Marriage Service Thirteen
Processional
Presentation of Bride
[Pastor says]
Others would ask, at this time, who gives the bride in marriage, but, as a woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and taken, I ask simply if
she comes of her own will and if she has her family's blessing.
Bride, is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?
[Bride says]
Yes, it is true.
[Pastor says]
With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you.
[Father says]
She comes with me, her father, and is accompanied by all of her family's blessings.
[Pastor says]
Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that which I am about to say.
Greeting
Homily
Three things they like admire respect about each other(Optional)
[Bride speaks about Groom]
Example: Great sense of humour, He is intuitive, and He is caring about me and others. Between his intuition and his caring, he always "knows" what I
need! He is really smart.
[Groom speaks about Bride]
Example: She is compassionate with every one and every thing, she wants the best for everyone, and she is so well educated. Her knowledge dwarfs my knowledge,
so I always have something to learn to keep up with her. She never lets me forget how she feels about me.
Formal Opening
We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of Bride and Groom. There are many things to say about marriage. Much wisdom concerning the
joining together of two souls, has come our way through all paths of belief, and from many cultures. With each union, more knowledge is gained and more wisdom
gathered.
Though we are unable to give all this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope to leave with them the knowledge of love and its strengths and
the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time.
The law of life is love unto all beings. Without love, life is nothing, without love, death has no redemption. Love is anterior to Life, posterior to Death,
initial of Creation and the exponent of Earth. If we learn no more in life, let it be this.
Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and its downs, its
trials and its triumphs. With full understanding of this, (Groom) and (Bride) have come here today to be joined as one in marriage.
(Bride) and (Groom), you are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of one person in all the world who you love best. You are adding to your life
not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities
and most of all to share love. We cannot join ourselves to one another without giving our word. And this must be an unconditional giving, for in joining one
another we join ourselves to the unknown.
Readings
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 at the moment of the last
parting. - George Elliot
We seek the comfort of another. Someone to share and share the life we choose. Someone to help us through the never ending attempt to understand
ourselves. And in the end, someone to comfort us along the way. - Marcus Finch Lupus
Married love is love woven into a pattern of living. It has in it the elements of understanding and of the passionate kindness of husband and wife
toward each other. It is rich in the many-sided joys of life because each is more concerned with giving joy than with grasping it for himself. And joys are
most truly experienced when they are most fully shared. - Leland Foster Wood
Vow
[Pastor to Groom]
Please repeat after me:
I, (Groom) (Groom's Last Name), by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee (Bride) (Bride's Last
Name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my chosen one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without shame,
for none can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and
in poverty, in this life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect
myself.
[Pastor to Bride]
I (Bride) (Bride's Last Name), by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within my heart take thee, Groom (Groom's Last Name)
to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be my chosen one. To desire and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without shame, for naught
can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty,
in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself.
Reading from Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Love is temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And, when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your
roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that the two of you should ever part.
Because, this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just
being "in love" which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is an art and a fortunate accident. Your parents have it, they have roots that
grow towards each other underground, and when the pretty blossom has fallen from your branches, you will find, as your parents will, that you will be one tree
and not two.
Handfasting with Blessing of Hands Reading
[Pastor calls up those with ribbons.
They tie ribbons over couple's hands.]
[Pastor to Couple]
These ribbons symbolize so much. It is your life, your love and the eternal connection that the two of you have found with one another.
The ties of this handfasting are not formed by these ribbons or even by the knots connecting them. They are formed instead by your vows, by your pledge, your
souls and your two hearts, now bound together as one.
[Pastor speaks while hands are handfasted]
These are the hands of your best friend,
young and strong and full of love for you,
that are holding yours on your wedding day
as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.
These are the hands that will work alongside yours,
as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and
cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch,
will comfort you like no other.
These are the hands that will
hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.
These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.
These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.
And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness
with just a touch.
Rings
The vows which have been exchanged by (Bride) & (Groom) have been offered in our hearing. But, words are fleeting, and the sound of them is soon gone. The
wedding ring becomes an enduring symbol of the promises which have been made.
May I have the rings please?
[Groom says]
(Bride),
with free and unconstrained soul, I give you all that I am
and all that I am to become.
Take this ring, and with it my promise of faith,
patience, and love for the rest of my life.
[Bride says]
I accept this ring with devotion and love with all my heart
[Bride says]
(Groom),
with free and unconstrained soul, I give you that all I am and all
that I am to become. Take this ring, and with it my promise of faith,
patience, and love for the rest of my life.
[Groom says]
I accept this ring with devotion and love with all my heart.
Final Blessing
Today, we ask that the infinite light of the divine shine upon this union. In that spirit, I offer a blessing to this ceremony.
Blessed be this marriage with the gifts from the east - new beginnings that come each day with the rising sun, communication of the heart, mind, body
and soul.
Blessed be this marriage with the gifts of the south - the light of the heart, the heat of passion, and the warmth of a loving home.
Blessed be this marriage with the gifts of the west - the rushing excitement of a raging river, the soft and pure cleansing of a rainstorm, and a commitment
as deep as the ocean itself.
Blessed be this marriage with the gifts of the north - a solid foundation on which to build your lives, abundance and growth of your home, and the stability
to be found by holding one another at the end of the day.
(Bride) and (Groom), these four simple blessings will help you on your journey that begins today. However, they are only tools. They are tools which you must
use together to create the light, the strength, the infinite energy now and forever of a love you both so richly deserve.
I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
Let me introduce (Bride) & (Groom) (Last Name or Names)