Terry
Rundell J.P.
C.M.C. 
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A Civil Wedding
Ceremony
(This ceremony
takes 8-15 minutes, depending upon whether you have , other readings etc. We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest
moments to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best
wishers to the words that shall unite
_____________ and _____________
in marriage Should there be
anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, they must
speak now or forever hold their peace.
(If the bride is
escorted forward) Who is it that
brings this woman to this man? (The father,
children, relative etc. may give the bride away. He /they answer "I do", This person then steps back and the groom takes the bride's hand.) ____________________ and _______________________ , I would ask that
you both remember to treat yourself and each other with respect, and remind
yourself often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to
the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your marriage deserves. When
frustration and difficulty assail your marriage - as they do to every
relationship at one time or another - focus on what still seems right between
you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide
the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember
that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the
quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight. (Vows used unless
other vows are wished. See Alternative vows. You may change the vows as you wish
or write your own.) (Groom
)
________________, do you take
_______________ to he your Wife? ("I do") Do you promise to love,
honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her
forevermore? (Bride
________________, do you take
__________________ to be your Husband? ("I do") Do you promise to
love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto
him forevermore?
"(I do") (If
rings are exchanged each does so before repeating the following vows - unless
you wish other vows or do not wish to repeat vows. It is not required that a
couple exchange rings.) (Groom) I
_____________, take thee,
________________ to be my Wife- To have and to hold, in sickness and in health,
for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow and I promise my love to you. (Bride ) I _________________,
take thee ______________, to be my Husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and
in health , for richer
or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, and I promise My love to you. If Rings are exchanged - ("With this ring, I take you as my
husband, for as long as we both shall live.") (If there are children of either couple, sometimes couples will give
a ring or small gift such as a necklace or ring to the child and say a short
statement that they also are now part of the new family. I believe it very
important to mention children's names in the ceremony, If you have minor
children coming into the marriage, please provide their names so I will mention
them as is appropriate. _____________________
and __________________ as the two of you
come into this marriage uniting you as husband and wife, and as you this day
affirm your faith and love for one another, I would ask that you always remember
to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the
thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive, do not hold
grudges, and live each day that you may share it together - as from this day
forward you shall be each other's home, comfort and refuge, your marriage
strengthened by your love and respect for each other. Just as two threads
woven in opposite directions will form a most beautiful tapestry, so too can
your two lives merged together make a beautiful marriage. To make your
relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and
why you are here today. It will take trust , to know in your hearts that
you truly want the best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay
open to one another - and to learn and grow together. It will take faith,
to go forward together without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it
will take commitment, to hold true to the journey you both pledge today
to share together. (If unity candles
are used - optional. If the Rose Ceremony is used, it is placed after the
unity candle ceremony or in place of it.) ______________ and ______________, the two separate candles
symbolize your separate lives, separate families and separate sets of friends. I
ask that each of you take one of the lit candles and that together you light the
center candle. The individual candles represent your lives before today. Lighting
the center candle represents that your two lives are now joined to one light,
and represents the joining together of your two families and sets of friends to
one. (For couples who
are adding music to the ceremony, it is usually placed either here or after the
vows are repeated earlier.) (THE ROSE CEREMONY
MAY BE ADDED AT THIS POINT IF YOU WISH. ) ________________________ and _________________________, in so much as the two of you have
agreed to live together in Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by
these vows, the joining of your hands and the giving of these rings, I now
declare you to be Husband and Wife. It is my privilege to present to you Mr. & Mrs.
_______________________________ (If a large
gathering, after the wedding party has exited, I will thank all for coming on
your behalf and make any reception announcements that you wish.)
