Welcome!
We count it an incredible honour to walk this journey with you. Thank you for the privilege of serving you.
On this page, you will find everything you need to help us help you. The top section is where you’ll find the details you’ll need to put together your ceremony, in conjunction with our Ceremony Template. Down below that, you’ll find your payment and account information that helps you and us both keep track of all the administrative details.
First things first–straight up–this is going to work best if you can do it on a notebook or desktop computer. You’ll find the process possible-but-less-than-ideal on a tablet. And, although it’s not totally impossible for our most tenacious brides and grooms, the constraints of screen size make it an improbable task on your smartphone. 🙂
Help Us Help You
Your ceremony can and should be the most memorable element of your big day. We want to help you make that happen. The sections below will walk you through putting together all the details for your ceremony. Not every couple uses every section; some couples will even add their own sections using “Other Notes.” It’s all good; your ceremony needs to be done your way.
Let's Get Started
Every couple has a ‘great story’–because it’s your story.
If you want your officiant to weave into the ceremony the story of your journey toward marriage, give us some details that will (here we go again!) help us help you do just that.
When you’re done, you’ll receive a confirmation notice that it’s been sent to us. At that point, feel free to close that browser tab to return here and continue the process with the next tab: Ceremony Template.
Our Ceremony Template is designed to get all the details for your ceremony into one place so that you can–you got it!–help us help you make your ceremony the most unforgettable part of your big day!
Clicking the link below will open up the Ceremony Template in a new browser tab/window. You’ll then flip back and forth between that page and this page.
If you’re using the ceremony elements/suggestions we provide in the following vertical tabs here (“C. Pre-Ceremony Music” and beyond), simply click-and-drag to highlight the element you want, copy it, flip back to the Ceremony Template, and paste it into the corresponding content box there. Then, return to this tab/window and select the next option. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. 🙂
Move to each page of the Ceremony Template by clicking the “Next” button at the bottom. If you need to revisit a previous area, click on “Previous” to navigate backwards–please don’t click your browser’s “Back” button.
Here’s the link that should open in a new tab/window: Ceremony Template
IT’S A WHOLE MOOD
How can you set the mood for the ceremony through music?
Well, live music is always a great way to go and there are some very talented local musicians. You may be blessed with a friend or family member who is willing to take part in the ceremony.
If you have a DJ lined up for your reception, it may be a good idea to book him or her as well for your ceremony.
We also live in the age of fantastic electronics and with a smartphone and a Bluetooth speaker, you can have excellent sound quality for your ceremony.
If you have any specific notes you’d like us to remember or instructions for us to follow, go ahead and fill in that box in the other tab right now.
SET THE STAGE
There are various ways for the wedding party to make an entrance to the ceremony:
- Groom’s attendants start off upfront, bride’s attendants make an entrance.
- Bride’s and Groom’s attendants come in as a couple.
- Groom’s attendants start off upfront and then walk back to meet the bride’s attendants and walk in together.
- Some other way you envision making an entrance!
If there are flower-girls and ring-bearers, they traditionally make an entrance before the bride. However, if they are younger, the bride may elect to have them walk down the aisle before her attendants.
Traditionally, the bride is escorted down the aisle, but on occasion, she may choose to walk the aisle unaccompanied.
PROUD AFFIRMATIONS
Rest assured that whenever you need to have an audience interaction, our officiants will clearly communicate and help your witnesses navigate this so as to avoid any awkward pauses! We’ve got you covered!
It’s a proud moment for the one escorting the bride into the ceremony, so it’s always nice to ask:
“Who gives (or presents) this bride to be married to this man today?”
Bride’s escort would answer, “I do.”
From Christian Weddings at ThoughtCo
Often all the parents are pulled into this moment, so you may want the officiant to ask:
“Do the parents of this happy couple, give their blessing to them, and promise to support and encourage them in their marriage?”
All Parents/Step-Parents/Grandparents would answer, “We do.”
Or, perhaps:
“Do you embrace ____ as ____’s chosen partner into your lives and families?”
By Robin Renteria
Or, if you want to get all the guests involved in the moment, you may have the officiant ask:
“Do each of you, as family and friends of this bride and groom commit to loving and supporting this couple through the valleys and over the mountaintops of life?”
We trust all will say, “WE DO!”
By Contemporary Weddings at ThoughtCo
“It is appropriate that all of you who have gathered here, the family and friends of ____ and ____, witness and participate in this wedding. For the ideals, the understanding, and the mutual respect that these two bring to their marriage have the roots in the love, friendship, and guidance that you have given them. With you, they wish to share their vows, and ask that you acknowledge their love and commitment to one another. Do you, who have nurtured these two, offer your blessings and support to their union and their family? (We do.) To all who are gathered here, affirm your blessings, support, and encouragement by proclaiming ‘we do’. (We do.)”
By Robin Renteria
THE WELCOME TO YOUR BIG DAY
Allow your officiant to welcome your family and friends to this once-in-a-lifetime occasion on your behalf.
If you want an unplugged ceremony, have the officiant remind everyone to power down.
Other than that, this is the start of a new chapter, so make sure that is communicated.
MAKE A STATEMENT
You don’t have to make a statement of intent to be legally married in Ontario, but we see it all the time in the movies. Below are a few samples. Feel free to reword or rephrase any of them to fit your personality.
____ and ____, you have freely decided to commit yourselves to each other in a close and continuing relationship in which your lives will be intertwined. In the presence of these witnesses, you will exchange your pledge of that commitment, affirming your intention to strengthen and cherish the relationship you are building together, and to find through the sharing of your lives with each other a unity.
By Robin Renteria
Will/Do you, Groom, take this woman to be your wedded wife?
Groom: I will/do
Will/Do you, Bride, take this man to be your wedded husband?
Bride: I will/do
By Nina Callaway at The Spruce
Do you, ____, come here freely with the intent to marry ____? (Yes, I do.) ____ and ____, you have freely decided to commit yourselves to each other in a close and continuing relationship in which your lives will be intertwined. In the presence of these witnesses, you will exchange your pledge of that commitment, affirming your intention to strengthen and cherish the relationship you are building together, and to find through the sharing of your lives with each other a unity.
By Robin Renteria
____and ____, now in the time-honoured way I ask you to declare your intentions one to the other: ____, do you take ____ to be your wife/husband/partner? Will you live together in love, sharing your joys and sorrows all the years of your lives? (Response: “I will.”)
From Robin Renteria
You are both here today because you’re making the choice of a lifetime. You’re choosing each other. You are choosing someone who makes you better, a person who makes you think, makes you feel loved, and makes every day brighter. Will you, Bride and Groom, keep each other as the favourite person, to laugh, to cry, to support one another, to be proud of each other, to grow through the decades to come, and find new reasons to love each other every day? (“We will.”)
From TheKnot.com
A SPECIAL READING
Sometimes a special reading captures just the right words to convey a special memory, a significant life event, or a meaningful personal experience.
This element can be a great way to include an important person in your life who isn’t otherwise part of the ceremony: a Scripture passage read by Grandma, a poem read by your college roommate, a blessing from a godparent, etc.
This one’s gonna give your scrolling fingers a workout! Below you’ll find PLENTY of great examples of poems, Scriptures, blessings, excerpts from Shakespeare, and modern readings–lots of options to get your creative juices flowing!
1 Corinthians 13
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
Does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
Does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Genesis 2
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. 23 “At last!” the man exclaimed.
“This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
because she was taken from ‘man.’”
24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Hand in hand, we come before you, O Lord.
Hand in hand, we are stepping out in faith.
We, who are gathered here, ask that you would take this couple into your hands. Help them, O Lord, to keep firm in the commitments they have just made.
Guide them, O God, as they become a family, as they each change through the years. May they be flexible as they are faithful.
And Lord, help us all to be your hands if there be need. Strengthen, tenderly all of our commitments, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
By Thought.com
‘From Beginning to End’ by Robert Fulghum
You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks—all those sentences that began with “When we’re married” and continued with “I will and you will and we will”—those late-night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe”—and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart.
All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed—well, I meant it all, every word.” Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another—acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years.
Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this—is my husband, this—is my wife.
From Brides.com
“Sonnet from the Portuguese, XLIII” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.
We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name.
By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman.
Defend them from every enemy.
Lead them into all peace.
Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.
Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death.
Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
–Book of Common Prayer (1979)
‘Jasper Jones’ by Craig Silvey
What I’m feeling, I think, is joy. And it’s been some time since I’ve felt that blinkered rush of happiness. This might be one of those rare events that lasts, one that’ll be remembered and recalled as months and years wind and ravel. One of those sweet, significant moments that leaves a footprint in your mind. A photograph couldn’t ever tell its story. It’s like something you have to live to understand. One of those freak collisions of fizzing meteors and looming celestial bodies and floating debris and one single beautiful red ball that bursts into your life and through your body like an enormous firework. Where things shift into focus for a moment, and everything makes sense. And it becomes one of those things inside you, a pearl among sludge, one of those big exaggerated memories you can invoke at any moment to peel away a little layer of how you felt, like a lick of ice cream. The flavor of grace.
From Brides.com
The Art of a Good Marriage, by Wilfred Arlan Peterson
A good marriage must be created.
