Types of Full Ceremonies

+ Contemporary

On behalf of __ & __ , I want to welcome you to (location of ceremony) on this special and meaningful day.

__ & __ , your marriage will require more than just love for one another. It will take conviction to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It will take dedication to listen to one another, to learn and grow together, and it will take faith to go forward hand in hand without knowing what the future holds for you both. Marriage is not a destination...it is a life-long journey that starts here today. Are you both ready?

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way.

All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks—all those sentences that began with "When we're married" and continued with "I will and you will and we will"—those late night talks that included "someday" and "somehow" and "maybe"—and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, "You know all those things we've promised and hoped and dreamed—well, I meant it all, every word." Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another—acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this—is my husband, this—is my wife.

(PICK YOUR VOWS)

(PICK YOUR RINGS)

(PICK YOUR ENDING)

+ Traditional

Introduction: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness as (Bride) and (Groom) join their lives together in Holy Matrimony, the most sacred of relationships. Because you have known and loved them as individuals, you have been invited to share in the joyous moment as they join their lives together as one.

Who brings this woman to marry this man? (optional) Father of the bride: “Her mother and I do.”

Charge to Couple: This is the time which you have chosen to become husband and wife. We are here not only to witness your commitment to each other, but to wish you both every happiness in your future life together. If anyone has reason why these two should not be so joined, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace.

Within its framework of loyalty and commitment, marriage enables the establishment of a home, where through tolerance, patience and respect, the love and affection which you have for each other may develop into a deep and lasting relationship.

Reading: The Bible has given us what may be the world’s best definition of what it means to love. I’d like to share with you a well-known passage from 1 Corinthians 13, and offer it as a model to you for the new life you are creating here today:

Love is patient and kind, it is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offence and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s faults, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope. It is always ready to endure whatever comes. True love does not come to an end.

Marriage Vows: Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these, your family, friends and witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and enduring nature of the relationship into which you are about to enter.

Do you (Groom) take (Bride) to be your lawfully wedded wife? From this day forward, to have and to hold, forsaking all others, for better or for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish for so long as you both shall live? Groom: “I do.” And do you (Bride) take (Groom) to be your lawfully wedded husband? From this day forward, to have and to hold, forsaking all others, for better and for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish for so long as you both shall live? Bride: “I do.”

Ring Vows: What token of your devotion do you offer your beloved? (bride and groom retrieve rings from best man and maid of honor, handing them to minister).

May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate union. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place of sanctuary that many will find there a friend. May these rings, on their fingers, symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts.

+ Short & Sweet

(The following ceremonies are complete, yet short and sweet. They can be edited down even further for a truly brief ceremony. Or readings and prayers can be added to beef it up a little. Such ceremonies are particularly appropriate for “civil ceremonies”, where there are only a few in attendance, and the ceremony is held without a lot of fanfare.)

Short and Sweet #1

Minister: We have come together to unite the two of you in marriage, which is an institution ordained by the state and made honorable by the faithful keeping of good men and women in all ages, and is not to be entered into lightly or unadvisedly.

Do you (Groom) take (Bride) to be your wife, to love, honor, comfort, and cherish from this day forth? Groom shall answer, “I do.”

Do you (Bride) take (Groom) to be your husband, to love, honor, comfort and cherish from this day forth? Bride shall answer, “I do.” Answer: I do.

Ring vows (optional) - If rings are to be involved, each in turn will place the ring on th finger of the other, and recite:

(Bride), with this ring I thee wed.

(Groom), with this ring I thee wed.

Minister: Having pledged yourselves each to the other, I do now, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the state of (Wherever), pronounce you to be husband and wife.

You may now seal your marriage with a kiss

Short and Sweet #2

Minister: Dear family and friends, I call upon all of you gathered here to be fellow witnesses with me in the marriage of (Bride and Groom). You were each invited to join us today so that you may share in the joy that (Bride and Groom) are feeling as they pledge their love and commitment to each other.

