherish and protect him, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so
long as you both shall live?
Response: I do
INVOCATION/ PRAYER:
Now each your own way of recognizing the Divine, please join me in reflection:
Heavenly Father we give thanks for the miracle of life that you bestow upon us
this glorious day. We give thanks as you weave the spirit of love throughout
every heart, body and mind within this gathering. May the blending of our hearts
prepare us to remember the truth of Oneness as we bear witness to the sacred
ceremony of marriage. May the radiance of joy on this special day, overflow with
peace and harmony throughout the rest of GROOM and BRIDE's life together
as husband and wife. And may this peace and harmony continue to expand,
bringing joy to their families and friends and to all others who enter their home
and circle of life. Amen.
WEDDING VOWS:
BRIDE and GROOM, in honor of the solemn pledge you are about to make, and
symbolizing its unbroken perpetuity, please face each other and join hands.
GROOM, if it is your desire to become the husband of BRIDE, then repeat after
me:
I, GROOM take you BRIDE to be my wife, my partner in life
and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
Whatever may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep
So help me God.
BRIDE, if it is your desire to become the wife of HUSBAND, then repeat after me:
I, BRIDE take you GROOM to be my Husband, my partner in life
and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
Whatever may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep
So help me God.
BLESSING & EXCHANGING OF RINGS:
May I have the rings, please?
As God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is
nowhere, so let the seamless circle of these rings become a symbol of the
timeless dimension of unconditional love.
May the presence of these rings continue to remind you of the eternal love and
devotion you are to share with one another from this moment onwards. May the
beauty and perfection of these rings remind you of the beauty of your
togetherness and the perfection of this union you are sanctifying in this perfect
moment.
GROOM, Please place the ring on BRIDE'S left hand and repeat after me:
I GROOM, take thee, BRIDE to be my wife. To have and to hold, in sickness
and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, I promise my love to
you. With this ring, I take you as my wife, for as long as we both shall live.
BRIDE, Please place the ring on GROOM'S left hand and repeat after me:
I BRIDE, take thee GROOM, to be my husband. To have and to hold, in
sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, I promise my
love to you. With this ring, I take you as my husband, for as long as we both shall
live.
BENEDICTION/ CLOSING PRAYER:
Let us pray...
Bless this marriage, O God, as they begin their journey down the road of life
together. Send your blessing upon BRIDE and GROOM, who we bless in thy
name. May they live faithfully together as husband and wife, and keep the
solemn vows made between them, which are symbolized by the rings given and
received. May this couple remain in perfect love and peace together, and live
according to thy laws through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
PRONOUNCEMENT:
BRIDE and GROOM, in as much as you have each pledged to each other your
lifelong commitment, love and devotion, by the authority vested in me by the
State of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
KISS:
You may now seal your marriage with a kiss.
Introduction of Couple:
Bride and Groom, you have declared before all of us that you will now live your
lives together in marriage. You have made special promises to each other, which
have been symbolized by the joining of hands, taking of vows and giving and
receiving of rings. Now that the ceremony is over and the experience of daily
living is about to begin, go and meet it gladly.
And now it is my pleasure of presenting to you, for the first time in public as
husband and wife: Mr. and Mrs. _______________
DECLARATION OF CONSENT:
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Response: I do, or Her mother and I do, or We do
GREETING/ WORDS OF WELCOME:
Blessings and welcome. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight
of God, and the presence of friends and loved ones, to join together BRIDE and
GROOM in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted of God,
since the first man and the first woman walked on the earth. Therefore; it is not
to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly.
Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined.
If any man or woman can show just cause why this couple may not lawfully be
joined together, let them now speak, or else, hereafter, forever hold their peace.
BRIDE and GROOM, marriage is one of the most precious occasions in life
when we are presented with a profound opportunity to enter the timeless
dimension of love. It emphasizes and reminds us that our lives have meaning
and purpose beyond the day to day affairs of worldly life and that love is the
strongest bond, the greatest joy and the sweetest nourishment we can ever
experience.
A marriage ceremony represents one of life's greatest commitments, but also is a
declaration of love. The Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians contains
some of the most beautiful words ever written about love:
If I have not love, then I am nothing...
