A wedding is the celebration of the miracle of love. GROOM and BRIDE, today, in the presence of God, we celebrate this miracle in your lives.
Here are some wonderful words that define the true meaning of love.
Love is patient and kind; Love is not jealous or boastful;
Love is not arrogant or rude; Love does not insist on its own way;
Love does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices with the right.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Learning to love each other and to live together in harmony is one of the greatest challenges of marriage. Marriage is not to be entered into lightly, and we are to hold it in high honor at all times.
GROOM and BRIDE, I charge you both as you stand in the presence of God, to remember that love, trust, and loyalty are the foundation of a happy and enduring marriage. No vows are more sacred than those you are about to make. If these vows are kept unbroken, and as you endeavor to do the will of your Heavenly Father, your lives together will be full of joy and love.
OWS
Please join hands and look into each other’s eyes.
Do you GROOM, take this woman, to live together in marriage; will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in health and in sickness, in prosperity and in adversity; and forsaking all others, be faithful to her, so long as you shall live?
Groom: “I do.”
Do you BRIDE, take this man, to live together in marriage; will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in health and in sickness, in prosperity and in adversity; and forsaking all others, be faithful to him, so long as you shall live?
Bride: “I do”
RINGS
May I have the rings please?
These rings are symbols of eternity and the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end. Today you have chosen to exchange rings, as a sign of your love for each other, and as a seal of the promises you make this day. We ask that God bless these rings and this union of souls.
GROOM, as you place this precious ring on BRIDE’s finger repeat after me:
Just as this ring encircles your finger,/ so does my love encircle your heart./ May this ring forever be a symbol/ of my growing love for you./ With this ring I thee wed.
BRIDE, as you place this precious ring on (Groom’s Name)’s finger repeat after me:
Just as this ring encircles your finger,/ so does my love encircle your heart./ May this ring forever be a symbol/ of my growing love for you./ With this ring I thee wed.
READING
ON LOVE
by Thomas Kempis
Nothing is sweeter than love,
Nothing stronger,
Nothing higher,
Nothing wider,
Nothing more pleasant,
Nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God.
Love flies, runs and leaps for joy.
It is free and unrestrained.
Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds…
Love sees nothing as impossible,
for it feels able to achieve all things….
Love is not fickle and sentimental,
nor is it intent on vanities.
Like a living flame and a burning torch,
it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle.
LOVE LETTERS
At this time, I’d like to draw your attention to the box beside BRIDE and GROOM.
This box contains a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a love letter from each to the other. The letters describe the good qualities they find in one another, the reasons they fell in love, and their reasons for choosing to marry. The letters are sealed in individual envelopes and they have not seen what the other has written. You have created your very own “romantic” time capsule to be opened on your 5th wedding anniversary.
I recommend that you keep the box in a place of honor prominently displayed in your home as a constant reminder of your commitment to each other.
BRIDE and GROOM should you ever find your marriage enduring insurmountable hardships, you are to as a couple, open this box, sit and drink the wine together, then separate and read the letters you wrote to one another when you were united as a couple in marriage. By reading these love letters you will reflect upon the reasons you fell in love and chose to marry each other here today.
The hope is, however, that you will never have a reason to open this box. And if this is the case, you are to open this box to share and enjoy on your 5th year wedding anniversary!
BRIDE and GROOM, you may now seal the box.
CLOSING
As you continue on your journey together, I ask you to remember this advice:
The key to love is understanding …
as it is the little things that say so much by themselves.
The key to love is forgiving ….
to accept each other’s faults and pardon mistakes,
The key to love is sharing …
Sharing your good fortunes as well as bad, together.
The key to love is giving …
Giving without thought of return,
but with the hope of just a simple smile,
and by giving in but never giving up.
CHALLENGE
GROOM and BRIDE, May your love never fade, may you never take each other for granted, and when you are old, may you be found, hand in hand, still thanking God for each other. Never forget to treat each other with tenderness, kindness, and respect, and remind yourselves often of what drew you together in the first place.
PRONOUCEMENT
GROOM and BRIDE, you have consented together in holy matrimony before God, have pledged your vows to each other, and have exchanged rings as tokens of your love and commitment to each other. In accordance with the laws of the state of Connecticut, with the authority of God’s Word, and with great joy, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
BLESSING
The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
YOU MAY SEAL YOUR VOWS WITH A KISS!
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. NAME!