In marriage, the “little” things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say, ”I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of values, and common objectives.
It is standing together and facing the world.
It is forming a circle that gathers in the whole family.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is not only marrying the right person–it is being the right partner.
From TheKnot.com
“Untitled” by R.M. Drake
You will be the clouds
and I will be the sky.
you will be the ocean
and I will be the shore.
you will be the trees
and I will be the wind.
whatever we are, you and I
will always collide.
From Brides.com
Excerpt from “The Prophet” by Khalil Gabran
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of 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.
Friendship, by Judy Bielicki
It is often said that it is love that makes the world go round. However, without a doubt, it is friendship which keeps our spinning existence on an even keel. True friendship provides so many of the essentials for a happy life-it is the foundation on which to build an enduring relationship, it is the mortar which bonds us together in harmony, and it is the calm, warm protection we sometimes need when the world outside seems cold and chaotic. True friendship holds a mirror to our foibles and failings, without destroying our sense of worthiness. True friendship nurtures our hopes, supports us in our disappointments, and encourages us to grow to our best potential. (Bride) and (Groom) came together as friends. Today, they pledge to each other not only their love, but also the strength, warmth and, most importantly, the fun of true friendship.
From TheKnot.com
“Wedding Prayer” by Robert Louis Stevenson
Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow,
for the health, the work, the food,
and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Amen.
An Irish Wedding Blessing
You are the star of each night,
You are the brightness of every morning,
You are the story of each guest,
You are the report of every land.
No evil shall befall you, on hill nor bank,
In field or valley, on mountain or in glen.
Neither above, nor below, neither in sea,
Nor on shore, in skies above,
Nor in the depths.
You are the kernel of my heart,
You are the face of my sun,
You are the harp of my music,
You are the crown of my company
Scottish Wedding Prayer
Lord help us to remember when
We first met and the strong
love that grew between us.
To work that love into
practical things so that nothing
can divide us.
We ask for words both kind
and loving and hearts always
ready to ask forgiveness
as well as to forgive.
Dear Lord, we put our
marriage into your hands.
Amen.
“Sooner or Later” Anonymous
Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than verses on valentines, and romance in the movies. We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, the most important thing in our lives.
For love is the creator of our favourite memories, and the foundation of our fondest dreams. Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that can never be spent, a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely of places. And this radiance that never fades, this mysterious and magical joy, is the greatest treasure of all–one known only by those who love.
“Blessing For A Marriage” by James Dillet Freeman
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding. May you always need one another–not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete. The valley does not make the mountain less, but more. And the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you. May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another. May you succeed in all-important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces. May you look for things to praise, often say, “I love you!” and take no notice of small faults. If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back. May you enter into the mystery that is the awareness of one another’s presence–no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities. May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.
“Carrie’s Poem” from Sex and the City
His hello was the end of her endings
Her laugh was their first step down the aisle
His hand would be hers to hold forever
His forever was as simple as her smile
He said she was what was missing
She said instantly she knew
She was a question to be answered
And his answer was “I do.”
Two Fragments by Sappho
Love holds me captive again
and I tremble with bittersweet longing
As a gale on the mountainside bends the oak tree
I am rocked by my love.
“To Diego and Frida” (Tina Modotti’s toast from the movie)
I don’t believe in marriage. No, I really don’t. Let me be clear about that. I think at worst it’s a hostile political act, a way for small-minded men to keep women in the house and out of the way, wrapped up in the guise of tradition and conservative religious nonsense. At best, it’s a happy delusion — these two people who truly love each other and have no idea how truly miserable they’re about to make each other. But, but, when two people know that, and they decide with eyes wide open to face each other and get married anyway, then I don’t think it’s conservative or delusional. I think it’s radical and courageous and very romantic.
“Is this love that rushes towards the rim to meet you. A main thread in the inwardness of things? Without it would the great externality loosen and unravel? Is it our purpose to see and say that the world is good? And could we have seen this and said it, beloved, while you seemed indubitable? I do not know.
I stand with hands dangling empty at my sides. I have no wisdom bequeathed to me by ancestors. The stars are equivocal, and around me nature is in sorest travail, weeping.
I love you.
This is the only sacred word in my keeping. This is the last trace, the last print in our hearts’ waste, of the migration of a thousand traditions, a thousand embodiments of wisdom. I stand with useless hands, and out of the transparency of my poverty, I offer you this, my single gift.”
—Freya Matthews From TheKnot.com
“Untitled” by Christina Rossetti
What is the beginning? Love. What the course? Love still. What the goal? The goal is Love. On a happy hill Is there nothing then but Love? Search we sky or earth There is nothing out of Love Hath perpetual worth; All things flag but only Love, All things fail and flee; There is nothing left but Love Worthy you and me.
From Brides.com
‘Cinderella’
So this is love
So this is what makes life divine
I’m all aglow
And now I know
The key to all heaven is mine
My heart has wings
And I can fly
I’ll touch every star in the sky
So this is the miracle
That I’ve been dreaming of
So this is love
From Brides.com
‘When Harry Met Sally’
I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
From Brides.com
“The Good-Morrow” by John Donne
I wonder by my troth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved?
were we not weaned till then?
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?
‘Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be;
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.
And now good-morrow to our waking souls,
Which watch not one another out of fear;
For love all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone;
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown;
Let us possess one world; each hath one, and is one.
My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;
Where can we find two better hemispheres
Without sharp north, without declining west?
Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;
If our two loves be one, or thou and I
Love so alike that none can slacken, none can die.
“Many human relationships are like the interlocking fingers of two hands… Human relationships are meant to be like two hands folded together. They can move away from each other while still touching with the fingertips. They can create space between themselves, a little tent, a home, a safe place to be. True relationships among people point to God. They are like prayers in the world. Sometimes the hands that pray are fully touching, sometimes there is distance between them. They always move to and from each other, but they never lose touch. They keep praying to the One who brought them together.”
—Henri Nouwen From TheKnot.com
‘The Wedding Singer’
I want to make you smile whenever you’re sad. Carry you around when your arthritis is bad. All I want to do is grow old with you. I’ll get your medicine when your tummy aches. Build you a fire if the furnace breaks. Oh, it could be so nice, growing old with you. I’ll miss you, Kiss you, Give you my coat when you are cold. Need you, Feed you, Even let you hold the remote control. So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink. Put you to bed if you’ve had too much to drink. I could be the man who grows old with you. I want to grow old with you.
From Brides.com
“II” from “Twenty-One Love Poems” by Adrienne Rich
I wake up in your bed.
I know I have been dreaming.
Much earlier, the alarm broke us from each other,
you’ve been at your desk for hours. I know what I dreamed:
our friend the poet comes into my room
where I’ve been writing for days,
drafts, carbons, poems are scattered everywhere,
and I want to show her one poem
which is the poem of my life.
But I hesitate,
and wake. You’ve kissed my hair
to wake me. I dreamed you were a poem,
I say, a poem I wanted to show someone…
and I laugh and fall dreaming again
of the desire to show you to everyone I love,
to move openly together
in the pull of gravity, which is not simple,
which carried the feathered grass a long way down the upbreathing air.
‘Friends’
For so long I wondered if I would ever find my prince, my soulmate. Then three years ago, at another wedding, I turned to a friend for comfort. And instead, I found everything that I’d ever been looking for my whole life. And now here we are with our future before us, and I only want to spend it with you, my prince, my soulmate, my friend.
From Brides.com
‘Frozen’
We’re not saying you can change them, ‘cuz people don’t really change We’re only saying that love’s a force that’s powerful and strange People make bad choices if they’re mad, or scared, or stressed Throw a little love their way (throw a little love their way) and you’ll bring out their best. True love brings out their best! Everyone’s a bit of a fixer-upper, that’s what it’s all about! We need each other to raise us up and round us out. Everyone’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but when push comes to shove… The only fixer-upper fixer that can fix up a fixer-upper is true love.
From Brides.com
“May your love be firm, and may your dream of life together be a river between two shores—by day bathed in sunlight, and by night illuminated from within. May the heron carry news of you to the heavens, and the salmon bring the sea’s blue grace. May your twin thoughts spiral upward like leafy vines, like fiddle strings in the wind, and be as noble as the Douglas fir. May you never find yourselves back to back without love pulling you around into each other’s arms.”
—James Bertolino From TheKnot.com
“Maud” by Lord Alfred Tennyson
There has fallen a splendid tear
From the passion-flower at the gate.
She is coming, my dove, my dear;
She is coming, my life, my fate;
The red rose cries, “She is near, she is near;”
And the white rose weeps, “She is late;”
The larkspur listens, “I hear, I hear;”
And the lily whispers, “I wait.”
She is coming, my own, my sweet;
Were it ever so airy a tread,
My heart would hear her and beat,
Were it earth in an earthy bed;
My dust would hear her and beat,
Had I lain for a century dead,
Would start and tremble under her feet,
And blossom in purple and red.
