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Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the
sight of God to join together this Man and this
Woman in holy Matrimony; instituted of God in
Paradise, and into which holy estate these two
persons present come now to be joined.
Who presents this Woman to be married to this Man?
Father answers, "I do", and then steps aside.
I read now from 1 Corinthians Chapter 13: Verses 4-8
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered.
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.
[Bride gives her bouquet to Maid of Honor]
Will you please, as an expression that your hearts
are joined together in love, now please join your
hands.
___, do you take ___, to be your wedded
wife/husband, to live together in marriage; do you
promise to love her/him, comfort her/him, honor
and keep her/him for better or for worse, for richer
or poorer, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all
others, be faithful only to her/him, so long as you
both shall live?
Groom/Bride: "I do".
[Repeat]
[Best Man gives Minister the rings]
These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of
love. The wedding ring is the outward and visible
sign of an inward and spiritual bond, which unites
two loyal hearts in endless love. It is a seal of the
pledge you have made to one another. May you live
together in unity, love, and happiness for the rest of
your lives.
[Groom/Bride repeat after Minister]
"With this ring, I thee wed".
How Do I Love Thee? Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love
thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can
reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being
and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's most quiet
need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use in my old
griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost
saints. I love with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my
life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better
after death.
[Groom recites personalized version]
Apache Wedding Prayer
Now you will feel no rain, for I will be shelter to you.
Now you will feel no cold, for I will be warmth to you.
Now we are two bodies, but there is only one life
before us.
We go now to our dwelling place to enter into the
days of our togetherness and may our days be good
and long upon this Earth.
For in as much as ___ and ___ have consented
together in wedlock, and have witnessed the same
before this company, and thereto have engaged and
pledged their love for each other, and have declared
the same by the giving and receiving of a ring and by
joining hands, I pronounce that they are husband
and wife. What God has joined together, let no man
put usunder.
You may kiss the bride.
[Bride retrieves bouquet. Bride and Groom face
their guests]
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you ___ and
___, husband and wife.
sight of God to join together this Man and this
Woman in holy Matrimony; instituted of God in
Paradise, and into which holy estate these two
persons present come now to be joined.
Who presents this Woman to be married to this Man?
Father answers, "I do", and then steps aside.
I read now from 1 Corinthians Chapter 13: Verses 4-8
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered.
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.
[Bride gives her bouquet to Maid of Honor]
Will you please, as an expression that your hearts
are joined together in love, now please join your
hands.
___, do you take ___, to be your wedded
wife/husband, to live together in marriage; do you
promise to love her/him, comfort her/him, honor
and keep her/him for better or for worse, for richer
or poorer, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all
others, be faithful only to her/him, so long as you
both shall live?
Groom/Bride: "I do".
[Repeat]
[Best Man gives Minister the rings]
These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of
love. The wedding ring is the outward and visible
sign of an inward and spiritual bond, which unites
two loyal hearts in endless love. It is a seal of the
pledge you have made to one another. May you live
together in unity, love, and happiness for the rest of
your lives.
[Groom/Bride repeat after Minister]
"With this ring, I thee wed".
How Do I Love Thee? Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love
thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can
reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being
and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's most quiet
need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use in my old
griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost
saints. I love with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my
life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better
after death.
[Groom recites personalized version]
Apache Wedding Prayer
Now you will feel no rain, for I will be shelter to you.
Now you will feel no cold, for I will be warmth to you.
Now we are two bodies, but there is only one life
before us.
We go now to our dwelling place to enter into the
days of our togetherness and may our days be good
and long upon this Earth.
For in as much as ___ and ___ have consented
together in wedlock, and have witnessed the same
before this company, and thereto have engaged and
pledged their love for each other, and have declared
the same by the giving and receiving of a ring and by
joining hands, I pronounce that they are husband
and wife. What God has joined together, let no man
put usunder.
You may kiss the bride.
[Bride retrieves bouquet. Bride and Groom face
their guests]
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you ___ and
___, husband and wife.
We begin this ceremony by gathering together from
all those present, cherished friends and loving
family, our sincerest wishes for happiness, our most
precious feelings of affection and our fondest hopes
for the future, as we offer them to ___ and ___ on
this, their special wedding day.
