Example Ceremony #2

Rev and Joe are at the front
Precession of the Wedding Party
(Jane and her Father stop at the end of the aisle and remain standing)

Introduction

Dearly beloved, we are assembled here in the presence of God to join Joe and Jane in holy matrimony; which was instituted by God, regulated by His commandments, blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, and is to be held in honor among all men. Let us therefore reverently remember that God has established and sanctified marriage, for the welfare and happiness of mankind. No other human ties are more tender, no other vows are more sacred than these Joe and Jane are about to assume.

Presentation of the Bride

Rev: Who gives Jane to be married to Joe?
Bride's Father: Her Mother and I do. (Jane is given to Joe by her Father)
Rev: (to congregation) You may be seated.

Opening Prayer and Ceremony

Rev: Let us pray. God of love, who gives us the longing for, and capability of loving, we give you thanks for Joe and Jane, for their open hearts and willing spirits, and for the example of love that they embody here in our presence. Be with them on this joyous occasion of showing their love and making their vows. And be with us, their witnesses, that we may all be changed by what is said and witnessed here today. Amen.

Rev: 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 friendship and mutual understanding have flowered in romance. Marriage requires love, a word we often use with vagueness and sentimentality. 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. Real love is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about yourself. But real love is not total absorption in each other. It is looking outward in the same direction together. Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger and bolder so you can reach out and become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone. 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, and endures all things. Love never fails.

Charge to the couple

Rev: Joe, it is your duty to be to Jane a considerate, tender, faithful, loving husband: to support, guide and cherish her in prosperity and trouble; to thoughtfully and carefully enlarge the place she holds in your life; to constantly show to her the tokens of your affection, to shelter her from danger, and to cherish for her a manly and unalterable affection. This being the command of God's Word, that husbands love their wives even as Christ loved the Church and gave His own life for her. For God has ordained the man as the spiritual head, as the responsible provider, and as the initiator of love in this human relationship. By His enablement, your strength must be Jane's protection, your character her boast and pride, and you must live in such a way that she will find in you the haven for which the heart of a woman truly longs.
Rev: Jane, it is your duty to be to Joe a considerate, tender, faithful, loving wife; to counsel, comfort and cherish him in prosperity and trouble; to give to him the unfailing evidences of your affection; to ensure that as time passes you make the place he holds in your heart, broader and deeper; to reverence and obey him, and to put on the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is, in God's sight, an ornament of great worth. For as His Word commands, wives should be subject unto their husbands even as the church is subject unto Christ, and forsaking all others to cling to him with a love which shall not fail as long as you both shall live. For it is God's purpose that you be a loving wife, that you respond to Joe 's love in tenderness with a deep sense of understanding, through a great faith in Christ who brought you together. It is His desire that you have that inner beauty of soul that never fades.

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 you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb. These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time. 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 hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurts, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it's time to let go. 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.

Blessing of the Rings

Rev: Who holds the rings?
Best Man: I do.
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.
Rev: Heavenly Father, bless these rings that each gives, receives, and wears as a token of the covenant between them and You. May they ever abide in Your peace, living together in unity, in love, and in happiness unto their life's end. May these rings be a symbol of true faith and a reminder of true love. And may we all be mindful of the presence of God around us as Joe and Jane dedicate themselves to one another. Amen.

Exchange of Vows and Rings

Rev (to Joe): 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 (to Jane): 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.

Presentation of Roses

Rev: As a sign of their love and appreciation, Jane and Joe now wish to honor their parents with a token of their gratitude. (Couple presents their parents with roses.)

Prayer of Dedication

Rev: Let us close this joyous ceremony with a prayer. Gracious God, richly bless Joe and Jane in the promises that they have made to each other. Grant that the courtesies, the thoughtfulness, and the self giving which already have laid the foundation for their love, build the home which is raised upon it. May they be loyal and engaging companions to each other and may they be loving and wise parents. And in this world where there is much disillusion and disappointment, where love brings delight and also wounding in the frailty of our human ways, make them a visible symbol of the love that does not wane when the evening comes but is fresh with each new day. Perfect their love with the joy that comes from above, and may they grow themselves and grow in affirmation of each other. May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May the Lord be kind and gracious to you. And may the Lord look on you with favor and give you peace both now and in the life everlasting. Amen.

Pronouncement

Rev: Forasmuch as Joe and Jane have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, in accordance with the ordinance 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