“Marriage is a Partnership”

Wedding Vows

MINISTER:

We are here today to witness the mutual vows of GROOM’S NAME and BRIDE’S NAME which will unite them in marriage.

Today they bring their love to share today and in the years to come as a gift and treasure with each other.

They also bring certain dreams and hopes which will bind them together. We should all remember that marriage is a statement of hope.

They also bring those unique spirits and personalities out of which they will grow the reality of their future life together.

As such, we rejoice with them in this outward symbol of an inward union which they have created out of their friendship, their respect, and of course their love for one another.

GROOM’S NAME and BRIDE’S NAME you should continue to nurture and to cherish the love, trust and esteem that you hold for each other today. It is out of these and other feelings that you will be providing for one another in both your spiritual as well as your temporal needs.

At the same time, do remember as you enter into marriage that it is a partnership. There should be room for variety and uniqueness in your marriage. You do not want to lose those characteristics that attracted you each to the other. Remember that what ever else your new oneness is meant to be, it is not meant to be the loss of two excitingly different people.

As a last thought before you exchange your wedding vows, do you believe in the happiness you anticipate receiving out of your sharing your lives, dreams, families and accomplishments.

Remember also that there will be difficult times when you will need to give special care and support to your spouse: the loss of a loved one or a deep illness.

Also remember that like all marriages you will occasionally encounter a bump in your life’s road.

It is at these encounters as well as the good and the difficult times that you should use a special gift that you have brought for each other.

The best way to see that gift is to think back to the very first day that you met. Seeing each other was a start, but the important ingredient was that gift of communication. The sharing in the days and weeks that followed that helped you learn about each other. Helped to develop a trust and a love for one another. And ultimately allowed the giving of this big commitment today.

Now that you will be married, it is important that you continue to share each day so that you do not become strangers. In that sharing you will provide the means to be there for one another during the difficult times and heighten the times of joy that lie ahead.

The Commitment

Now as it is your desire to marry, will you GROOM’S NAME have BRIDE’S NAME to be your wife to live together in the best of married life? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and will you be true only to her as long as you both shall live? If so, answer “I will”.

GROOM:

I will.

MINISTER:

Will you BRIDE’S NAME have GROOM’S NAME to be your husband to live together in the best of married life? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, and will you be true only to him as long as you both shall live? If so, answer “I will”.

BRIDE:

I will.


Exchange of Vows

MINISTER:

Please turn to one other fully and join hands as you exchange your wedding vows.

Please repeat:

I GROOM’S NAME take you BRIDE’S NAME to be my wife to have and to hold from this day forward. I promise to be your loving and faithful husband in joy and in sorrow, in plenty and in need, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.

I BRIDE’S NAME take you GROOM’S NAME to be my husband to have and to hold from this day forward. I promise to be your loving and faithful wife, in joy and in sorrow, in plenty and in need, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.

Exchange of Wedding Rings

MINISTER:

You have rings today and these are symbols of the vows you have exchanged. They also mark the continuation of a life long journey together. A journey filled with wonder, surprise, laughter, tears, joy, and grief and a whole lot of other emotions. May these rings continue to glow in the reflection of the love and warmth that you hold for one another today.

GROOM’S NAME take BRIDE’S NAME hand and repeat the following words:

I give you this sign of my love, an ever-present symbol of the vows we have made today. I give you this ring as I give you my life.

MINISTER:

BRIDE’S NAME take GROOM’S NAME hand and repeat the following words:

I give you this sign of my love, an ever-present symbol of the vows we have made today. I give you this ring as I give you my life.

The Pronouncement

MINISTER:

For as much as you GROOM’S NAME and you BRIDE’S NAME have consented in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, you’ve give and pledged your love each to the other, declaring your sincere desire to be together.

Thus by the authority vested in me by the State of ____________, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the Bride.