We know that there is no thing greater than when two
human souls feel the desire to join together so they
may strengthen each other in all labor, minister to
each other in all sorrow and share with each other in
all gladness. Marriage is an act of faith and a
personal commitment as well as a moral and physical
union.
Marriage has been described as the best and most
important relationship that can exist between two
human beings; the foundation is made of love and
trust, the walls spring upward as a single growing
energy of life, the top is open for the inspiration that
promotes such commitment. This marriage shall be
a life-long declaration to the ideal of loving kindness,
backed with the will to make it last.
___, Will you take ___, to be your wedded
wife/husband, to love, cherish, and continually
bestow upon her/him your heart's deepest devotion?
If so, answer, "I will".
[Repeat]
Please hold hands.
You are now joined together as husband and wife,
from this day forward, to love and to cherish, to have
and to hold, for richer or poorer, for better or for
worse, in sickness and in health, in sadness and in
joy, to share your lives together as long as you both
shall love.
These rings shall be recognized as symbols of your
affectionate union. Your lives are now joined in one
unbroken circle. Wherever you go, you will always
return to each other. Your relationship will continue
to grow in understanding and compassion. Your
home longs to become such a place of peace that
those who visit there will feel only your quality
friendship and love. We all join in declaring that
these rings symbolize the spirit of love in your hearts.
___, In placing this ring on ___'s finger, repeat after
me: "___, I give you this ring as a pledge of my love
and as a symbol of our unity".
[Repeat]
In as much as ___ and ___ have consented together
in marriage before this company; have pledged their
faith and declared their unity by the giving and
receiving of rings, they are now joined in mutual
devotion and lawful marriage.
By the authority vested in me, but most of all by the
power of your own love, I pronounce you husband
and wife, together.
all those present, cherished friends and loving
family, our sincerest wishes for happiness, our most
precious feelings of affection and our fondest hopes
for the future, as we offer them to ___ and ___ on
this, their special wedding day.
We know that there is no thing greater than when two
human souls feel the desire to join together so they
may strengthen each other in all labor, minister to
each other in all sorrow and share with each other in
all gladness. Marriage is an act of faith and a
personal commitment as well as a moral and physical
union.
Marriage has been described as the best and most
important relationship that can exist between two
human beings; the foundation is made of love and
trust, the walls spring upward as a single growing
energy of life, the top is open for the inspiration that
promotes such commitment. This marriage shall be
a life-long declaration to the ideal of loving kindness,
backed with the will to make it last.
___, Will you take ___, to be your wedded
wife/husband, to love, cherish, and continually
bestow upon her/him your heart's deepest devotion?
If so, answer, "I will".
[Repeat]
Please hold hands.
You are now joined together as husband and wife,
from this day forward, to love and to cherish, to have
and to hold, for richer or poorer, for better or for
worse, in sickness and in health, in sadness and in
joy, to share your lives together as long as you both
shall love.
These rings shall be recognized as symbols of your
affectionate union. Your lives are now joined in one
unbroken circle. Wherever you go, you will always
return to each other. Your relationship will continue
to grow in understanding and compassion. Your
home longs to become such a place of peace that
those who visit there will feel only your quality
friendship and love. We all join in declaring that
these rings symbolize the spirit of love in your hearts.
___, In placing this ring on ___'s finger, repeat after
me: "___, I give you this ring as a pledge of my love
and as a symbol of our unity".
[Repeat]
In as much as ___ and ___ have consented together
in marriage before this company; have pledged their
faith and declared their unity by the giving and
receiving of rings, they are now joined in mutual
devotion and lawful marriage.
By the authority vested in me, but most of all by the
power of your own love, I pronounce you husband
and wife, together.
MULTI-DENOMINATIONAL
We are gathered in this beautiful place to witness
the joining of ___ and ___ in marriage. They
particularly wanted to invite you here because their
sense of spirituality, and the growth of their love, is
joined to this place. They've come here many
mornings like this one and walked quietly, looking
at birds, at wildflowers, at the wind on the bay, and
the hills in the distance. It's given them a feeling of
timelessness and peace, and a sense of
connectedness to life. They've learned here that
falling in love with another person and getting to
know them is a little like the exploration of a wild
and lovely place. That loving another person can
deepen your sense of connectedness to all of life;
and the intimacy and surprise of these experiences
are a form of reverence and wholeness. It is this
that they wanted to share with you, on the day of
their wedding.
