Opening Words:
Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of ______ and ______ Holy Matrimony.
Let us lift our hearts together as one in jubilant celebration of the marriage union we are about to witness between ______ and ______.
As they enter into the sacred and joyous covenant of marriage, we are blessed to witness the magnificence of their love, their open hearts, and their vibrant and willing spirits.
Inspired by their love, let each of us rededicate ourselves to the loving relationships in our own lives. May we all be enriched for having shared this day together.
Remembrances and Acknowledgements:
______ and ______have asked that we take a moment to honor the many special people who are unable to be here with us today for one reason or another. So let us call them forward in our hearts.
(Moment of Silence)
Gathering words:
Love has gathered us here today. We are here to celebrate the love that ______ and ______ have for each other as well as the love that each of you has given them throughout their lives. As friends and family, you are the ones who have taught ______ and ______ how to love. You have shown them the blessings that come through loving one another.
Having planted this seed of love in them, we are now gathered to support them as they embark upon their voyage of discovery as husband and wife. We are here to see them off on this journey. Let us also be there to see them through.
Possible reading:
There is a gentleness to the presence of love that softens life’s rough edges. It makes us somehow braver to go forth into the world knowing that the shelter of someone’s love awaits us at days end.
We are most vulnerable when we love. We place our trust in another to honor us and to care for us, to treasure us and to receive our love.
The truth is that each one of us is a powerful creator in the dance of love and marriage. Each one of us, each moment of every day, has the choice to rededicate ourselves to one another or to withhold our love and caring.
Our next reading is from First Corinthians:
Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
But now faith, hope, and love remain-these three. The greatest of these is love.
It is love that gives the deepest meaning to our lives. It is our highest calling, our greatest purpose, and our finest achievement.
Vows:
______ what would you like to say to ______?
______ what would you like to say to ______?
Ring Exchange:
Reverend Schulte: ______, do you take ______ to be your lawfully wedded ______, to love and to cherish from this day forward?
I do.
Reverend: ______, do you take ______ to be your lawfully wedded ______, to love and to cherish from this day forward?
I do.
Final Blessing, Pronouncement, and Kiss:
______ and ______, you have declared your intention and vows before God and this gathering of your family and friends.
May the grace of this day carry forward with you all the days of your lives. May you find delight in each other and may your love continue to grow and to nurture you throughout your lives.
I wish you the strength to be true to the vows you have made here today. May you always have the wisdom to cherish the precious love you share. May you abide by the laws of spirit nurturing yourselves and this marriage with acceptance, understanding, cooperation, and loving.
May the life you share be peaceful, healthy, and filled with blessings and joy.
As a Wedding Blessing declares:
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other; now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other; now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is one life before you. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness, and may your days be good and long upon the earth.
And now, by the power vested in me by the State of Georgia, I witness and affirm your union of love and now pronounce you ______ and ______.
You may now kiss.
Benediction:
______ and ______, may the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
The couple may be introduced.