“There Will Be Time” by Mumford and Sons, featuring Baaba Maal
But in the cold light, I live to love and adore you
It’s all that I am, it’s all that I have
In the cold light I live, I only live for you
It’s all that I am, it’s all that I have
From Brides.com
“Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis
You may think that I’m talking foolish
You’ve heard that I’m wild and I’m free
You may wonder how I can promise you now
This love that I feel for you always will be
But you’re not just time that I’m killin’
I’m no longer one of those guys
As sure as I live, this love that I give
Is gonna be yours until the day that I die
Oh, baby, I’m gonna love you forever
Forever and ever, amen
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful
I’ll be happy to tell you again
I’m gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
They say time take its toll on a body
Makes a young girl’s brown hair turn gray
Well, honey, I don’t care, I ain’t in love with your hair
And if it all fell out, well, I’d love you anyway
They say time can play tricks on a mem’ry
Make people forget things they knew
Well, it’s easy to see it’s happenin’ to me
I’ve already forgotten every woman but you
Oh, darlin’, I’m gonna love you forever
Forever and ever, amen
From Brides.com
“The Book of Love” by Stephin Merritt, featuring The Magnetic Fields
The book of love is long and boring. No one can lift the damn thing. It’s full of charts and facts, some figures and instructions for dancing.
But I, I love it when you read to me. And you, You can read me anything.
The book of love has music in it. In fact, that’s where music comes from. Some of it is just transcendental, Some of it is just really dumb.
But I, I love it when you sing to me. And you, You can sing me anything.
The book of love is long and boring, And written very long ago. It’s full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes, And things we’re all too young to know.
But I, I love it when you give me things. And you, You ought to give me wedding rings.
From Brides.com
A Quote from Ogden Nash
To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it
Whenever you’re right, shut up.
“Yes, I’ll Marry You” by Pam Ayres
Yes, I’ll marry you, my dear.
And here’s the reason why;
So I can push you out of bed
When the baby starts to cry,
And if we hear a knocking
And it’s creepy and it’s late,
I hand you the torch you see,
And you investigate.
Yes, I’ll marry you, my dear,
You may not apprehend it,
But when the tumble-drier goes
It’s you that has to mend it,
You have to face the neighbour
Should our labrador attack him,
And if a drunkard fondles me
It’s you that has to whack him.
Yes, I’ll marry you,
You’re virile and you’re lean,
My house is like a pigsty
You can help to keep it clean.
That sexy little dinner
Which you served by candlelight,
As I do chipolatas,
You can cook it every night!
It’s you who has to work the drill
and put up curtain track,
And when I’ve got PMT it’s you who gets the flak,
I do see great advantages,
But none of them for you,
And so before you see the light,
I do, I do, I do!
“They say they will love, comfort, honour each other to the end of their days. They say they will cherish each other and be faithful to each other always. They say they will do these things not just when they feel like it, but even–for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health–when they don’t feel like it at all. In other words, the vows they make could hardly be more extravagant. They give away their freedom. They take on themselves each other’s burdens. They bind their lives together… The question is, what do they get in return?
They get each other in return… There will always be the other to talk to, to listen to… There is still someone to get through the night with, to wake into the new day beside. If they have children, they can give them, as well as each other, roots and wings. If they don’t have children, they each become the other’s child.
They both still have their lives apart as well as a life together. They both still have their separate ways to find. But a marriage made in heaven is one where a man and a woman become more richly themselves together than the chances are either of them could ever have managed to become alone.”
—Frederick Buechner From TheKnot.com
A Reading from the Movie, The Princess Bride
Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us togeder today.
Mawwage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam.
And wove, twue wove, wiww fowwow you fowevah…
So tweasuwe youw wove…
“You Are Part of Me,” Lloyd Carl Owle (Cherokee)
You are part of me now.
You touched me with your kindness,
So enchanted.
Your lips are kind.
Your eyes glow with life.
I’m glad you touched me.
You’re part of me now.
My beloved,
I have never seen you so sweet, so good, so lovable, and so confident,
just the way I have wanted so often.
Without doubt you understood my dreams and my desires,
you could not imagine how happy that makes me
how happy you make me and how I love you
There is no need for you to be afraid.
With hearts like ours, nothing will ever tire them and nothing will break them
our love will keep us forever young
A love like the one I have for you will never die
even on the threshold of old age for me, you will still be the young girl who charmed me
who made my heart beat hard
and who brought me such feelings of happiness
you will always be the one I love and that I will love forever with all my heart.”
“Section Historique de l’Armee de Terre, 1Kt T458, Correspondance entre le soldat Paul Pireaud et son espouse, 10 janvier 1910-1927, Letter from Paul Pireaud to Marie Andrieux 28 February 1918.
“The future belongs far more to the heart than to the mind. Love is the one thing that can fill and fulfill eternity. The infinite calls for the inexhaustible.
Love partakes of the soul, being of the same nature. Like the soul, it is the divine spark, incorruptible, indivisible, imperishable. It is the fiery particle that dwells in us, immortal and infinite, which nothing can confine and nothing extinguish. We feel its glow in the marrow of our bones and see its brightness reaching to the depths of heaven.
Oh, love, adoration, the rapture of two spirits which know each other, two hearts which are exchanged, two looks which interpenetrate! You will come to me, will you not, this happiness! To walk together in solitude! Blessed and radiant days! I have sometimes thought that now and then moments may be detached from the lives of angels to enrich the lives of men.
God can add nothing to the happiness of those who love except to make it unending. After a lifetime of love, an eternity of love is indeed an increase.”
From Les Mis
‘A Lovely Love Story’ by Edward Monkton:
“The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice.
Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, his cage.
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.
I like this Dinosaur, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
Although he is fierce, he is also tender and he is funny.
He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now.
I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur.
She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice.
She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.
But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
He is also overly fond of things.
Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of things?
But her mind skips from here to there so quickly, thought the Dinosaur.
She is also uncommonly keen on shopping.
Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?
I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.
I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur.
For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises. Besides,
I am not unkeen on shopping either.
Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old.
Look at them.
Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.
And that, my friends, is how it is with love.
Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together.
For the sun is warm.
And the world is a beautiful place.'”
“I Choose You” by Sara Bareilles
Let the bough break, let it come down crashing. Let the sun fade out to a dark sky. I can’t say I’d even notice it was absent. ‘Cause I could live by the light in your eyes
I’ll unfold before you, What I have strung together. The very first words of a lifelong love letter
Tell the world that we finally got it all right. I choose you I will become yours and you will become mine…
There was a time when I would have believed them, If they told me that you could not come true. Just love’s illusion But then you found me And everything changed And I believe in something again.
My whole heart. Will be yours forever. This is a beautiful start, To a lifelong love letter
Tell the world that we finally got it all right. I choose you. I will become yours and you will become mine…
We are not perfect we’ll learn from our mistakes, And as long as it takes I will prove my love to you. I am not scared of the elements I am underprepared, But I am willing. And even better I get to be the other half of you.
From Brides.com
“Song of Songs”
I am my Beloved’s
And he is mine.
Come my beloved,
Let us go forth into the field;
And lodge in the villages.
Let us go up early to the vineyards;
Let us see whether the vine has budded,
Whether the grape has opened,
And the pomegranates are in bloom;
There will I give thee my love.
The mandrakes give forth fragrance,
And at the door are all manner of precious fruits, new and old
Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.
—Anonymous From The Knot.com
“Tale of Two Wolves” (Cherokee)
One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
“May your love be firm, and may your dream of life together be a river between two shores—by day bathed in sunlight, and by night illuminated from within. May the heron carry news of you to the heavens, and the salmon bring the sea’s blue grace. May your twin thoughts spiral upward like leafy vines, like fiddle strings in the wind, and be as noble as the Douglas fir. May you never find yourselves back to back without love pulling you around into each other’s arms.”
—James Bertolino from HarperOne
“Let the earth of my body be mixed with the earth
my beloved walks on.
Let the fire of my body be the brightness
in the mirror that reflects his face.
Let the water of my body join the waters
of the lotus pool he bathes in.
Let the breath of my body be air
lapping his tired limbs.
Let me be sky, and moving through me the cloud-dark Shyama, my beloved.”
Hindu Love Poem
“I know not whether thou has been absent:
I lie down with thee, I rise up with thee,
In my dreams thou art with me.
If my eardrops tremble in my ears,
I know it is thou moving within my heart.”
Aztec Love Song
“Rising Sun! when you shall shine,
Make this house happy,
Beautify it with your beams;
Make this house happy,
God of Dawn! your white blessings spread;
Make this house happy.
Guard the doorway from all evil;
Make this house happy.
White corn! Abide herein;
Make this house happy.
Soft wealth! May this hut cover much;
Make this house happy.
Heavy Rain! Your virtues send;
Make this house happy.
Corn Pollen! Bestow content;
Make this house happy.
May peace around this family dwell;
Make this house happy.”
Navajo Chant
“Love is enough: though the World be a-waning,
And the woods have no voice but the voice of complaining,
Though the sky be too dark for dim eyes to discover,
The gold-cups and daisies fair blooming thereunder,
Though the hills be held shadows, and the sea a dark wonder
And this day draw a veil over all deeds pass’d over,
Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter;
The void shall not weary, the fear shall not alter These lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.”
—William Morris from HarperOne
22 Laws of Wellness
“The greatest pursuit is not good health, unsurpassed wisdom, economic surplus, political freedom, or even faith that can move mountains.