The decision to marry is based in love and founded upon sincerity and understanding, which leads to a relationship that is rich in confidence and trust.

A strong marriage is dependent upon many factors. Beyond the love, respect and trust that you share with one another, there must be a strong sense of commitment and loyalty that bonds you. A shared faith and beliefs in God, and His grace in your lives, is important in building a strong marriage. And also important are a shared companionship and a willingness to communicate openly with one another. This respectful communication and the love that it displays, helps each partner to accept and understand the other’s strengths and weaknesses and allow for the continued growth that is necessary in all good and lasting marriages.

In the Bible, Paul wrote beautifully about the power of love in his 1st book of letters to the Corinthians, Chapter 13.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.

So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

(Bride and Groom), before you are joined together in matrimony here today, in my presence and in the presence of your family and friends, I am to remind you of the serious and binding nature of the relationship of marriage.

The commitment of marriage is one of the most important commitments that two people will make in their lifetime. Marriage, as most of us understand it, is a voluntary and full commitment of a man to a woman and a woman to a man. It is made in the deepest sense, to the exclusion of all others, and is intended to last a lifetime. The vow of marriage is a pledge of everlasting love, within the unity of matrimony, whereby, committing to share all that life has to offer, the good times and the bad, with patience and understanding. For a marriage to remain strong, your faith in that vow must never waver. It must remain strong through the trials of everyday life. The words that you speak to each other today are to be the cornerstone for your life together from this day forward.

Minister: (Bride and Groom), have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?

(Bride and Groom) We have!

Minister: Will you love and honor each other as husband and wife for the rest of your lives?

(Bride and Groom) We will!

Minister: Let us say a short prayer:

God who has created us, each as an individual, open (Bride and Groom) hearts to feel your guidance and support through those who have gathered with them here today. Let their marriage be an occasion for them to see how you have been working in their lives separately, and together. May they remember the vows taken here today, not only in their minds, but also, in their everyday actions of kindness and caring for one another. Amen

Short and Sweet (with children)

Welcome and thank you all for coming to the event and marriage of the year.

As you all know (Bride and Groom), are very special people with fantastic individual special tastes. This ceremony is going to be no different, it will be sincere, just as their love for each other is also sincere.

(Bride and Groom) have been together now for a few years and had exciting times together. They have also experienced family life and today this is more than just a wedding ceremony, this is also a joining together of (Bride and Groom) and (Children’s Names), as a family.

When one looks at this family one sees the energy and the love for each and everyone. So I ask (Bride and Groom) to join hands and exchange their vows between each other.

(Groom) will you take (Bride) as your wife, will you continue to love her and only her? The love you have is special and the love you have for (Children’s Name’s) is also special. Will you take (Bride) and promise to care for her as your own?

Will you promise also to bring breakfast in bed to (Bride) as often as you can? Response: I WILL.

(Bride) will you take (Groom) as your Husband, will you continue to love him and only him? The love you have is special and the love you have for (Children’s Name’s) is also special.

Will you promise also to bring breakfast in bed to (Groom) as often as you can? Response: I WILL.

I now declare you married and announce you as man & wife.

General Short and Sweet

(The civil ceremony is the simplest, most immediate and direct of all the wedding ceremonies. It is usually attended only by the Bride, the Groom, and any legally required witnesses. It includes a brief introduction, the vows, and the announcement. If you would like a short ceremony then here it is.)

Minister or Officiant: We have come together to unite the two of you in marriage, which is an institution ordained by the state and made honorable by the faithful keeping of good men and women in all ages, and is not to be entered into lightly or unadvisedly.

Then, the Officiant or Minister turns to the Groom and says:

Do you (Groom) take (Bride) to be your wife, to love, honor, comfort, and cherish from this day forth? Answer: I do.

Then, turning to the Bride:

Do you (Bride) take (Groom) to be your husband, to love, honor, comfort and cherish from this day forth? Answer: I do.

RING VOWS