Love is patient and kind; never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud,
never haughty, or selfish, or rude.
Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, or touchy. Love makes no
record of wrongs and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. Love
rejoices not with evil, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
If you love someone, you will be loyal to them, no matter the cost. You will
always believe in them, always expect the best of them, and always stand your
ground in defending them.
Love's faith, hope, and patience never fail. It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, and endures all things. Love is eternal. These three remain;
faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
EXPRESSION OF INTENT:
Believing that you understand something of the reason for marriage as God has
revealed it, are you ready now to confirm your commitment to God and to each
other in Christian marriage?
Response: We are
Before we come to the exchange of vows, I will ask each of you your intent.
GROOM, do you take BRIDE to be your wedded wife, to live together after
God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony. Do you promise to love, honor,
cherish and protect her, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so
long as you both shall live?
Response: I do
BRIDE, do you take GROOM to be your wedded husband, to live together after
God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony. Do you promise to love, honor,
cherish and protect him, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so
long as you both shall live?
Response: I do
INVOCATION/ PRAYER:
Now each your own way of recognizing the Divine, please join me in reflection:
Heavenly Father we give thanks for the miracle of life that you bestow upon us
this glorious day. We give thanks as you weave the spirit of love throughout
every heart, body and mind within this gathering. May the blending of our hearts
prepare us to remember the truth of Oneness as we bear witness to the sacred
ceremony of marriage. May the radiance of joy on this special day, overflow with
peace and harmony throughout the rest of GROOM and BRIDE's life together
as husband and wife. And may this peace and harmony continue to expand,
bringing joy to their families and friends and to all others who enter their home
and circle of life. Amen.
WEDDING VOWS:
BRIDE and GROOM, in honor of the solemn pledge you are about to make, and
symbolizing its unbroken perpetuity, please face each other and join hands.
GROOM, if it is your desire to become the husband of BRIDE, then repeat after
me:
I, GROOM take you BRIDE to be my wife, my partner in life
and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
Whatever may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep
So help me God.
BRIDE, if it is your desire to become the wife of HUSBAND, then repeat after me:
I, BRIDE take you GROOM to be my Husband, my partner in life
and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
Whatever may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep
So help me God.
BLESSING & EXCHANGING OF RINGS:
May I have the rings, please?
As God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is
nowhere, so let the seamless circle of these rings become a symbol of the
timeless dimension of unconditional love.
May the presence of these rings continue to remind you of the eternal love and
devotion you are to share with one another from this moment onwards. May the
beauty and perfection of these rings remind you of the beauty of your
togetherness and the perfection of this union you are sanctifying in this perfect
moment.
GROOM, Please place the ring on BRIDE'S left hand and repeat after me:
I GROOM, take thee, BRIDE to be my wife. To have and to hold, in sickness
and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, I promise my love to
you. With this ring, I take you as my wife, for as long as we both shall live.
BRIDE, Please place the ring on GROOM'S left hand and repeat after me:
I BRIDE, take thee GROOM, to be my husband. To have and to hold, in
sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, I promise my
love to you. With this ring, I take you as my husband, for as long as we both shall
live.
BENEDICTION/ CLOSING PRAYER:
Let us pray...
Bless this marriage, O God, as they begin their journey down the road of life
together. Send your blessing upon BRIDE and GROOM, who we bless in thy
name. May they live faithfully together as husband and wife, and keep the
solemn vows made between them, which are symbolized by the rings given and
received. May this couple remain in perfect love and peace together, and live
according to thy laws through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
PRONOUNCEMENT:
BRIDE and GROOM, in as much as you have each pledged to each other your
lifelong commitment, love and devotion, by the authority vested in me by the
State of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
KISS:
You may now seal your marriage with a kiss.
Introduction of Couple:
Bride and Groom, you have declared before all of us that you will now live your
lives together in marriage. You have made special promises to each other, which
have been symbolized by the joining of hands, taking of vows and giving and
receiving of rings. Now that the ceremony is over and the experience of daily
living is about to begin, go and meet it gladly.
And now it is my pleasure of presenting to you, for the first time in public as
husband and wife: Mr. and Mrs. _______________