Welcome/Introduction
Hello and welcome. _____ and _____ want to express their deepest gratitude to all of you for joining them on this incredibly special day to celebrate their love for one another. Thank you for sharing one of life’s most sacred moments with them. Each of you has given something incredibly special to their lives. Your love and encouragement will forever be appreciated. May you be as important a part of their tomorrow as you are of their today.
Opening Blessing
We gather here today to listen, to love, to dance and celebrate, to send _____ and ____ into their future with one enormous blessing! Let’s all take a moment to close our eyes, take a deep breath, and open our hearts. Let us arrive here, together, on this incredibly special day. Take a moment to relax your body. Breath in the fresh air, listen to the precious sounds of nature, feel the earth beneath your feet, sense the presence of this beautiful community here today. Feel the love around us. Invite it in, relish in it, share in it. Let us surround this space in sacred intention, honoring the meaning of this day in celebration of the love between these two very special people here before you. _____, _______, take a moment to receive this love, to feel it in your hearts. Welcome in the love that surrounds you today and always, from all of the people in your life, and from each other.
Let us also take this moment to call upon the presence of those dear to us, who are not physically in our midst. We call on _____’s grandparents, _______ and _______, and _______’s grandfather, _________, to be with us in spirit, to grant us the awareness of their presence, their love, their joyful celebration. We feel them in our hearts and we know they are here with us on this special day and always.
You may open your eyes.
The Address
Marriage is a very special place, the sheltered environment in which we can endlessly explore ourselves in the presence of another and in which we can offer the possibility of true reflection of another. May the life you choose to share, _______ and ______, lavishly fulfill each of you, inspiring you to give abundantly to each other and to the world. May the promises you make here today, reflect the love and sincerity of your truest intention for this union. When life is peaceful and when it is painful, may you continuously be reminded of the beauty and deepest intention of the vows you make here today.
(Rituals and Speakers, chosen by the couple)
The Vows
___ and _____ now wish to share with you their own personal marriage vows, which they have written to one another.
Declaration of Intent
______ and ________, you have declared your intention to make this venture of faith and love, realizing that from this time forward your destinies will be woven of one design and your challenges and joys will be shared together. Today you are making public, before family and friends, that the words, “I love you,” are a full commitment of yourselves, one to the other. Understanding that marriage is the convergence of your individual and joint destinies as well as the greatest support for them,
_______, do you choose to marry ______, and have her as your wife? (I do)
_______, do you choose to marry _______, and have her as your wife? (I do)
Ring Blessing
The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver, for each is the giver and each is the receiver. The wedding ring is placed on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was traditionally believed that this finger was a direct connection to the heart- the perfect place for a symbol representing everlasting love and commitment. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken.
Exchanging of the Rings
As this ring encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love. I give you this ring as I give you myself. (Repeated after officiant by each person)
Pronouncement of Marriage and Kiss
_______ and ________, on behalf of all those present, and by the strength of your own love, I pronounce you married!
You may kiss your bride!
The Presentation
Family and friends, it is my privilege to present to you ______ and _______, newlyweds!
Hello and welcome. _____ and _____ want to express their deepest gratitude to all of you for joining them on this incredibly special day to celebrate their love for one another. Thank you for sharing one of life’s most sacred moments with them. Each of you has given something incredibly special to their lives. Your love and encouragement will forever be appreciated. May you be as important a part of their tomorrow as you are of their today.
Opening Blessing
We gather here today to listen, to love, to dance and celebrate, to send _____ and ____ into their future with one enormous blessing! Let’s all take a moment to close our eyes, take a deep breath, and open our hearts. Let us arrive here, together, on this incredibly special day. Take a moment to relax your body. Breath in the fresh air, listen to the precious sounds of nature, feel the earth beneath your feet, sense the presence of this beautiful community here today. Feel the love around us. Invite it in, relish in it, share in it. Let us surround this space in sacred intention, honoring the meaning of this day in celebration of the love between these two very special people here before you. _____, _______, take a moment to receive this love, to feel it in your hearts. Welcome in the love that surrounds you today and always, from all of the people in your life, and from each other.
Let us also take this moment to call upon the presence of those dear to us, who are not physically in our midst. We call on _____’s grandparents, _______ and _______, and _______’s grandfather, _________, to be with us in spirit, to grant us the awareness of their presence, their love, their joyful celebration. We feel them in our hearts and we know they are here with us on this special day and always.
You may open your eyes.
The Address
Marriage is a very special place, the sheltered environment in which we can endlessly explore ourselves in the presence of another and in which we can offer the possibility of true reflection of another. May the life you choose to share, _______ and ______, lavishly fulfill each of you, inspiring you to give abundantly to each other and to the world. May the promises you make here today, reflect the love and sincerity of your truest intention for this union. When life is peaceful and when it is painful, may you continuously be reminded of the beauty and deepest intention of the vows you make here today.
(Rituals and Speakers, chosen by the couple)
The Vows
___ and _____ now wish to share with you their own personal marriage vows, which they have written to one another.
Declaration of Intent
______ and ________, you have declared your intention to make this venture of faith and love, realizing that from this time forward your destinies will be woven of one design and your challenges and joys will be shared together. Today you are making public, before family and friends, that the words, “I love you,” are a full commitment of yourselves, one to the other. Understanding that marriage is the convergence of your individual and joint destinies as well as the greatest support for them,
_______, do you choose to marry ______, and have her as your wife? (I do)
_______, do you choose to marry _______, and have her as your wife? (I do)
Ring Blessing
The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver, for each is the giver and each is the receiver. The wedding ring is placed on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was traditionally believed that this finger was a direct connection to the heart- the perfect place for a symbol representing everlasting love and commitment. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken.
Exchanging of the Rings
As this ring encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love. I give you this ring as I give you myself. (Repeated after officiant by each person)
Pronouncement of Marriage and Kiss
_______ and ________, on behalf of all those present, and by the strength of your own love, I pronounce you married!
You may kiss your bride!
The Presentation
Family and friends, it is my privilege to present to you ______ and _______, newlyweds!
**sample wedding ceremony developed with the help of Dayna Reid, author of Sacred Ceremony: Create and Officiate Personalized Wedding Ceremonies.