Welcome:
Welcome family and friends. We are gathered here today to unite (Groom) and (Bride) in marriage. It is appropriate that you, the families and friends of (Groom) and (Bride) be here to witness, and to participate in their wedding. The ideals, the understanding and the mutual respect which they bring to their marriage, have their roots in the love, friendship and guidance which you have given them. It is one of life's richest surprises when the accidental meeting of two life paths, leads them to proceed together along the common path of husband and wife, and it is one of life's finest experiences when a casual relationship grows into a permanent bond of love. It is this meeting and this growth that brings us here today. You are about to enter into a union, which is one of the most profound of human relationships. Your lives will be bound together so closely and so intimately, that no longer will you think in terms of `I', but in terms of `We'.
(Groom) and (Bride), I remind you that marriage is a precious gift, a lifelong dedication to love and a daily challenge to love one another more fully and more freely.
With this understanding, do you (Groom), take (Bride) to be your beloved wife? Do you promise to be a tender, faithful husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, for as long as you both shall live? -- I Do.
With this understanding, do you (Bride), take (Groom) to be your beloved husband? Do you promise to be a tender, faithful wife? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, for as long as you both shall live? -- I Do.
(Groom) and (Bride) would like to share with you a poem that has special meaning to them. (any poem, reading or even a song, can be read here)
From a poem by John Cavanaugh, in his book "Shouting Down Silent Canyons":
I want to walk with you above the pines, Scale mountains, leap rivers, speak to the sun and moon, And make wagers with the stars. I want to roll laughing down lonely canyons, to tease the desert that threatens to destroy, ski deserted trails, tide dirt bikes to the very edge of the lingering horizon, I want to sail across strange seas and explore buried cities, to watch the mating of the whales in a Mexican lagoon, and hear the music of coyotes resound across a moonless sky. I want to startle deer in forests and mountain lions in their lairs, to surprise bold raccoons and watch the porcupines waddle away like embarrassed little boys. But most of all I want to love without barriers, with eyes laughing and hearts singing and caution abandoned to the clouds by a friendly west wind. I want to feel your presence as my very own, to speak to you as though I am talking to myself, to hold you without fear or distance, or private thoughts. So I can walk with you above the pines, scale mountains, leap rivers speak to the sun and moon
and make wagers with the stars.
Ring Ceremony:
(Groom) and (Bride) have chosen rings as outward symbols of the commitment they make today. From earliest times, the ring has been a symbol of committed love. An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolizes a commitment to love that is also never ending.
(Groom), take the ring which you have selected, place it on Bride’s finger, and say to her these words: -As this ring / has no end / neither shall my love for you.
(Bride), take the ring which you have selected, place it on Groom’s finger, and say to him these words: -As this ring / has no end / neither shall my love for you.
Let these rings forever be to you a symbol of the preciousness, the purity, and the permanence of true wedded love.
Wedding Address:
(Groom) and (Bride), this ceremony of marriage which I have had the honor to conduct, is especially meaningful to me, just as I know it is meaningful to you. There is magic involved in the beauty of this moment and we have come together to recognize the magical, invisible web which love has spun between your hearts. As a married couple, your task will be to add constantly to those delicate binding strands of love. This task is never easy, but harmony will be your reward if you follow this advice:
-Let your love be stronger than your anger.
-Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend than to break.
-Look for the best in your beloved rather than the worst.
-Confide in your partner and ask for help when you need it.
-Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship.
-Give your spouse the same courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.
-Say I love you, every day.
Pronouncement:
For as much as (Groom) and (Bride) have consented together in wedlock, have given and pledged their vows, each to the other, and having declared the same by the giving and receiving of rings, I do now pronounce that you are husband and wife.
Blessing:
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 is no loneliness for you. Now you are two persons, but there is only 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 together.
Presentation:
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you for the first time as husband and wife:
(Groom) and (Bride) !!
