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. Each and everyone one of you have been asked here today because you have inspired, loved or supported _____ and _____. Thank you for sharing one of life’s most sacred moments with them. 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 new season as husband and wife with one enormous blessing! The importance of this day is made even more significant by the fact that we have just celebrated the summer solstice; the very first day of a season that represents new beginnings and a time of year that offers us the energy of celebration, play, and joy. So let us take a moment to honor the beauty and magnitude of this moment together. Let’s close our eyes, take a deep breath, and open our hearts. Let us arrive here, together, on this incredibly special day. Relax your body. Feel your feet against the earth. Breath in the fresh air. Listen to the sounds. Sense the presence of this beautiful community here today…
Experience the love in this space. 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.
____ and _____, take a moment to receive all of 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.
You may open your eyes
Honoring
We would 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 father _______, and grandparents, _______ 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.
The Address
Marriage is a very special place, the sheltered environment in which we can endlessly explore ourselves, where we grow into our deeper, more authentic selves, seeing each other into our fullness. May the life you choose to share, ____ and _____, lavishly fulfill each of you, inspiring you to trust, to seek your own inner truth, and to continue to flow with mystery of the Universe, knowing that that is precisely what brought you together in the first place. When life is peaceful and when it is painful, may you be like a tree, able to bend and move in the wind, always willing to grow, while staying grounded and rooted in the Earth and your love for one another. And may this day, this culmination of your love and the next step in your continued growth as individuals and as a couple, hold a special place in your hearts for the years to come.
Story
(sharing the history of the couple)
Unity Tree
_______ and ______ will now take part in a Tree Planting Ceremony to symbolize the roots of their relationship, and the continued growth of their love, as they become each others family today. Love is the essence of human experience and emotion. It is the root of all and everything we, as humans, do. Love enriches our experience, and fills our lives with meaning. It gives us a firm base from which to grow, to learn, and change.
Let your relationship and your love for each other be like this tree you plant today. Let it grow tall and strong. Let it stand tall during the harsh winds and rains and storms, and come through unscathed. Like a tree, your marriage must be resilient. It must weather the challenges of daily life and the passage of time. And just like the tree you are planting, marriage requires consistent care and nourishment.
*as couple waters and adds soil to the tree*
May this water represent the flow of energy between the two of you; the support and love you share with one another. May this soil represent the ground where all your experiences, both difficult and beautiful, can be composted into growth...
_____ and ______ will be planting this tree at their home to symbolize the establishment of roots, longevity and strength in their marriage.
The Vows
_____ and _____ now wish to share with you their own personal marriage vows, which they have written to one another.
*reading of vows*
Declaration of Intent
_____ and ______, you have declared your intention to make this venture of trust and love, realizing that you are choosing today to continue weaving your destinies of one design, choosing to share a lifetime of challenges and joys 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 him as your husband? (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.
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!
The Presentation
Family and friends, it is my privilege to present to you ______!!
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. Each and everyone one of you have been asked here today because you have inspired, loved or supported _____ and _____. Thank you for sharing one of life’s most sacred moments with them. 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 new season as husband and wife with one enormous blessing! The importance of this day is made even more significant by the fact that we have just celebrated the summer solstice; the very first day of a season that represents new beginnings and a time of year that offers us the energy of celebration, play, and joy. So let us take a moment to honor the beauty and magnitude of this moment together. Let’s close our eyes, take a deep breath, and open our hearts. Let us arrive here, together, on this incredibly special day. Relax your body. Feel your feet against the earth. Breath in the fresh air. Listen to the sounds. Sense the presence of this beautiful community here today…
Experience the love in this space. 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.
____ and _____, take a moment to receive all of 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.
You may open your eyes
Honoring
We would 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 father _______, and grandparents, _______ 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.
The Address
Marriage is a very special place, the sheltered environment in which we can endlessly explore ourselves, where we grow into our deeper, more authentic selves, seeing each other into our fullness. May the life you choose to share, ____ and _____, lavishly fulfill each of you, inspiring you to trust, to seek your own inner truth, and to continue to flow with mystery of the Universe, knowing that that is precisely what brought you together in the first place. When life is peaceful and when it is painful, may you be like a tree, able to bend and move in the wind, always willing to grow, while staying grounded and rooted in the Earth and your love for one another. And may this day, this culmination of your love and the next step in your continued growth as individuals and as a couple, hold a special place in your hearts for the years to come.
Story
(sharing the history of the couple)
Unity Tree
_______ and ______ will now take part in a Tree Planting Ceremony to symbolize the roots of their relationship, and the continued growth of their love, as they become each others family today. Love is the essence of human experience and emotion. It is the root of all and everything we, as humans, do. Love enriches our experience, and fills our lives with meaning. It gives us a firm base from which to grow, to learn, and change.
Let your relationship and your love for each other be like this tree you plant today. Let it grow tall and strong. Let it stand tall during the harsh winds and rains and storms, and come through unscathed. Like a tree, your marriage must be resilient. It must weather the challenges of daily life and the passage of time. And just like the tree you are planting, marriage requires consistent care and nourishment.
*as couple waters and adds soil to the tree*
May this water represent the flow of energy between the two of you; the support and love you share with one another. May this soil represent the ground where all your experiences, both difficult and beautiful, can be composted into growth...
_____ and ______ will be planting this tree at their home to symbolize the establishment of roots, longevity and strength in their marriage.
The Vows
_____ and _____ now wish to share with you their own personal marriage vows, which they have written to one another.
*reading of vows*
Declaration of Intent
_____ and ______, you have declared your intention to make this venture of trust and love, realizing that you are choosing today to continue weaving your destinies of one design, choosing to share a lifetime of challenges and joys 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 him as your husband? (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.
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!
The Presentation
Family and friends, it is my privilege to present to you ______!!