“Tibetan Bell Ceremony”
Wedding Vows
MINISTER:
We are here to celebrate with GROOM’S NAME and BRIDE’S NAME as they unite in marriage.
This is a beautiful and joyous occasion, because you are two people who love each other so much that you have chosen to join your lives together.
You have been drawn to each other by the greatest power there is … LOVE … the Source and basis of all life.
Marriage allows two people to grow and enhance themselves as unique individuals … united in the oneness of Love. The beauty of your love is that you can each respect the individuality of the other … allowing each other the freedom that is necessary if we are truly to be ourselves.
One of the beautiful things about marriage is that while two lives unite to become one, you do not thereby become less yourselves … but more … for in this union there is freedom … not possessiveness. You each express certain qualities of being which have drawn you to each other, and as you treasure your own uniqueness, and that of your partner … your relationship to elevated to that of a true, spiritual union.
In love, you surrender yourselves … each giving yourself to the other. But you do not lose yourself in the other … you find yourself. You are one, yet you are distinct … that is the paradox … the mystery of love.
The marriage you create together will flow out of that love. It will be for you both, and for everyone who lives you touch … a thing of beauty, and a joy forever.
In the light of this —
GROOM’S NAME, will you take BRIDE’S NAME to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her, cherish her, and remain faithful to her?
GROOM:
I will.
MINISTER:
BRIDE’S NAME, will you take GROOM’S NAME to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honor him, cherish him, and remain faithful to him?
BRIDE:
I will.
MINISTER:
This is your promise. Will you please face each other, join hands, and pledge your love … using the words of commitment that you, yourselves have written.
GROOM:
BRIDE’S NAME, I love and support you … for being all that you are … and all that you are not … and all that you can be. I choose you to be my wife. I love you and cherish you … all the days of my life.
BRIDE:
GROOM’S NAME, I love you and support you … for being all that you are … and all that you are not … and all that you can be. I choose you to be my husband. I love you and cherish you … all the days of my life.
MINISTER:
What token do you give of your love? (Attendant’s give rings to Minister)
I bless these rings as a symbol of the unbroken unity of love. They are made in the form of a circle … which has no beginning and no end. It is an apt symbol for the length of your love … for love is eternal. They are made of precious metal. Let that material represent the enduring quality of your love and trust in one another. And as you wear these rings, let them be a constant reminder that you share an unconditional love.
(First the groom, then the bride, places the ring on the finger of the other, and repeats:)
“With this ring I take you to be my wife/husband … let it always be a symbol of our love.”
TIBETAN BELL
MINISTER:
As the rings symbolize your union, so do the sounds of the Tibetan Bell. The vibrations of the bell, as they travel through the atmosphere, represent the energy of Life, in which we are all immersed. That makes all of us here a part of what you are doing.
The Bell and Dorje together represent the balance of masculine and feminine qualities in life. Each of you individually embody this internal balance. As the vibrations flow through you and between you, so does the Life energy flow through you in perfect balance.
(As the Bride and Groom hold the Dorje between them, the Minister, having expressed verbally the symbolism above, sounds the Tibetan Bell, activating it three times and letting the tones fade to near silence each time.)
There is a Sanskrit word that is appropriate here: NAMASTE … I HONOR GOD IN YOU.
I celebrate the place in you where we are all one. NAMASTE.
May you always live in the spirit of these sacred words from the Bible: Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude, never selfish, nor quick to take offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over the mistakes of others, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance. There are three thing that last forever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
Let us together bless this marriage as we pray:
Our Father,
In the awareness of the one presence and power in whom we live and move and have our being, we now join in blessing GROOM’S NAME and BRIDE’S NAME in their new life together.
We affirm that their lives are unfolding in harmony, abundance, health, and satisfying self-expression, guided by the light of love within.
We accept that their home radiates such a spirit of happiness and unity … that whoever enters it is blessed and inspired by the atmosphere of it.
We recognize that the presence of God within them, enables them to fulfill the promise of this new beginning in their lives.
We know and affirm … that they do live in health, in joy, and in love … and so it is … AMEN.
And now … Inasmuch as you, GROOM’S NAME and BRIDE’S NAME, have agreed to join in this loving union of marriage … and have pledged yourselves to each other in the presence of God … of these chosen witnesses … and these friends who are here to share your joy … By the power vested in me as an ordained minister …
I now pronounce you husband and wife.
(Kiss.)
May you go together, and live as one …
And feel now cold, for each of you have each other for warmth.
And feel no rain, for you have each other for shelter.
And feel no fear, for you have each other for strength.
May Wisdom and Love be your constant companions and guide your steps forevermore.
May I present Mr. and Mrs. __________________________.
With PrescottWeddings.com grateful acknowledgement, this service is prepared and conducted by:
Rev. Robert H. Henderson, D.D.
Church of Spiritual Living, Prescott, Arizona
928-778-1602