Example Ceremony #3

Joe and Best Man are at the front
Rev escorts the Bride's mother down the aisle to light the unity candle then seats her
Best Man lights Groom's candle
Precession of the Wedding Party
(Jane and her escort stop at the end of the aisle and remain standing)

Presentation of the Bride
Rev: Who gives Jane to be married to Joe?
Bride's Escort: Her family and friends.
Rev: (to congregation) You may be seated.

Introduction
Rev: Welcome everyone! We are gathered here today in the sight of God and angels and the presence of friends and loved ones to celebrate one of life's greatest moments and to add our best wishes and blessings to the words which shall unite Jane and Joe in holy matrimony. May their marriage be adorned by true and abiding love.

Opening Remarks
Rev: Marriage is a most honorable estate, signifying to us a mystical union. Joe and Jane, to this moment you bring the fullness of your hearts as a treasure to share with one another. You bring dreams which bind you together. You bring your particular personalities and spirits out of which will flow the reality of your lives together. We rejoice with you now as you express the outward symbol of your inward union of hearts. It is a union that has already been created by friendship, by respect and by love.

Reading
DOVE POEM
Author Unknown
Two doves meeting in the sky
Two loves hand in hand eye to eye
Two parts of a loving whole
Two hearts and a single soul

Two stars shining big and bright
Two fires bringing warmth and light
Two songs played in perfect tune
Two flowers growing into bloom

Two Doves gliding in the air
Two loves free without a care
Two parts of a loving whole
Two hearts and a single soul

Affirmation of Love
Rev: Jane and Joe, as the two of you come into this marriage, uniting 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, and your marriage will be 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 to share together. Let us therefore reverently remember that no other human ties are more tender, no other vows are more sacred than these you make today.

Sharing of Hands
Rev: Jane, please face Joe, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day as he promises to love you all the days of his life. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief racks your mind. These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his love and desire for you. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years for a lifetime of happiness.
Rev: Joe, please hold Jane's hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands, smooth, young, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life. These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evenings after you?ve had a long hard day. These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope. These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. For together, everything you wish for can be realized. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

Presentation of the Rings
Rev: And now, who holds the rings?
Best Man: I do. (Holds his hand up to display the rings)
Rev: These are the rings that Jane and Joe will wear for the rest of their lives that express the love that they have for one another. The wedding ring is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts in endless love. The circle is an emblem of eternity with no beginning and no end. Let these rings be tokens of that which is unending and may they continue to be to you both a symbol of the value, the purity, and the constancy of true wedded love, and the seals of the vows in which you will both pledge your most solemn and sacred honor.

Exchange of Vows and Rings
Rev: Joe, please take Jane?s left hand in yours and repeat after me.
Rev & Joe: I, Joe, take you, Jane, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, or for worse, for richer, or for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love, honor and cherish and forsaking all others, I will be faithful to you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. With this ring, I thee wed. (Joe places the ring on Jane?s finger.)
Rev: Jane, please take Joe?s left hand in yours and repeat after me.
Rev & Jane: I, Jane, take you, Joe, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, or for worse, for richer, or for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love, honor and cherish and forsaking all others, I will be faithful to you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. With this ring, I thee wed. (Jane places the ring on Joe?s finger.)
Rev: Whom therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.

Lighting of the Unity Candle and Presentation of Roses
Rev: At the beginning of this ceremony, the Jane's mother and Joe's Best Man lit two individual candles, symbolic of their individuality. Now Joe and Jane will light their unity candle which is symbolic of the light of their love and unity to the world from this day forward. (After lighting the unity candle, Joe and Jane will pick up the rose and together visit her mother to deliver the rose.)

Nuptial Blessing
Rev: Jane and Joe, we, your family and friends, wish for you the very best! We wish that you be filled with joy, and that love abide with you always. May you find happiness and satisfaction in your work. May daily problems never cause you undue anxiety, nor the desire for earthly possessions dominate your lives. But may your hearts? first desire be always the abundance of good things awaiting you from our loving God. May the Lord bless you with many happy years together, so that you may enjoy the rewards of a good, long and healthy life. And after serving God by your love of others in this physical world, may God welcome you into the eternal spiritual world for all ages to come.

Pronouncement
Rev: And so now inasmuch as Joe and Jane have announced the truths that are already written in their hearts, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, in accordance with the ordinances of our Lord, and the laws of the State of Louisiana, its is my happy privilege to congratulate and introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Joe Lastname. You may kiss your bride.

Recession of the Wedding Party