To last, the marriage of these two must be a
consecration of each to the other, and of both to the
wider community of which they are a part.
For the first reading, ___ and ___ have chosen a
poem by ___.
Who presents/gives the bride in marriage?
Bride's Family: We do./She gives herself, and we
share her giving, joyfully.
[Repeat for Bridegroom]
___, will you have this woman/man to be your
wife/husband, to live together in the holy estate of
marriage? Will you love her/him, comfort her/him,
honor and keep her/him, in sickness and in health,
in sorrow and in joy, and be faithful to her/him, as
long as you both shall love?
I will.
[Second reading]
___ and ___, it's time to speak the pledges that will
marry you. Please face each other.
I, ___, take you, ___, to be my wife/husband, to be
the mother/father of my children, to be the
companion of my heart, to have and to hold, from
this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer
or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish, till death do us part.
Will you who witness these pledges do the utmost to
support this marriage?
We will.
Rings are an ancient symbol, blessed and simple.
Round like the sun, like an eye or like arms that
embrace. Circles, for love that is given coming back
round again and again. Therefore, may these
symbols remind you that your love, like the sun,
illumines; that your love, like an eye, must see
clearly; and that your love, like embracing arms, is a
grace upon this world.
Groom/Bride: ___, with this ring, I thee wed.
[Third reading]
___ and ___ have chosen each other from the
many men and women of the Earth, have declared
their love and purpose before this gathering, and
have made their pledge to the other, symbolized by
the holding of hands and the giving and receiving of
rings. Therefore, I declare that they are husband
and wife.
Let all others honor them and the threshold of their
home. May they carry into their marriage the
beauty and the tranquility of this place, and keep in
it always, the sense of exploration and the peace and
intimacy they have shared here.
May they find here a good beginning for their
married life and the fruitfulness of many years to
come.
[The kiss]
We are gathered in this beautiful place to witness
the joining of ___ and ___ in marriage. They
particularly wanted to invite you here because their
sense of spirituality, and the growth of their love, is
joined to this place. They've come here many
mornings like this one and walked quietly, looking
at birds, at wildflowers, at the wind on the bay, and
the hills in the distance. It's given them a feeling of
timelessness and peace, and a sense of
connectedness to life. They've learned here that
falling in love with another person and getting to
know them is a little like the exploration of a wild
and lovely place. That loving another person can
deepen your sense of connectedness to all of life;
and the intimacy and surprise of these experiences
are a form of reverence and wholeness. It is this
that they wanted to share with you, on the day of
their wedding.
To last, the marriage of these two must be a
consecration of each to the other, and of both to the
wider community of which they are a part.
For the first reading, ___ and ___ have chosen a
poem by ___.
Who presents/gives the bride in marriage?
Bride's Family: We do./She gives herself, and we
share her giving, joyfully.
[Repeat for Bridegroom]
___, will you have this woman/man to be your
wife/husband, to live together in the holy estate of
marriage? Will you love her/him, comfort her/him,
honor and keep her/him, in sickness and in health,
in sorrow and in joy, and be faithful to her/him, as
long as you both shall love?
I will.
[Second reading]
___ and ___, it's time to speak the pledges that will
marry you. Please face each other.
I, ___, take you, ___, to be my wife/husband, to be
the mother/father of my children, to be the
companion of my heart, to have and to hold, from
this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer
or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish, till death do us part.
Will you who witness these pledges do the utmost to
support this marriage?
We will.
Rings are an ancient symbol, blessed and simple.
Round like the sun, like an eye or like arms that
embrace. Circles, for love that is given coming back
round again and again. Therefore, may these
symbols remind you that your love, like the sun,
illumines; that your love, like an eye, must see
clearly; and that your love, like embracing arms, is a
grace upon this world.
Groom/Bride: ___, with this ring, I thee wed.
[Third reading]
___ and ___ have chosen each other from the
many men and women of the Earth, have declared
their love and purpose before this gathering, and
have made their pledge to the other, symbolized by
the holding of hands and the giving and receiving of
rings. Therefore, I declare that they are husband
and wife.