It is the daily practice of the greatest of the non-negotiable laws of wellness, the Law of Unconditional Loving.
Unconditional, nonjudgmental loving. This is our aim, life’s single highest and most rewarding pursuit…
The highest expression of Divine Design is applied love found in loving relationships between people. Not the erotic love we see on television and in the movies but love rooted in a decision to serve. It is a dynamic state of consciousness, a giving, creative flow, and a harmony. It’s an acceptance of the human condition as perfectly imperfect. And it is a choice to love without regard to any conditions; no ‘ifs’ are allowed in this, the greatest of laws.”
—Greg Anderson
“A Time to Laugh”
“1. Laugh when people tell a joke. Otherwise you might make them feel bad.
2. Laugh when you look into a mirror. Otherwise you might feel bad.
3. Laugh when you make a mistake. If you don’t, you’re liable to forget how ultimately unimportant the whole thing really is, whatever it is.
4. Laugh with small children… They laugh at mashed bananas on their faces, mud in their hair, a dog nuzzling their ears, the sight of their bottoms as bare as silk. It renews your perspective. Clearly nothing is as bad as it could be.
5. Laugh at situations that are out of your control. When the best man comes to the altar without the wedding ring, laugh. When the dog jumps through the window screen at the dinner guests on your doorstep, sit down and laugh awhile.
6. When you find yourself in public in mismatched shoes, laugh—as loudly as you can. Why collapse in mortal agony? There’s nothing you can do to change things right now. Besides, it is funny. Ask me; I’ve done it.
7. Laugh at anything pompous. At anything that needs to puff its way through life in robes and titles… Will Rogers laughed at all the public institutions of life. For instance, “You can’t say civilization isn’t advancing,” he wrote. “In every war they kill you in a new way.”
8. Finally, laugh when all your carefully laid plans get changed; when the plane is late and the restaurant is closed and the last day’s screening of the movie of the year was yesterday. You’re free now to do something else, to be spontaneous… to take a piece of life and treat it with outrageous abandon.”
—Sister Joan Chittister, originally published in her book, There is a Season
“There is a desire within each of us, in the deep center of ourselves that we call our heart. We were born with it, it is never completely satisfied, and it never dies. We are often unaware of it, but it is always awake. It is the human desire for love. Every person in this earth yearns to love, to be loved, to know love. Our true identity, our reason for being, is to be found in this desire…”
“…Love is the ‘why’ of life: why we are functioning at all, what we want to be efficient for… I am convinced [love] is the fundamental energy of the human spirit, the fuel on which we run, the wellspring of our vitality. And grace, which is the flowing, creative activity of love itself, is what makes all goodness possible.”
“Love should come first; it should be the beginning of and the reason for everything.”
—Gerald May from On Relationship
Love, I Assure You, Is Passion
“You cannot be sensitive if you are not passionate. Do not be afraid of that word passion. Most religious books, most gurus, swamis, leaders, and all the rest of them say, ‘Don’t have passion.’ But if you have no passion, how can you be sensitive to the ugly, to the beautiful, to the whispering leaves, to the sunset, to a smile, to a cry? Sirs, please listen to me, and do not ask how to acquire passion… I am talking of something entirely different–a passion that loves. Love is a state in which there is no ‘me’… And how can one love if one is not passionate? Without passion, how can one be sensitive? To be sensitive is to feel your neighbour sitting next to you; it is to see the ugliness of the town with its squalor, its filth, its poverty, and to see the beauty of the river, the sea, the sky. If you are not passionate, how can you be sensitive to all that? How can you feel a smile, a tear? Love, I assure you, is passion.”
—J. Krishnamurti
When There Is Love, Self Is Not
“A man rich with worldly riches, or a man rich in knowledge and belief, will never know anything but darkness, and will be the center of all mischief and misery. But if you and I, as individuals, can see this whole working of the self, then we shall know what love is. I assure you that is the only reformation which can possibly change the world. Love is not the self. Self cannot recognize love. You say, ‘I love,’ but then, in the very saying of it, in the very experiencing of it, love is not. But, when you know love, self is not. When there is love, self is not.”
—J. Krishnamurti
“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring with your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes!’
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand alone in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back….”
—Oriah
Historia de un amor
“Always you were the reason for my existence; To adore you for me was religion…”
“It is the story of a love like unto which there is no equal, which made me understand all that is good, all that is bad; that gave light to my life, extinguishing it afterwards… Oh! What a darkened life! Without your love I will not live.”
—Carlos Almaran
“I’ve always believed in numbers and the equations and logics that lead to reason. But after a lifetime of such pursuits, I ask: ‘What truly is logic?’ ‘Who decides reason?’ My quest has taken me through the physical, the metaphysical, the delusional–and back. And I have made the most important discovery of my career, the most important discovery of my life: It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found.”
–from A Beautiful Mind
“Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no loneliness for you,
now there is no more loneliness.
Now you are two bodies,
but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
and enter in your days together.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.”
From Broken Arrow
“We need a witness to our lives. There’s a billion people on the planet… I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you’re promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things… all of it, all of the time, every day. You’re saying ‘Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness.”
From Shall We Dance
“Well, that’s what we do. We fight. You tell me when I am being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you are being a pain in the ass–which you are, 99 percent of the time. I’m not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have like a two-second rebound rate, and you’re back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing… So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.”
From The Notebook
“The future belongs to hearts even more than it does to minds. Love: that is the only thing that can occupy and fill eternity. In the infinite, the inexhaustible is requisite.”
“Love participates of the soul itself. It is of the same nature. Like it, it is the divine spark; like it, it is incorruptible, indivisible, imperishable. It is a point of fire that exists within us, which is immortal and infinite, which nothing can confine, and which nothing can extinguish. We feel it burning even to the very marrow of our bones, and we see it beaming in the very depths of heaven.”
“Oh, Love! Adorations! Voluptuousness of two minds which understand each other, of two hearts which exchange with each other, of two glances which penetrate each other! You will come to me, will you not, bliss! Strolls by twos in the solitudes! Blessed and radiant days! I have sometimes dreamed that from time to time hours detached themselves from the lives of the angels and came here below to traverse the destinies of men.”
“God can add nothing to the happiness of those who love, except to give them endless duration. After a life of love, an eternity of love is, in fact, an augmentation; but to increase in intensity even the ineffable felicity which love bestows on the soul even in this world, is impossible, even to God. God is the plenitude of heaven; love is the plenitude of man. ‘You look at a star for two reasons, because it is luminous, and because it is impenetrable. You have beside you a sweeter radiance and a greater mystery, woman.'”
“All of us, whoever we may be, have our respirable beings. We lack air and we stifle. Then we die. To die for lack of love is horrible. Suffocation of the soul.”
“When love has fused and mingled two beings in a sacred and angelic unity, the secret of life has been discovered so far as they are concerned; they are no longer anything more than the two boundaries of the same destiny; they are no longer anything but the two wings of the same spirit. Love, soar.”
“On the day when a woman as she passes before you emits light as she walks, you are lost, you love. But one thing remains for you to do: to think of her so intently that she is constrained to think of you.”
“What love commences can be finished by God alone.”
“True love is in despair and is enchanted over a glove lost or a handkerchief found, and eternity is required for its devotion and its hopes. It is composed both of the infinitely great and the infinitely little.”
“If you are a stone, be adamant; if you are a plant, be the sensitive plant; if you are a man, be love.”
“Nothing suffices for love. We have happiness, we desire paradise; we possess paradise, we desire heaven.”
“Oh ye who love each other, all this is contained in love. Understand how to find it there. Love has contemplation as well as heaven, and more than heaven, it has voluptuousness.”
–Victor Hugo From Les Mis
LET’S GET PERSONAL
Do you want your ceremony to be memorable? Of course you do, and nothing makes it more memorable than a personable touch that brings laughter or maybe even a tear.
When we meet with you, we endeavour to pick up on and gather information such as, how you met, your engagement story, your hopes and dreams as a couple and what you love most about each other.
(You’ve also hopefully given us some specific insights on this above in “A. Our Story.”)
We take all that material and weave it together to craft a memorable portion of your ceremony where you and your guests will appreciate the time put into crafting the ceremony.
SAY IT WITH LOVE
Much like “A Special Reading,” we’ve given you lots of options and variations of what you might like to see included in this element of your ceremony. Scroll to your heart’s content!
Many couples prefer that we break it down line by line and have them do a “repeat after me” kind of scenario; we’re glad to do that, of course. Just make a note of that in your Ceremony Template.
________, you are my companion in life and my one true love. I will treasure our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust and honour you, I will laugh and cry with you. With unfailing love, I will stand by you through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
(Name), I pledge to you to be your loving friend and partner in marriage. To talk and to listen, to trust and appreciate you; to respect and cherish your uniqueness; and to support, comfort, and strengthen you through life’s joys and sorrows. I promise to share hopes, thoughts, and dreams as we build our lives together. May our lives be ever intertwined, our love keeping us together. May we build a home that is compassionate to all, full of respect and honour for others and each other. And may our home forever be filled with peace, happiness, and love.
