Service #2

 

Service #2

 

Presentation of the Bride

 

Who offers their blessing for the union of ______________ and __________________?

(Wait for response from Father of the Bride or other important chosen family member.) 

 

Opening Words

 

We are gathered here today to celebrate a day of gratitude, gladness, and joy.  It is one of life’s greatest miracles when two people love each other so much, they are willing to commit their lives together as one in spirit.  The ability to love is a miraculous gift which God has given us, and a wedding is a celebration of that gift.  Today, we have been invited to share and to rejoice with _________ and _________, and to vow our unconditional love and support to them as they begin their journey as husband and wife.

 

I would like to take a moment to recognize the family members of ________ and _________ and to thank them for their love, support and devotion, as they grew from adolescence and into the two beautiful individuals who stand here before us on this special day.  We thank you for teaching them values and being there and showing them the beauty and joy of loving another person.  At this time, we also honor those people who are not able to be with us in person today, but are here in spirit.  We are a part of everyone who has ever loved us; let us remember them with a moment of silent reflection.  (Pause.)

 

____________ and ____________, devotion, joy and love can grow, only if they are nurtured together. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, believing in your shared future just as strongly as you believe in yourselves and in each other today.  Only in this spirit, can you create a partnership that will strengthen and sustain you all the days of your lives.

 

May God fill your spirit with love and truth.  Let us pray.

 

Prayer

 

Heavenly Creator, we gather to celebrate your gift of love, and its presence among us.  We rejoice that these two people have chosen to commit themselves to a life of loving faithfulness to one another.  We praise you, Lord, for the ways you have touched our lives with a variety of loving relationships, and we give thanks for ________ and __________ and for the special love and friendship you have put in their hearts.  Renew within us an affectionate and loving spirit.  Enrich our lives with the gracious gift of your love so that we may embrace others with that same love.  May our participation in this celebration of love and commitment, give to us a new joy and responsiveness to the relationships that we cherish.  In your loving arms we pray, Amen.

 

1st Reading: “Love’s Philosophy,” Percy Shelly

 

-          The fountains mingle with the river and the rivers with the oceans,

The winds of Heaven mix forever with a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single; all things by law divine;

In one spirit meet and mingle, why not I with thine?

-          See the mountains kiss high Heaven, and the waves clasp one another;

No sister-flower would be forgiven if it disdained its brother,

And the sunlight clasps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea:

What is all this sweet work worth if thou kiss not me?

 

Words on Friendship and Love

 

Officiant:  ___________ and _______________, your marriage will develop a true friendship between you, and that friendship must be strong to withstand the tests of time.  Remember, love, like friendship, is a choice.  When you are a true friend to someone,  you choose to spend time with them; to share with them; to care for them when they are sick spiritually or physically; and to learn new things with them.   You choose to change with them;  to grow in truth with them; and to experience all that life has to offer, with them.  Through this process you will grow in the same direction, and that is the secret to having peace and happiness in your lives.  Take responsibility for helping the other person feel safe, and give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness, and kindness that your relationship deserves.  Never allow anything to be more important than the one you have pledged to spend your life  with.  Remember that the secret to a long and healthy marriage is not in choosing the right partner; it is in BEING the right partner.

 

Seek love and never take it for granted.  Love is believing, sharing, caring and dreaming together.  It is honesty, friendship, companionship, and selflessness.  Love is the desire and commitment to be intimate physically, psychologically, and emotionally.  It is devotion, celebration, understanding, forgiveness and sacrifice.  Love is strong, yet it can be fragile.  Love is gentleness, kindness, and patience.  It is trusting, protecting, inspiring, and supporting.  Love is the only true way to know God.

 

2nd Reading: “The Prophet,” Kahlil Gibran

 

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, but not to near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

 

Vows

(To Groom) Please repeat after me:

 

I love you. 

You are my best friend.

Today I give myself to you in marriage.  

I promise to encourage and inspire you,

to laugh with you, and to comfort you in

times of sorrow and struggle.

I promise to love you in good times and in

bad, when life seems easy and when it

seems hard, when our love is simple,

and when it is an effort. 

I promise to cherish you, and to always

hold you in highest regard.

These things I give to you today,

and all the days of our life.

 

(To Bride) Please repeat after me:

 

I love you. 

You are my best friend.

Today I give myself to you in marriage.  

I promise to encourage and inspire you,

to laugh with you, and to comfort you in

times of sorrow and struggle.

I promise to love you in good times and in

bad, when life seems easy and when it

seems hard, when our love is simple,

and when it is an effort. 

I promise to cherish you, and to always

hold you in highest regard.

These things I give to you today,

and all the days of our life.

 

Exchange of Rings

 

This ring represents my affection for you, and my commitment to you.  It shows the world I will always love you, cherish you and honor you, for all the days of my life.  With this ring, I thee wed.  (Groom places ring on bride's finger.) 

 

This ring represents my affection for you, and my commitment to you.  It shows the world I will always love you, cherish you and honor you, for all the days of my life.  With this ring, I thee wed.  (Bride places ring on groom's finger.) 

 

Insert Here: Rose Ceremony, Sand Ceremony, Unity Candle or Family Medallion Ceremony

 

Pronouncement of Marriage

 

Because,  _____ and _____ you have expressed your love and commitment, and promised each other the joy of all your days, before God and this company, it gives me great honor and pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife.

 

Kiss

You may now kiss the bride.

 

Closing Blessing

 

We close with a final blessing for your marriage: 

May you be blessed every step of your journey by the great God of Peace and Light,

May angels always be with you, keep you and guide you,

May the sun shine upon you, give warmth to your spirits and light your way,

And may your every day be filled with peace, love, and joy!

 

Introduction

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. _____ _____!