WEDDING CEREMONY
_________________
and __________________, your friends and family are
here to celebrate your decision to be united in marriage. The Bible teaches that marriage is to be a
permanent relationship, of one man and one woman, freely and totally committed
to each other as companions for life.
Our Lord declared that, "it is not good for man to be alone . .
.therefore a man leaves his father and his mother, and cleaves to his wife; and
they become one flesh." (Gen 2:24)
(Minister
to father) WHO GIVES THE BRIDE TO BE MARRIED?
(Father
responds - father sits down)
(Minister
to bride and groom) The home is built upon
love. The quality of love, for all of
life's relationships has been described by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians
Chapter 13: Love is patient, love is
kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, love does not
delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Now these three remain; faith, hope and
love. But the greatest of these is love.
(1 Cor 13:4-8, 13)
Marriage
is a companionship which involves mutual commitment and responsibility. You will share alike in the responsibilities
and the joys of life. When companions
share a sorrow the sorrow is halved, and when they share a joy the joy is
doubled.
You
are exhorted to dedicate your home to your Creator. Take his Work, the Bible, for y our
guide. Give loyal devotion to his
church, thus uniting the mutual strength of these two most important
institutions, living your lives as his willing servants, and true happiness
will be your temporal and eternal reward.
Let
us pray. O Lord of life and love, bestow
your grace upon this marriage, and seal this commitment of your children with
your love.
As
you have brought them together by your divine providence, sanctify them by your
Spirit, that they may give themselves fully one to the other and to you. Give them strength and patience to live their
lives in a manner that will mutually bless themselves and honor your holy name,
though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Minister
to people) I'd like to remind all of us that love is a
decision you make. Feelings come and go
but your decision to love one another should be permanent.
(Minister
to people) Today _______________ and ______________ come
before God, family, and friends to affirm the choice, that they have made for
each other, as life mates. They declared
their intention to establish a home for the raising of a family and the fulfillment
of life together.
(Minister
to groom)
_________________,
will you take this woman as your wife, will you be faithful to her in tender
love and honor, offering her encouragement and companionship; and will you live
with her, and cherish her, as love and respect would lead you, in the bond of
marriage?
(Groom
says) I
WILL
(Minister
to bride)
________________,
will you take this man as your husband; and will you honor and respect him,
will you give him strength and encouragement; will you love him and live with
him as a mate, and a companion, , and will you faithfully cherish him in the
bonds of marriage?
(Bride
says) I
WILL
(Minister
to bride and groom) _____________ and ___________,
as
you make your vows to each other, realize that from here on, you will be as
one; through the good times and the bad times.
Today you are making public, for all to know, that the words "I
love you" are a full commitment of yourselves to each other and to the forsaking
of all others. You have declared your
intention to make this venture of faith and love together.
RINGS
(Minister
to bride and groom)
The
wedding ring is a symbol of marriage in at least two ways: the purity of gold symbolizes the purity of
your love for each other, and the unending circle symbolizes the unending vows
which you are taking, which may be broken honorably in the sight of God only by
death. As a token of your vows, you will
give and receive the rings.
_________
and __________ look at each other’s hand, before you place a ring on them. You will hold these hands, when you need a
friend, when you are afraid, when you feel weak. These are the hands that will hold you at
night, comfort you when you are sad, and care for you when you are sick. These are the hands that will hold your children
and nurture them as they grow up. These
are the hands that you will watch grow old and reach out to whenever you are in
need.
(Minister
to groom)
___________,
place this ring on ______________'s finger and repeat after me.
I
_____________, take thee, _________
to
be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness or in
health, in poverty or in wealth; to love and to cherish so long as we both
shall live. _____________, with this
ring, I pledge my life, and love to you, in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
(Minister
to bride)
Place
this ring on ____________'s finger and repeat after me.
I
____________, take thee, __________
to
be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness or
in health, in poverty or in wealth, to love and to cherish so long as we both
shall live. _____________, with this
ring, I pledge my life, and love to you, in the name of the Father, and the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
(Minister
to couple)
Since you have made these commitments before God and these witnesses, by the
authority of God and the laws of this state, I declare that _____________ and
___________ are husband and wife.
______________
and ____________, you are no longer two independent persons but one. "What God has joined together, let no
man separate."
(Mark
10:9)
Lord's
Prayer.
(Minister to groom) YOU
(Minister
to people)
I'd like to present Mr. and Mrs. ___________________
RECESSIONAL (Parents escorted out)