Wedding Ceremony #1
Convocation
We gather together tonight not to mark the start of a relationship, but to recognize a bond that already exists. To witness and support you both as you continue on your journey together. We are grateful for this miraculous day, for the fulfillment of love we see before us in each of you, and for the joy of sharing this happy occasion. We invite the presence of Infinite Love to make this a time of thanksgiving and possibility.
Expression of Intent to Marry
Mary and John, you come before me tonight to be joined in marriage. Are you both ready to declare your commitment to one another? [We are.]
The Exchange of Vows
Please join hands. Mary, please repeat after me:
I, Mary, take you, John, to be my husband,
My partner in life
And my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship
And love you today, tomorrow and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep.
So help me God.
John, please repeat after me:
I, John, take you, Mary, to be my wife,
My partner in life
And my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship
And love you today, tomorrow and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep.
So help me God.
The Exchange of Rings
Mary and John, your wedding rings are most special because they say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bonded, to allow the presence of another human being to enhance who you are. Your rings carry the potent double message: We are individuals and yet we belong; we are not alone. As you wear these rings through time, they will reflect not only who you are, but also the union you are making, the fact that through the rest of your lives each of you will be imprinted by the other, yet as yourself remain.
May these rings serve as a reminder of the unending love that you hold in your hearts for each other today. May you wear these rings in peace and happiness all of your days...And so it is!
Bride places ring on Groom’s finger as she repeats the minister’s words:
John, this ring is my thanksgiving,
my promise that I will love you,
that I will cherish and honor you.
I place this ring on your finger
that all may see
and know of my love for you.
With this ring I Thee Wed!
Groom places ring on Bride’s finger as he repeats the minister’s words:
Mary, this ring is my thanksgiving,
my promise that I will love you,
that I will cherish and honor you.
I place this ring on your finger
that all may see
and know of my love for you.
Mary, with this ring I Thee Wed!
The Pronouncement of Marriage and The Kiss
Inasmuch as you Mary, and you John, have announced the truths that are already written in your hearts, and have witnessed the same before this presence, you are now husband and wife in the sight of God and by the law of the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Blessing
Give to one another new experiences of joy. Challenge one another so that you may grow. May the love you hold for each other, now sealed in marriage, continue to mature with the passing years. May you never take each other for granted, but always experience the wonder of your union. Be slow to anger, quick to forgive, leaving no tracks of resentment behind each day. May your love consist not only in gazing into each other’s eyes, but in looking outward in the same direction. May your life together be a source of strength and inspiration to yourselves, your families, your friends, and to all those whose lives you touch.
Congratulations, you may kiss to seal your vows.
