“Marriage is a Commitment of Love”
(includes unity candle)
Wedding Vows
MINISTER:
Who supports the union of this woman and this man?
BRIDE’S ESCORT:
I do.
MINISTER:
To all the family and friends of BRIDE’S NAME and GROOM’S NAME, I welcome you here today to share with us as they pledge the vows of marriage that will unite them. Let us join in our love and support of them both as we bless the newlyweds by our prayers for their everlasting happiness.
BRIDE’S NAME and GROOM’S NAME, may all that you are always be in love; may all that is love always be in you; and may your love be as beautiful on each day you share, as it is on this day of celebration.
The commitment of marriage is one of the most important decisions two people will make in their lives. The vow of marriage is a pledge of their everlasting love uniting them in matrimony; whereby they commit to share all life has to offer, the good times and the bad, with patience and understanding. For a marriage to remain strong, your faith must never waiver due to the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Remember that the power of faith can conquer all obstacles.
A strong marriage is dependent upon many factors. Beyond the love and respect you share for one another, there must be a strong sense of commitment and loyalty that bonds you, and above all, a true sense of friendship and willingness to communicate with one another. A genuine appreciation for each other, the willingness to accept and understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses is the foundation for a successful marriage.
The vows you are about to exchange serve as a verbal representation of the love you pledge to one another. It is not the words which will bond you together as one, but the inner sense of love and commitment that each of you feel within your soul. Marriage is the clasping of the hands, the blending of the hearts, the union of two loves as one. Your marriage must stand not by the authority of the State, nor by the seal on your wedding certificate, but by the strength of your love and by the power of your faith in each other.
Exchange of Vows
Bride and Groom to turn and hold hands, facing each other
MINISTER:
GROOM’S NAME, do you take BRIDE’S NAME to be your wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and respect her? Will you share all life has to offer, your hopes and dreams, your achievements and disappointments with her from this day forward? If so, please say “I will”.
GROOM:
I will.
MINISTER:
BRIDE’S NAME, do you take GROOM’S NAME to be your wedded husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and respect him? Will you share all life has to offer, your hopes and dreams, your achievements and disappointments with him from this day forward? If so, please say “I will”.
BRIDE:
I will.
Exchange of Wedding Rings
MINISTER:
What token of your love do you offer? (Wedding rings are obtained from Attendants.)
As we are gathered here today in celebration of the marriage of GROOM’S NAME and BRIDE’S NAME, we ask that these rings and their marriage be blessed with peace, love and prosperity in all things.
GROOM’S NAME, take this ring and place it on BRIDE’S NAME finger and repeating after me “With this ring, I thee wed, and offer a symbol of our everlasting love”.
BRIDE’S NAME, take this ring and place it on GROOM’S NAME finger and repeating after me “With this ring, I thee wed, and offer a symbol of our everlasting love”.
The Unity Candle
MINISTER:
Much as these rings symbolize the union of the lives of GROOM’S NAME and BRIDE’S NAME, the lighting of the unity candle represents the joining of their families. May the separate flames now burn together as one, and may both families bask in the warmth and the loving glow as a result.
(Bride and Groom each take a lit candle taper and light the Unity Candle together. After the Unity Candle is lit, the Bride and Groom extinguish their individual candle taper.)
Pronouncement
MINISTER:
GROOM’S NAME and BRIDE’S NAME have made a commitment to each other in marriage. An invaluable part of their new life together will be the love, support and encouragement of the family and friends in attendance here today. And now, under the authority vested in me by the State of ___, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your Bride.
Blessing
MINISTER:
Bless this husband. May his strength be her protection, his character her boast and pride. And may he so live that she will find in him the haven for which the heart of woman truly longs.
Bless this wife. Give her tenderness that will make her great; a deep sense of understanding and great faith.
Bless this couple. May they minimize each other’s weaknesses, be swift to magnify and praise each other’s point of strength, and see each other through a lover’s kind and patient eyes. May they never take their love for granted but always experience the breathless wonder that exclaims: “Out of all this world, you have chosen me!”
When the sun is setting and life is over, may they be found then as they are now, hand in hand, always thanking God for each other. May they serve happily, faithfully together, until at last one shall lay the other into the arms of God.
Introduction of the Bridal Couple
Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present to you ___________________, husband and wife.