From WeddingYourWay.com
I take you to be my partner for life,
I promise above all else to live in truth with you
And to communicate fully and fearlessly,
I give you my hand and my heart
As a sanctuary of warmth and peace
And pledge my love, devotion, faith and honour
As I join my life to yours.
From TheKnot.com
I _________ take you, ____________
To be my husband/wife
Knowing in my heart that you will be my best friend and faithful partner and one true love.
From TheMarryingMan.com
I Groom/Bride, take you, _____________ to be my husband/wife, my constant friend and partner, and my love. I will work to create a bond of honesty, respect, and trust; one that withstands the tides of time and change, and grows along with us. I vow to honour and respect you for all that you are and will become, taking pride in who we are, both separately and together. I promise to challenge you, and to accept challenges from you.
By Nina Callaway at The Spruce
(Name), I offer you my Love. I offer you my strength. I offer you my weaknesses. I offer you my support. I offer you my loyalty. I offer you my faith, for as long as we both shall live.
From WeddingYourWay.com
I ____, take you ____, to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.
From Wedding Ceremonies Choices
In the presence of God and these our friends I take thee, ______, to be my husband/wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband/wife so long as we both shall live.
Quaker Vows
I promise to love you above all others and to cherish your friendship. I look forward to raising our family and building our relationship under the care and guidance of God. I promise to stand beside you in sickness and health, in times of prosper and decline, in peace and in turmoil, as long as we both shall live.
Contemporary Baptist Vow
___, I thank God for you every day!
In the presence of God, our family and friends, these things I promise to you:
_____________, I promise you above all, my love!
My unending trust and respect,
And gentle understanding and support.
I promise to keep an open heart and mind in times of change and growth,
______, I take you to be my husband/wife/partner,
The companion of my days
From this day forward, you shall be my partner, together to love,
to work and to share, to grow and to understand,
to discover a deeper fuller life.
By Robin Renteria
You are my once-in-a-lifetime, my miracle. May our lives intermingle and our love grow as we become one. You are all I could ever need in my life, my friend, my lover, my everything. I promise to be faithful to you, to love you, honour you, live with you and cherish you, according to the commandments of God, in the holy bond of marriage.
By Nina Callaway at the Spruce
I commit my love to you this day for as long as we both shall live; this love is the very flame of God and may no man dare to quench it. I promise to be faithful to you, to nurture you, to cherish you and encourage you, with the same care and concern that I give myself. I promise to help you become the person our Lord has intended you to be, and throughout our lifetime together, you will always be my beloved and my best friend.
From TheKnot.com
I promise to love you with an unselfish devotion. I will care for you with tenderness and I will always seek to strengthen you, comfort you, encourage you and hold you up daily in prayer before our Heavenly Father. I pledge you my faithfulness and eternal love from this day forward.
By Robin Renteria
On this day,
I give you my heart,
My promise,
That I will walk with you,
Hand in hand,
Wherever our journey leads us,
Living, learning, loving,
Together,
Forever
From TheKnot.com
I will join with you and our community in an ongoing struggle to create a world we all want to live in, where love and friendship will be recognized and celebrated in all their many forms. Our home will be a sanctuary and a respite for us and for those whom we cherish. Above all, I will give you my love freely and unconditionally. I pledge this to you from the bottom of my heart, for all the days of our lives.
By Nina Callaway at the Spruce
I, ____, take you, ____, to be my beloved wife/husband, to love and to cherish all my days.
From The Knot, Standard Wedding Vows
I promise to encourage your compassion,
Because that is what makes you unique and wonderful.
I promise to nurture your dreams,
Because through them your soul shines.
I promise to help shoulder our challenges,
For there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together.
I promise to be your partner in all things,
Not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole.
Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust,
For one lifetime with you could never be enough.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things.
From TheKnot.com
I want to live with you, just as you are.
You are my beloved and my best friend.
I choose you above all others as my partner to share my life.
I promise to stand with you in times of joy, turmoil, and grief.
I promise to be completely present with you.
I promise to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond,
to honour and tenderly care for you,
to cherish and encourage you through all the changes of our lives.
By Robin Renteria
[Bride/Groom],
Today I pledge to you what has already been yours for so long–my eternal love.
As we have always done, I promise to walk hand-in-hand with you through life’s journeys.
No matter what lies in our path, it will be our path, together.
In the joys and troubles that lie ahead of us, I will be faithful and loving to you.
This is my solemn vow.
By Nina Callaway at the Spruce
I, ____, choose you, ____, above all others, to share my life. I pledge to share my life openly with you – to speak the truth in love – and to accept your truth – as you share with me. I will be your companion and friend in life. I will give you respect – understanding – and the freedom to grow – in your learning and fulfillment.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
In the name of Jesus, I ___ take you, ___, to be my (husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow.
From Christian Vows of ThoughtCo
I promise to offer you freely from my heart,
my trust,
my devotion,
my tenderness,
and my love.
From Wedding Ceremonies Choices
Do you, [Bride/Groom], promise to give [Groom/Bride]
Your deepest love and your truest thoughts,
As you create a home together that is a place of joy and comfort,
being his/her faithful champion, partner and best friend?
Answer: I Do.
By Nina Callaway at the Spruce
You know me better than anyone else in this world and somehow still you manage to love me. You are my best friend and one true love. There is still a part of me today that cannot believe that I’m the one who gets to marry you.
From TheKnot.com
“________, I promise to be faithful, supportive, and loyal and to give you my companionship and love throughout all the changes of our life. I vow to bring you happiness, and I will treasure you as my companion. I will celebrate the joys of life with you. I promise to support your dreams and walk beside you offering courage and strength through all endeavours. From this day forward, I will be proud to be your husband/wife and your best friend.”
By Steffen.com
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.
From MyWeddingVows.com
My dear bride/groom,
Today I pledge to you my eternal love
I promise to be your lover, your friend, your confidant.
I promise to respect and appreciate our differences,
to be open and honest, especially around things that are difficult to say.
I promise to give you the freedom to be yourself, and to explore your world
I promise to trust in our growth, and our ability to change and discover new adventures together
In all that life may bring us, my love is yours.
By Nina Callaway at the Spruce
I take you ___, to be my (husband/wife), loving you now and as you grow and develop into all that God intends. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart; when our lives are at peace and when they are in turmoil; when I am proud of you and when I am disappointed in you; in times of rest and in times of work. I will honour your goals and dreams and help you to fulfill them. From the depth of my being, I will seek to be open and honest with you. I say these things believing that God is in the midst of them all.
From Christian Vows of ThoughtCo
I, ____ take you ______ to be my wife/husband
I will cherish our friendship/
And love you today, tomorrow and forever/
I will trust you and honour you/
I will love you faithfully/
through the best and the worst/
What may come I will always be there/
I come into this union/
Letting go of my deepest fears/
And embracing all my faith/
And if I doubt/
I will remember this time/
And why we came together this day/
As I have given you my hands to hold/
So I give you my life to keep.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
My love,
You have already given me the two greatest gifts of my life:
your love, and our beautiful child.
Today, it is my honour to become your wife/husband.
I promise to continue building our family together,
celebrating our joy, comforting one another in hard times,
and strengthening our family’s future.
I vow to love and cherish you for all the days of my life.
By Nina Callaway at the Spruce
______, my beloved and my friend,
I solemnly promise before God
And our dearest friends as my witness,
That I will be faithful to you and honest with you;
I will love you and care for you,
I will share my life with you;
I will forgive you as we have been forgiven;
And with you, I will try to fully understand our lives, ourselves, and God
until death parts us.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
You are my lover and my teacher,
You are my model and my accomplice,
And you are my true counterpart.
I will love you, hold you, and honour you,
I will respect you, encourage you and cherish you,
In health and sickness,
Through sorrow and success,
For all the days of my life.”
From Minted.com
(Name), with all my love, I take you to be my wife/husband. I will love you through good and the bad, through joy and the sorrow. I will try to be understanding, and to trust in you completely. Together we will face all of life’s experiences and share one another’s dreams and goals. I promise I will be your equal partner in a loving, honest relationship, for as long as we both shall live.
From The Spruce
I promise to love and care for you, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love.
I will always be honest with you, kind, patient and forgiving.
I promise to try to be on time.
But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you.
I love you.
From TheKnot.com
“I love your sense of adventure and the way you always brighten my day. I vow to join with you in this journey as your wife with an open heart and to make even the smallest of our accomplishments—eating breakfast or changing a light bulb—into an exciting part of our lives together.”
From Minted.com
Groom,
Do you, ______, take ______ to be your wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better – for worse, for richer – for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?
Answer: I do.
Bride,
Do you, ________, take ______, to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better – for worse, for richer – for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?
Answer: I do.
Traditional
“I believe in you, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my wife/husband, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine. I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family’s love and happiness my priority. I will be yours in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you, and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. You are my person—my love and my life, today and always.”
From Minted.com
_______ (Groom),
Do you, ________, take ______, to be your wife, knowing in your heart that she will be your constant friend, faithful partner, and one true love?
Answer: I do.
________ (Bride),
Do you, ______, take ________, to be your husband, knowing in your heart that he will be your constant friend, faithful partner, and one true love?
