Processional
Welcome
Welcome
everyone. What a perfect afternoon for a wedding, and what a magnificent location
we find ourselves in! And last but certainly most important, what wonderful
symbols of love and celebration we create by being together.
We are here today for the most joyful reason there is on earth: to unite a
man and a woman in marriage.
Officiant
Who comes today with Karen and Rich to be married?
[Bridal party] We all do.
Please be seated.
We are here together to celebrate love and hope for the future. It is the
continuation of a journey already begun by Karen and Rich, and we are privileged
to be with them as they take the next step.
The love shared by Karen and Rich has brought us here today to celebrate the
beginning of their new life together. Marriage is a commitment freely given
and without reservation. It is a union of body, mind, and spirit.
We wish for them that the joy of this hour will increase a thousand times
over the years, and that they experience with their families the kind of bond
that gives courage to the young and comfort to the old. It is our hope that
when they look back on this day, that they remember it as the time when they
loved each other the least.
Promise
Rich, do you take Karen to be your wife? To love her, to honor her, and to
keep her in your heart forever?
[Rich] I do.
Karen, do you take Rich to be your husband? To love him, to honor him, and
to keep him in your heart forever?
[Karen] I do.
Groom’s Vows
Please join hands, face one another, and repeat after me:
[Rich] Karen, you are my partner, to love and to cherish, to have and to hold,
for richer for poorer, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health,
in sadness and in joy, to share our lives together, from this day forward
and forever more.
Bride’s Vows
[Karen] Rich, you are my partner, to love and to cherish, to have and to hold,
for richer for poorer, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health,
in sadness and in joy, to share our lives together, from this day forward
and forever more.
Exchange of Rings
What tokens of your love have you brought for each other?
[Couple] These rings.
May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your unity. Your two lives are joined
today in an unbroken circle. Wherever you go, may you always return to one
another in your togetherness. May you know in one another the love for which
all people yearn. May you grow in understanding and compassion. May these
rings symbolize the touch of the spirit that is love.
Rich, place the ring on Karen’s left hand, and repeat after me:
[Rich] Karen, I give you this ring as a pledge of my love, and a symbol of
our unity.
Karen, place the ring on Rich’s left hand, and repeat after me:
[Karen] Rich, I give you this ring as a pledge of my love, and a symbol of
our unity.
Reading
In The Prophet it is written,
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
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, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.
Hand Fasting Ceremony
(Caryn drapes silken cord around couple’s left hands.)
Blessed is the tie that binds, and the hands that hold each other for all
time. May your hearts be like your hands today – strong, secure, and
united as one. Be for each other a source of comfort and protection. And finally
on a distant day that is filled with light, let your hands reach each other
to reassure and guide as you leave this world for the next.
Let your hands be mirrors of your hearts – filled with tenderness, love,
and works of goodness on this earth.
(Caryn removes silken cord.)
Reading
The Apaches say, now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter
for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to
the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion
to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years.
May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon
the earth…And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of
your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.
Benediction
It is said that home is any four walls that contain the face you love.
May you always be home for each other. And may you enjoy laughter, long life,
and endless happiness.
Declaration
Karen and Rich, you have promised together before your friends and family
to love each other and join your lives. You are now united both in love, and
in marriage.
I now pronounce you husband and wife together.
Rich, you may now kiss your bride.
Introduction
I have both the pleasure and the honor of presenting Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Lee Kelley – Rich and Karen.
Dismissal
Congratulations! Let the celebration begin!
Recessional
© 2004, Jody Serey