Let all others honor them and the threshold of their
home. May they carry into their marriage the
beauty and the tranquility of this place, and keep in
it always, the sense of exploration and the peace and
intimacy they have shared here.
May they find here a good beginning for their
married life and the fruitfulness of many years to
come.
[The kiss]
ZEN
We have come together for the marriage of ___ and
___. May they continue to deepen their life with
each other and with all sentient beings.
Marriage begins in the giving of words. We cannot
join ourselves to one another without giving our
word. And this must be an unconditional giving, for
in joining ourselves to one another we join
ourselves to the unknown.
May I extend my joy to you on this happy occasion.
___ and ___, you are about to take a new step
forward into life. This day is made possible not
only because of your love for each other, but
through the grace of your parents and of the whole
society. It is my hope that your fulfillment and joy
in each other and in yourselves will increase with
every passing year.
[Poem of your choosing]
Courtesy and consideration, even in anger and
adversity, are the seeds of compassion. Love is the
fruit of compassion. Trust, love, and respect are
the sustaining virtues of marriage. They enable us
to learn from each situation, and help us to realize
that everywhere we turn we meet ourself. We
nourish ourselves and each other in living by the
following five precepts:
*In every way we can, we allow our deepest Self to
appear.
*We take full responsibility for our own life, in all
its infinite dimensions.
*We affirm our trust in the honesty and wisdom of
our own body, which with our love and reverence
always shows us the true way.
*We are committed to embrace all parts of our self,
including our deepest fears and shadows, so that
they can be transformed into light.
*We affirm our willingness to keep our heart open,
even in the midst of great pain.
[Poem of your choosing]
Now ___ and ___ will take their marriage vows.
I, ___, take you, ___, to be my husband,wife, in
equal love, as a mirror for my true Self, as a partner
on my path, to honor and to cherish, in sorrow and
in joy, till death do us part.
[Repeat]
[Poem of your choosing]
Now ___ and ___ celebrate their love and
proclaim their union with rings of precious metal.
The precious nature of their rings represents the
subtle and wonderful essence they find individually,
through their mutual love, respect, and support.
The metal itself represents the long life they may
cultivate together, not only in years, but in all the
infinite dimensions of each moment they share.
We have come together for the marriage of ___ and
___. May they continue to deepen their life with
each other and with all sentient beings.
Marriage begins in the giving of words. We cannot
join ourselves to one another without giving our
word. And this must be an unconditional giving, for
in joining ourselves to one another we join
ourselves to the unknown.
May I extend my joy to you on this happy occasion.
___ and ___, you are about to take a new step
forward into life. This day is made possible not
only because of your love for each other, but
through the grace of your parents and of the whole
society. It is my hope that your fulfillment and joy
in each other and in yourselves will increase with
every passing year.
[Poem of your choosing]
Courtesy and consideration, even in anger and
adversity, are the seeds of compassion. Love is the
fruit of compassion. Trust, love, and respect are
the sustaining virtues of marriage. They enable us
to learn from each situation, and help us to realize
that everywhere we turn we meet ourself. We
nourish ourselves and each other in living by the
following five precepts:
*In every way we can, we allow our deepest Self to
appear.
*We take full responsibility for our own life, in all
its infinite dimensions.
*We affirm our trust in the honesty and wisdom of
our own body, which with our love and reverence
always shows us the true way.
*We are committed to embrace all parts of our self,
including our deepest fears and shadows, so that
they can be transformed into light.
*We affirm our willingness to keep our heart open,
even in the midst of great pain.
[Poem of your choosing]
Now ___ and ___ will take their marriage vows.
I, ___, take you, ___, to be my husband,wife, in
equal love, as a mirror for my true Self, as a partner
on my path, to honor and to cherish, in sorrow and
in joy, till death do us part.
[Repeat]
[Poem of your choosing]
Now ___ and ___ celebrate their love and
proclaim their union with rings of precious metal.
The precious nature of their rings represents the
subtle and wonderful essence they find individually,
through their mutual love, respect, and support.
The metal itself represents the long life they may
cultivate together, not only in years, but in all the
infinite dimensions of each moment they share.