Answer: I do
Traditional II
“They say love is like magic and I couldn’t agree more. When I first met you, you seemed to appear out of nowhere. My focus was kept on you, consistently trying to solve the puzzle of who you were and where you were from. As our love grew, I couldn’t wait to see you again and be entertained by the chemistry we shared. Now as we wed, I look forward to unlocking the mysteries of the world with you by my side. After all, every good magician relies on their assistant.”
From Minted.com
“I promise to be your lover, companion, and friend,
Your partner in parenthood,
Your ally in conflict,
Your greatest fan and your toughest adversary,
Your comrade in adventure,
Your student and your teacher,
Your consolation in disappointment,
Your accomplice in mischief.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things. All things.”
From Minted.com
______ (Groom), 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.
_________ (Bride), 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.
From TheKnot.com
PUT A RING ON IT
If you’re including a ring exchange, there are plenty of ways to do it. We’ve given you a ton of examples below.
Ring Blessing (Church)
A circle is the symbol of wholeness, perfection, and unity. Like circles, their rings have no beginning and no end. They are tokens of the growing relationship that Bride and Groom have come here to celebrate and confirm.
Roman Catholic Church
The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts in endless love. It is a seal of the vows ____ and ____ have made to one another. Bless, O God, these rings that ____ and ____, who give them, and who wear them, may ever abide in thy peace. Living together in unity, love and happiness for the rest of their lives.
From The Unity Church
Ring Meaning
You have both chosen to exchange rings as a symbol of your vows. They are a symbol of unity. Wherever you go, may you always return to one another in your togetherness.
By Robin Renteria
You are my life, my love, and with this ring, I marry you. I promise to be open and honest in our partnership, and I pledge myself to you from this day forward and for all eternity.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
This ring, a gift for you, symbolizes my desire that you be my husband/wife from this day forward.
From TheMarryingMan.com
I give you this ring, as a daily reminder of my love for you.
By Nina Callaway at The Spruce
With this ring, I thee wed, and all my worldly goods I thee endow. In sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, ’til death do us part.
Baptist Ring Exchange
________, I bring you this ring, forged in love, which to me is the symbol of completeness and eternity, and I give it to you to wear so that we will always remember our wedding vows.
From TheKnot.com
The fitting of this ring with its unending circle symbolizes
my everlasting love for you.
The placing of this ring on your finger,
is the fulfillment of my dreams,
to have you as my friend,
my love, my husband/wife,
to live as one forever.
With this ring, I give you my heart…
From this day forward,
You shall not walk alone.
My heart will be your shelter,
And my arms will be your home
From WeddingForward.com
______, accept this ring as a symbol of our vows. May you wear it always in honour, and as a reminder of my ever-deepening love, respect, and faithfulness. With all that I am and all that I have, I honour you.
By Robin Renteria
With this ring – I marry you – and join my life with yours. Accept this ring – as a sign of my love and faithfulness – for all the years to come.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage.
With my body and soul, I honour you.
All that I am I give to you.
And all that I have I share with you.
From TheMarryingMan.com
I (name), I give you this ring
This band of gold
To love you always
To have and to hold
I give you my love
Precious and true
You know that my heart
Is only for you.
From WeddingForward.com
I give you this ring
as a reminder
that I will love, honour, and cherish you,
in all times,
in all places,
and in all ways, forever.
With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours.
It is a symbol of my eternal love,
My everlasting friendship,
And the promise of all my tomorrows.
From WeddingForward.com
I promise to love, respect, and honour you.
I will always be there for you, with you, beside you.
Let this ring be a symbol of our love,
may it represent our today, our tomorrows,
our future & our past.
As I have given you my hands to hold,
so I give you my life to keep.
From WeddingForward.com
_______, I give you this ring, as a symbol of our marriage, for today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come. Wear it as a sign of what we have promised and done this day.
From TheKnot.com
This ring I give you, in token and in pledge, of my constant faith and abiding love.
From TheMarryingMan.com
With this ring, I thee wed.
Standard Church Ring Exchange From Wedding Ceremony Choices
With this ring, I wed you–for today, for tomorrow and for all the tomorrows to come. Please wear it as a sign to all the world that you have chosen me to be your husband/wife.
From TheMarryingMan.com
________, I give you this ring, which to me is a symbol of my love and commitment to you.
From TheKnot.com
I give this ring to you, my beloved, my friend, my wife/husband. Whenever I see this ring, I will remember the cherished bond we have created here tonight.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
A ring is an unbroken circle, a symbol of unity and love, representative of the greater circle of life of which we all spiritually are a part. Having neither beginning nor end, but a continuous cycle of which you are an element. For you, it begins with the gift of life, and will continue through the end of time.
From TheKnot.com
Groom,
Do you _______, give this ring as a token and pledge of the promise you have now made?
Answer: I do.
Bride,
Do you _______, give this ring as a token and pledge of the promise you have now made?
Answer: I do.
Traditional
__________ (Groom), repeat after me:
I give you this ring as the token and pledge of the promise now made between us.
__________ (Bride), repeat after me:
I give you this ring as the token and pledge of the promise now made between us.
Traditional II
_______ (Groom), repeat after me:
____________, take this ring as a sign of my faith and my commitment to our love, and share this joy with me today.
_______ (Bride), repeat after me:
____________, take this ring as a sign of my faith and my commitment to our love, and share this joy with me today.
Traditional III
A SPECIAL READING
Here’s another point in the ceremony where many couples find it works well to include a special reading. (You’ll remember the loooong list of suggestions/options we provided earlier in tab H.)
Again, you can include a significant loved one here or simply have your officiant read it.
Or, we’ll just carry on into what’s next. 🙂
SIGNING THE PAPERWORK
There is no use going to all this effort and expense if you are not going to be legally married at the end of the day. This part of the ceremony is one of the three have to’s that are legally required for a wedding in Ontario. The other two have to’s:
- You have to make a vow. Somewhere in the ceremony, you and your beloved each have to say something like “I promise… I do… I will… I vow…”. We’ve already covered that above in J. Make A Vow.
- You have to be officially declared married by your registered officiant–that’s us! (We’ll get to that part in a few moments.)
Once your ceremony is complete, your officiant will mail the license to where it needs to go (Office of the Registrar General).
Following your wedding date, you will need to wait 12 weeks before you can order your marriage certificate (if you plan to make legal name changes).
Below is the link to Service Ontario’s Marriage License Application. Print it out, fill it in, and take it to any Ontario City Hall to buy the license.
In these days of COVID-19, most city halls require that you pre-book an appointment to buy your marriage license. For local requirements, Google “[city name] marriage license application” and you should find everything you need to get the process started.
MARRIAGE LICENSE APPLICATION
OPTIONAL CEREMONIES
Is there a special tradition, ritual, symbol, or religious component you’d like included? Maybe your marriage results in the blending of two families. See the items below for inspiration and ideas to show the significance of your big day.
Blessing of the Seven Spices
Couples who enjoy cooking together might consider this unique wedding ceremony tradition of blending spices to demonstrate a healthy and well-balanced marriage. The tradition gets its roots from the Middle East. Seven small bowls are placed before the bride and groom, each containing a spice. You then take turns scooping a bit of each into a small pouch, creating your own spice blend that you can keep and use to season your future meals together. Each spice represents a blessing:
Rosemary for prosperity
Brown sugar for a sweet life
Garlic to keep the couple safe
Savory for balance in their lives
Nutmeg for romance
Paprika for passion
Bay leaf for an extra “spark” of flavour
From Perfect Wedding Guide
Love Capsule Ceremony
Before we proceed with the rings and vows, _____ and ______ have chosen as a couple to perform a love capsule ceremony.
(*reach down and pick up the box from behind the altar*)
In my hands, I have a box, a bottle of wine, and two glasses,
and _____ and ______ have love letters from each to the other.
The letters describe the good qualities they find in one another, the reasons they fell in love, and their reasons for choosing to marry.
They have given much thought to these letters, and they have been sealed in individual envelopes.
Neither _____ nor ______ has seen what the other has written.
_____ and ______, should you ever find your marriage enduring serious hardships, as some marriages do, you are to, as a couple, open this box, sit and drink the wine together, then separate and read the letters you wrote to one another on the day you were united as a couple.
By reading these love letters, you will reflect upon the reasons you fell in love and chose to marry each other here today and share a new resolve to strengthen your relationship.
The hope is, however, that you will never have a reason to open this box. And if this is the case, you are to open it to share and enjoy its contents on your 20th anniversary!
Groom and Bride, please seal the box.
(*BRIDE and GROOM letters into the box with a lid, where they seal it closed and locked together*)
In this day and age, it sometimes may seem easy to give up on marriage. By showing your unwavering dedication to one another here today, you’re demonstrating that you are entering your married life deliberately and you will always work hard to keep your relationship healthy and happy.
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
Sand Sculpture with Children
______ and ______, today you are making a life-long commitment to share the rest of your lives with each other and honour your children as well. Your family relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these individual containers of sand; one, representing you, _________ and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, one representing you, _________, and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be and another container for each child.
There are children who will share in this marriage. The gathering of this new family will have a deep influence upon them. We realize that in order for the home to be a happy one, it is essential that there be love and understanding between the children and the adults being married.