CONTEMPORARY NON
RELIGIOUS CEREMONY (This is a
contemporary, non religious ceremony. You may change it anyway you wish or
construct your own ceremony) (Opening Words Good afternoon
(morning/evening)! We are gathered here today, not to witness the beginning of
what will be, but rather what already is! We do not create this marriage,
because we cannot. We can and do, however, celebrate with __________________ and
___________ and their friends and families the wondrous and joyful occurrence
that has already taken place in their lives. So let the ceremony begin! Marriage is a
supreme sharing of experience, and an adventure in the most intimate of human
relationships. It is the joyous union of two people whose comradeship and mutual
understanding have flowered in romance. Today ___________ and__________ proclaim
their love and commitment to the world, and we gather here to rejoice, with and
for them, in the new life they now undertake together. The joy we feel now
is a solemn joy, because the act of marriage has many consequences, both social
and personal. Marriage requires "love," a word we often use with
vagueness and sentimentality. We may assume that love is some rare and mystical
event, when in fact it is our natural state of being. So what do we mean
by love? When we love, we see things other people do not see. We see beneath the
surface, to the qualities which make our beloved special and unique. To see with
loving eyes, is to know inner beauty . And to be loved is to be seen, and known,
as we are known to no other. One who loves us, gives us a unique gift: a piece
of ourselves, but a piece that only they could give us. We who love, can
look at each other's life and say, "I touched his life," or, "I
touched her life," just as an artist might say, "I touched this
canvas." "Those brushstrokes in the comer of this magnificent mural,
those are mine. I was a part of this life, and it is a part of me."
Marriage is to belong to each other through a unique and diverse collaboration,
like two threads crossing in different directions, yet weaving one tapestry
together. The secret of love
and marriage is similar to that of religion itself. It is the emergence of the
larger self. It is the finding of one's life by losing it. Such is the privilege
of husband and wife - to be each himself, herself and yet another; to face the
world strong, with the courage of two. To make this
relationship work, therefore, takes more than love. It takes trust, to
know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication,
to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do
so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the
future holds for you both. While love is our natural state of being, these other
qualities are not as easy to come by. They are not a destination, but a journey. The true art of
married life is in this an inner spiritual journey. It is a mutual enrichment, a
give and take between two personalities, a mingling of two endowments which
diminishes neither, but enhances both. You and I As the poem shows
us, mingling in marriage is a mutual dedication, a cooperative venture in every
sense. It is a relationship based on love, respect, and a determination by both
partners to adjust to each other and support one another, in health and in
sickness, in joy and in sadness, in ease and in hardship. Through this
co-operation, we give ourselves, our lives and love. into the hands of the one
we love. We do so trustingly and generously. And so, each of us receives a gift:
the life and love of the other. We receive this gift, not only from the one we
love, but also from the parents who brought us into the world, and from our
friends and families as well. And so as
_______________ and _________________s friends and family, we are here to share
with them this joy and hope, and to see them off on the path they will walk
together. May it be a path of blessedness, bright with flowers of prosperity and
spiritual awakening; a path of ever deepening, ever broadening love that they
will travel, arm in arm. through out eternity. _______________ and
_______________ this celebration is the outward token of your sacred and inward
union of hearts, which the church and temple may bless, and the state make
legal, but which neither state nor church can create nor annul. It is a union
created by your loving purpose and kept by your abiding will. It is in this
spirit and for this purpose that you have come here to be joined together.
(You may pick other vows or write your own) ______________
(Groom)
, will you have this woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together in
marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, and honor her, in sickness and in
health, in sorrow and in joy, so long as you both shall live? I Will! _______________
(Bride)
you take this man to be thy wedded husband, to live together in marriage?
Will you love him, comfort him. and honor him, in sickness and in health, in
sorrow and in joy, so long as you both shall live? I Will! (Ceremony of the
Rings) Traditionally, the
marking- of the passage to tile status of husband and wife is marked by the
exchange of rings. These rings are 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. May these rings always remind you of the
vows you have taken. (Each places the
ring on the other’s finger and repeats this simple vow:) "With this
ring, I thee wed." We will close with
an Apache Blessing: Now you will feel
no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other. ________________
and _________________, remember to treat both yourself and each other with
respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest
priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection
deserves. When frustration, difficulty or fear assail your relationship – as
they threatened all relationships at one time or another – remember to focus
on what is right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. In this way, you
can ride out the times when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives –
remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still
there. And if each of you
takes responsibility for the quality of your lives together, your life together
will be marked by abundance and delight. (The Unity Candle
and/or The Rose Ceremony may be added at this point if you wish. Both are
included on other sheets of the material sent to you. You also may add the
Cherokee Wedding Prayer - from the "SPECIAL READINGS " section. Inasmuch as you
have consented together in this ceremony to live in wedlock and have sealed your
vows in the presence of this company and by the giving of these rings, it gives
me great pleasure to pronounce that you are Husband and Wife. Congratulations,
you make kiss! (Recessional) (I will make any
announcements of reception, party or announcements that you wish at the
conclusion of the ceremony.) |
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