Opening Blessing/Introduction
Friends, family, dearly beloved, welcome! We gather today to celebrate and honor the union of ____ and ____. We come together to share in one of life’s most important passageways, marking the moment when ____ and _____ have chosen to commit, under the eyes of God and all who are present, to embark on a lifetime of partnership and marriage. _______ and ________ want to express their deepest gratitude to all of you for joining them on this incredibly special day. They deeply value the support, love, and connection of their families and communities. To have you with them today to witness their commitment to one another is the core intention of this ceremony. Thank you for your ongoing love and presence in their lives, for the endless support and joy you have offered and will continue to offer in this new passage of their lives.
Before we commence, let us take a moment to call upon the presence of those dear to us who are not physically in our midst. We recognize the loved ones who can’t be with us here today, who are cherished in memory. We specifically call on _______’s grandparents, _______ and ________ to be with us in spirit, to grant us the awareness of their their love and their joyful celebration. We now take a moment of silence to feel their presence in our hearts as we know they are here with us on this special day and always.
Reading 1
We begin this ceremony by inviting _______ to join us. She will offer a passage taken from 1st Corinthians.
Reading 2
We will now invite _______ to join us. She will share with us a message taken from the musical, Les Miserables
Homily
Vows/Declaration of Intent
_______ and ______, today in the presence of your family, friends, community, and God, you declare your intention to make this venture of faith and love, recognizing that from this moment forward you vow to support one another, to honor and enjoy each other’s individuality, to trust one another, and to choose one another each day, embarking on a lifetime of partnership. 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 this commitment, I will no invite you to speak your vows to one another;
I, ________, take you, _________, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.
I, _______, take you, _________, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.
Ring Blessing
Now that you have declared your commitment one to the other, we will enter into the ritual of exchanging rings. 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. As you place these rings on each other’s fingers, I will have you offer the rings to one another.
_______, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and that I will always be a faithful partner to you.
_______, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and that I will always be a faithful partner to you.
Prayers of the Faithful
We now invite ______ to join us for the recitation of the Prayers of the Faithful. _____ and _____ have written their own personal Prayers of the Faithful, providing an opportunity for us all to offer blessings for them on their path as a married couple. After each passage, please join me in reciting the blessing, “Lord hear our prayer.”
(reading of the prayers of the faithful)
Let us now embark upon a moment of silent prayer to offer ______ and ______ blessings from each of our hearts for their marriage.
SILENT PRAYER
Unity Candle Ritual
**walk to candle**
It is a well-known phrase that actions speak louder than words. Actions, such as the rituals performed today for your wedding ceremony, convey deep symbolic meaning. They show that you are committed to taking action with regard to your promises. In just a moment, I will ask each of you to take a candle and together ignite the larger one to flame. This is a glowing reminder that in a true marriage, your lives are both individual and together. It is a symbolic reminder that while we are all one as children under God, we still maintain our own individual sparks. These candles represent your individual spirits, your individual connections with God, all that you are, all that you have been, all that you will become. As you light the central candle, it represents, from this moment forward, the coming together of your lives in the commitment of marriage.
Repeat after me:
“O God, you have joined us together in marriage
and surrounded us with loving friends.
We now light this candle to remind us of our unbreakable bond.”
(Light the candle)
Pronouncement of Marriage and Kiss
_____ and ______, you have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and all of those here today, and you have pledged your faithfulness each to the other. Therefore, in honor of the commitments you have made today, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and by the powers vested in me by the State of Michigan, I now pronounce you Wife and Wife!
You may now kiss your bride!
The Presentation
Family and friends, it is my privilege to present to you ______!
Friends, family, dearly beloved, welcome! We gather today to celebrate and honor the union of ____ and ____. We come together to share in one of life’s most important passageways, marking the moment when ____ and _____ have chosen to commit, under the eyes of God and all who are present, to embark on a lifetime of partnership and marriage. _______ and ________ want to express their deepest gratitude to all of you for joining them on this incredibly special day. They deeply value the support, love, and connection of their families and communities. To have you with them today to witness their commitment to one another is the core intention of this ceremony. Thank you for your ongoing love and presence in their lives, for the endless support and joy you have offered and will continue to offer in this new passage of their lives.
Before we commence, let us take a moment to call upon the presence of those dear to us who are not physically in our midst. We recognize the loved ones who can’t be with us here today, who are cherished in memory. We specifically call on _______’s grandparents, _______ and ________ to be with us in spirit, to grant us the awareness of their their love and their joyful celebration. We now take a moment of silence to feel their presence in our hearts as we know they are here with us on this special day and always.
Reading 1
We begin this ceremony by inviting _______ to join us. She will offer a passage taken from 1st Corinthians.
Reading 2
We will now invite _______ to join us. She will share with us a message taken from the musical, Les Miserables
Homily
Vows/Declaration of Intent
_______ and ______, today in the presence of your family, friends, community, and God, you declare your intention to make this venture of faith and love, recognizing that from this moment forward you vow to support one another, to honor and enjoy each other’s individuality, to trust one another, and to choose one another each day, embarking on a lifetime of partnership. 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 this commitment, I will no invite you to speak your vows to one another;
I, ________, take you, _________, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.
I, _______, take you, _________, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.
Ring Blessing
Now that you have declared your commitment one to the other, we will enter into the ritual of exchanging rings. 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. As you place these rings on each other’s fingers, I will have you offer the rings to one another.
_______, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and that I will always be a faithful partner to you.
_______, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and that I will always be a faithful partner to you.
Prayers of the Faithful
We now invite ______ to join us for the recitation of the Prayers of the Faithful. _____ and _____ have written their own personal Prayers of the Faithful, providing an opportunity for us all to offer blessings for them on their path as a married couple. After each passage, please join me in reciting the blessing, “Lord hear our prayer.”
(reading of the prayers of the faithful)
Let us now embark upon a moment of silent prayer to offer ______ and ______ blessings from each of our hearts for their marriage.
SILENT PRAYER
Unity Candle Ritual
**walk to candle**
It is a well-known phrase that actions speak louder than words. Actions, such as the rituals performed today for your wedding ceremony, convey deep symbolic meaning. They show that you are committed to taking action with regard to your promises. In just a moment, I will ask each of you to take a candle and together ignite the larger one to flame. This is a glowing reminder that in a true marriage, your lives are both individual and together. It is a symbolic reminder that while we are all one as children under God, we still maintain our own individual sparks. These candles represent your individual spirits, your individual connections with God, all that you are, all that you have been, all that you will become. As you light the central candle, it represents, from this moment forward, the coming together of your lives in the commitment of marriage.
Repeat after me:
“O God, you have joined us together in marriage
and surrounded us with loving friends.
We now light this candle to remind us of our unbreakable bond.”
(Light the candle)
Pronouncement of Marriage and Kiss
_____ and ______, you have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and all of those here today, and you have pledged your faithfulness each to the other. Therefore, in honor of the commitments you have made today, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and by the powers vested in me by the State of Michigan, I now pronounce you Wife and Wife!
You may now kiss your bride!
The Presentation
Family and friends, it is my privilege to present to you ______!