As you each hold your sand the separate containers of sand represent your lives to this moment; individual and unique. As you now combine your sand together, your lives also join together as one family. You may now blend the sand together symbolizing the uniting of the children and bride and groom into one.
Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage and your family be.
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
Blessing of the Hands (Short Version)
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.
From TheKnot.com
Hand Ceremony (Long Version)
(bride) please hold (groom’s) hands, palms up, so that you may see the gift they are to you.
THESE are the hands of your best friend and full of love, that are holding yours on your
wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life!
THESE are the hands that will work along side yours as you build your future together, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.
THESE are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and shoulders in the evenings after you both had a long hard day.
THESE are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and help you to hold you up in times of struggle.
THESE are the hands that will lift your chin as they raise your face to look into his eyes. Eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love for you!
(groom), please hold (bride’s) hands palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you.
THESE are the hands of your best friend, loving, caring that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.
THESE are the hands that will welcome you home after a very long day.
THESE are the hands that will wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of Joy!
THESE are the hands that will hold you tight when you struggle through difficult times.
THESE are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick and console you when you are grieving
THESE are the hands that will love you and cherish you throughout the years for a lifetime of happiness.
THESE are the hands that will give you support knowing that together as a team everything you wish for can be realized.
May your hands always be held by one another.
May they have the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the darkness of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in wondrous love.
May you both see your four hands as healer, protector, shelter and guide, for a lifetime.
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
Lighting of the Unity Candle
Bride and Groom are going to light their Unity Candle, a symbol of their relationship and love. The candles from which they light it have been lit by their parents to represent their lives to this moment.
The lights, representing the faith, wisdom, and love they have received from their parents, are distinct, each burning alone. Bride and Groom will light the center candle to symbolize the union of their lives. As this one light burns undivided, so shall their love be one.
May the radiance of this one light be a testimony of their unity. May these candles burn brightly as symbols of their commitment to each other, and as a tribute to their parents’ everlasting love for them.
From The Spruce
Lighting of the Unity Candle
By Robin Renteria
Today, (the names of the couple) take vows to show the world their committed love for one another. To them, a marriage is more than the joining of two people. A marriage is the joining of all the people who love you. Each one of us here today may have entered (the names of the couple)’s lives at different stages and times. Each of us may love them for different reasons and in different ways. But as (the names of the couple) will share a common thread today, so too shall we.
The unity candle symbolized that common thread of love we and they share. From friends to family and finally to (the names of the couple). With this light, we all now share in their common thread. With this light, each one of us becomes woven into (the names of the couple) lifelong tapestry. We share this moment, on this day, and forward into our lives, in our love and happiness for them and their future together.
Their friends, (two friends’ names) will light the first candles symbolizing friendship. For (the names of the couple), their friends have sustained them in times both good and hard and are as important as family.
(the names of the couple)’s mothers will light the next candles, symbolizing the power the love which is shared by family holds in their lives.
(the names of the couple) will now light the one unity candle, bringing love full circle.
Cambodian Cord
Red is Asia’s sacred colour of joy. A Cambodian fable says that an invisible red cord joins couples that are fated to be together. As time goes by, the invisible red cord shrinks in length until the two are standing face to face. During the wedding ceremony, the officiant presents a red cord, ties a knot, and makes a wish for you and your partner’s happiness aloud. Guests are asked to pass the cord, tie a knot, and make a silent wish for you both. The cord is then draped over the bride’s neck, giving each of you a tangible reminder of the loving wishes made for you by all those who blessed their wedding.
From Perfect Wedding Guide
Unity Marbles Bowl
An alternative for couples who like the idea of a unity ritual, but want to involve more loved ones, this ritual involves elders, parents, siblings, or step-parents, each adding coloured marbles, one at a time, to a decorative glass bowl. The colourful mosaic they create together signifies the beauty of marriage and the blending of families. The bowl of marbles can be kept as a reminder of your wedding day, and of each loved one who contributed to your foundation as a couple.
From Perfect Wedding Guide
Remembering Those In Spirit
We are here today to share in the celebration of the marriage of ____ and ____. Your love and friendship have shaped these two people and led them on the paths by which they found one another. They are grateful for your influences as well as others who are not here today in body but nonetheless are with us in spirit and heart. With you, they wish to share their vows, ask that you acknowledge their love and commitment to one another, and welcome them as a couple in your friendships and families.
By Robin Renteria
Sand Ceremony
By Nina Callaway at the Spruce
We now celebrate ______ and ______’s union with a symbolic sand ceremony. First, we will pour sand from this beautiful beach where ______ and ______ stand today as they commit their lives to each other, representing the strong foundation of their relationship. That foundation includes their families, their upbringing, and all the important steps on their journeys that led them to be who they are today. This foundation will support them in their love as they grow and change together. (If you are not having a beach wedding, the foundation sand can be from your hometown or just neutral white sand.)
______ and ______, today you are making a lasting commitment to share the rest of your lives with each other. That commitment is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand; one that represents ______ (who now pours in some of his/her sand) and the other that represents ______, (who pours some of his/her sand on top).
Each of you comes to this relationship with unique strengths, vulnerabilities, and histories. As individuals, you are beautiful people all on your own. Yet when the two of you are blended together, you form something even more beautiful. Those strengths can blossom, those vulnerabilities can be cared for, and those people can soar.
As the two containers of sand are poured into the vase, (both ______ & ______ simultaneously pour their remaining sand in the central vase) the separate colours of sand now blend into a new colour. You have now blended your families into a new family, as you start your journey in marriage, loving and strong as husband and wife, as inseparable as these grains of sand.
Religious Sand Ceremony
Unity Church
“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). God created you as an individual, perfect by His glory and love. But God also said that it was not good for man to be alone, and so he created woman to be his partner and helper. Today as you make a covenant before God to join in marriage, you become one flesh. You have chosen to symbolize that union with a sand ceremony.
First, I will pour in white sand, representing your faith in God as the foundation of who you are as individuals. Now _____, pour some of your sand, representing yourself as an individual before you came to this union. Now _____, also pour some of your sand, representing yourself as an individual before you came to this union. I will then pour some more white sand, representing your faith in God as the foundation of your marriage.
Then, _____ and _____ pour your remaining sand together to represent your joining as one in marriage completely and eternally. Lastly, another layer of white sand represents God watching over you and protecting you with his everlasting love.
May God bless this marriage so that you are as inseparable as these grains of sand. Amen.
Wine Ceremony
Like wine, life is a process of change, growth, compromise and wisdom. As grapes are pressed to give forth their juice, so under the press of time our lives give forth their labour, honour, and love. Long ago, wine was revered as the blood of the earth. When the bride and groom pledged themselves to one another, they drank wine from a single cup, three times, signifying that they were becoming one blood, one family, one kin. Cup-raising was an invitation to family and friends to witness this oath and hold the bride and groom to their vows. It is also to remind the newlyweds and their families that a good wine is only good if it is consumed; so must life be consumed. Savour it till the last drop.
*(Officiant holds or raises cup)
______ and ______, this “Cup of Life” contains within it a wine with certain properties that are sweet and symbolic of happiness, joy, ecstasy, and love just as the years of life ahead of you together will be. This same wine also holds some bitter properties that symbolize disappointment, sorrow, grief, despair, and life’s trials and tribulations that you will inevitably run into during your new life together. Be reminded to forgive the frailties of one another’s flaws, for they will be overcome, and bear together life’s adversities and be confident that the “good” will always return and the strength in your love will always prevail.
Through love, your flaw becomes your strength.
Through love, does the world reveal itself.
Through love, each union is made.
Drink from this cup together, as you do, earnestly seek the power and wisdom to use all the pleasure and prosperity that may come to you with gratitude, modesty, and with sympathy for those less fortunate than yourselves.
*(Officiant hands glass to groom, who drinks, then hands it to bride, who drinks and passes it back to Officiant.)
Together, the sweetness and the bitterness of this wine also represent life’s many Journeys, and all of the experiences that are a natural part of it. Those who drink deeply from the “Cup of Life” with an open heart and willing spirit, invite the full range of challenges and experiences into their being. This “Cup of Life” is symbolic of the pledges you have made to one another this evening, to share together the fullness of life. As you drink from this cup for the second time, you acknowledge to one another that your lives – until this moment separate – have become one. Drink now, and may the cup of your lives be overflowing!
*(Officiant hands glass to groom, who drinks, then hands it to bride, who drinks and passes it back to Officiant.)
As you have shared this cup of wine, so may you share your lives. May all the sweetness that it holds for you be that much sweeter because you have tasted it together. May you find life’s joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by a constant love. As you share the wine from this cup, so may you share your lives. As of this moment, you belong to the same current which will carry you to the highest peaks of life. May this bond hold forever true!
Please share this cup of wine one last time as an acknowledgment of the new bond between you as life partners, soul mates, and this evening as Husband and Wife.
*(Officiant hands glass to groom, who drinks, then hands it to bride, who drinks and passes it back to Officiant.)
Seven Wedding Blessings
We bless God for creating the universe.
We bless God for creating the individual.
We bless God for creating human beings who are one at their core and who complement each other by their differences as woman and man.
We ask that our land be happy and bless God for letting Zion rejoice with her children.
Let these loving friends rejoice. May their joy be paradise on earth. We bless God for enabling this bride and this groom to rejoice.
We bless God for creating joy and happiness, bride and groom, mirth song, gladness and rejoicing, love and harmony, peace and companionship; and we thank God for letting this bride and groom to rejoice together.
Blessing Over The Wine
This cup of wine is symbolic of the cup of life. As you share the one cup of wine, you undertake to share all that the future may bring. All the sweetness life’s cup may hold for you should be sweeter because you drink it together; whatever drops of bitterness it may contain should be less bitter because you share them.
As I recite the blessing over the wine, we pray that God will bestow fullness of joy upon you.
SELECTION #1
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
As together you now drink from this cup, so may you, under God’s guidance, in perfect union and devotion to each other, draw contentment, comfort, and happiness from the cup of life. Thereby may you find life’s joys doubly gladdening, its bitterness sweetened, and all things hallowed by true companionship and love.
SELECTION #2
Blessed is the creation of the fruit of the vine.
Blessed is the creation which embodies glory.
Blessed is the creation of the human being.
Blessed is the design of the human being. Developing our wisdom we may become Godlike. We are assembled from the very fabric of the universe and we are composed of eternal elements. Blessed be and blessed is our creation.
Rejoice and be glad you who wandered homeless. In joy have you gathered with your sisters and your brothers. Blessed is the joy of our gathering.
Bestow happiness on these loving mates as would creatures feel in Eden’s garden. Blessed be the joy of lovers.
Blessed is the creation of joy and celebration, lover and mate, gladness and jubilation, pleasure and delight, love and solidarity, friendship and peace. Soon may we hear in the streets of the city and the paths of the fields, the voice of joy, the voice of gladness, the voice of lover, the voice of mate, the triumphant voice of lovers from the canopy and the voice of youths from their feasts of song. Blessed Blessed Blessed is the joy of lovers, one with each other.
SELECTION #3
Cherished be the earth, the provider of all things.
Cherished be the hopes and aspirations of friends and family.
May we respect the diversity of humankind.
May we acknowledge the cyclical nature of life.
May we acknowledge the human need for providing a home.
Honoured be the tradition of bride and groom and their happiness at this rite of passage that is celebrated the world over.
Praised be the sounds of joy and happiness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the shouts of young people celebrating, and the songs of children at play. We praise the bride and groom rejoicing together.
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
The Rose Ceremony
VERSION #1
It is now my privilege to be the first to address you as husband and wife. In the language of flowers, a red rose is the symbol of love. Will you please exchange your roses? In this exchange, you have given to each other your first gift as husband and wife. And it would be our hope that where you may make your home, there will be a specially appointed place in it for red roses. And on each anniversary of today, you celebrate it, at least in part, by each of you bringing a rose to the appointed place, understanding that this rose is a restatement of love, and as an acknowledgement of the vows you have made.
In every marriage, it is occasionally difficult to find words to resolve certain issues which may arise. If and when such issues might come to your marriage, if either of you will remember and bring to the appointed place a red rose, the other will see it and understand it as a statement of love and accept it, because love is the gateway to all answers.
Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, and not quick to take offence. Love keeps no score of wrongs; it does not gloat over the other’s mistakes, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, hope and its endurance. In a word, there are three great things that last forever: Faith, hope and love… and the greatest of these is love.”
VERSION #2
In the elegant language of flowers, red roses are a symbol of love, the giving of a single red rose is a clear and unmistakable way of saying the words, “I love you.” For this reason, it is fitting that the first gift you exchange as husband and wife would be the gift of a single red rose. Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife. You both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life – one I hope you always remember – the gift of true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage. ______ and _____, I would ask that wherever you may make your home, that you choose a special location. And at those times when words fail, that you leave a red rose at that spot you have both selected – a rose that will say what matters more than all other words: “I still love you.” The other should accept this rose for the words that cannot be found, and remember the love and hope that you both have shared today.
VERSION #3
Will you please, as an expression that your hearts are joined together in love, join your hands.
(Mothers each hand a single rose to their children.)
Your gift to each other for your wedding today has been your wedding rings, which shall always be an outward demonstration of your vows of love and respect and a public showing of your commitment to each other. You now have what remains the most honourable title that may exist between a man and a woman – the title of “husband” and “wife”. For your first gift as husband and wife, that gift will be a single rose.
In the past, the rose was considered a symbol of love and a single rose always meant only one thing – it meant the words “I love you”. So, it is appropriate that for your first gift – as husband and wife – that gift would be a single rose. Will you please exchange your roses?
In some ways, it seems like you have not done anything at all. Just a moment ago you were holding one small rose — and now you are holding one small rose. In some ways, a marriage ceremony is like this. In some ways, tomorrow is going to seem no different than yesterday. But in fact today, just now, you both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life — one I hope you always remember — the gift of true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage.
______ and ______, I would ask that wherever you make your home in the future — whether it be a large and elegant home — or a small and graceful one — that you both pick one very special location for roses, so that on each anniversary of this truly wonderful occasion you both may take a rose to that spot both as a recommitment to your marriage — and a recommitment that this will be a marriage based upon love.
In every marriage, there are times where it is difficult to find the right words. It is easiest to hurt who we most love. It is easiest to be most hurt by who we most love. It might be difficult sometimes to say the words “I am sorry” or “I forgive you” or “I need you” or “I am hurting.” If this should happen, if you simply cannot find these words, leave a rose at that spot which both of you have selected — for that rose then says what matters most of all and should overpower all other things and all other words. That rose says the words “I still love you.” The other should accept this rose for the words that cannot be found, and remember the love and hope that you both share today.
______ and _____, if there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, it is that it was love that brought you here today, it is only love which can make it a glorious union, and it is by love which your marriage shall endure.
From Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, and not quick to take offence. Love keeps no score of wrongs; it does not gloat over the other’s mistakes, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, hope and its endurance. In a word, there are three great things that last forever: Faith, hope and love… and the greatest of these is love.”
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
Blending of the Waters
With roots in Buddhism, the Blending of the Waters is perfect for alternative couples or those who are in a long-distance or bi-coastal relationship, love water sports, or grew up spending a lot of time on a particular lake or river. The bride and groom each bring a small jar of water from the body of water that holds great meaning to that person as an individual, and the two are poured together into a larger vessel.
From Reverend Dr. Susan Kennedy
Breaking of the Glass
SELECTION #1
The traditional breaking of the glass marks the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the celebration. As (groom) breaks the glass, I invite everyone to shout “Mazel Tov,” which means “Congratulations” and “Good Luck.”
SELECTION #2
We end the ceremony with the traditional breaking of the glass. Breaking this glass symbolizes the permanent change this marriage covenant makes in ____ and ____ lives.
SELECTION #3
It is a Jewish custom to end the wedding ceremony with the breaking of a glass. We do not know the exact origin of the custom. Some people say that the breaking of the glass symbolizes the irrevocable change in the lives of the couple standing before us; others say it has its roots in superstition when people broke glasses to scare away evil spirits from such lucky people as the bride and groom. Whatever its beginnings, the breaking of the glass now has many interpretations, one of which says that even in the moment of our greatest joy, we should have a responsibility to help relieve some of that pain and suffering. And, of course, the breaking of the glass marks the beginning of the celebration.
SELECTION #4
We conclude this ceremony with the breaking of the glass. It is a joyous ceremony. The fragility of the glass suggests the frailty of human relationships. The glass is broken to protect this marriage with the implied prayer: May your bond of love be as difficult to break as it would be to put together the pieces of this glass.
SELECTION #5
May the breaking of this glass remind you of the fragility of human relationships. A broken glass cannot be mended, and likewise, marriage is irrevocable. As this glass shatters, so may your marriage never break.
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
Thaali Ceremony
In Kerela where Sunil’s family is from, the most important part of a wedding ceremony is the tying of the thaali. Similar to the ring excahnge, it is the moment that they truly become husband and wife and the symbol that she will wear to show the world that she and Sunil are married. Sunil will now place this necklace around her neck, symbolizing their lifelong devotion to one another.
Blanket Ceremony (Native American)
The bride and groom are wrapped individually in blue blankets at the onset of the ceremony. The blue blankets are used to represent the sorrows that each of them has endured separately. Once the ceremony is blessed by the priest, the blue blankets are taken off and the couple is wrapped as one in a single white blanket. This symbolizes the act of becoming one.
Seven Steps Ceremony (Native American)
The ceremony starts with the lighting of a sacred fire. The couple will then take precisely seven steps around the fire. The groom begins by taking just one step before stopping to say a vow. It is then the bride’s turn to take a step and say a vow. The groom then takes another step and says another vow. This continues until the bride and groom have each taken seven steps and recited seven vows.
The Bell of Truce (Celtic)
A bell is blessed and then presented to the bride and groom. The couple is asked to ring the bell while thinking tender thoughts of each other. The bell is then kept at home as a token of the wedding day. If an argument arises, the bell can be rung by either the husband or wife to call a truce. The tinkling sound is meant to remind the couple of their wedding vows and to help them relive happy memories from their wedding day.
Butterfly Ceremony
An Indian legend says that if anyone desires a wish to come true they must capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it. Since they make no sound, they can’t tell anyone but the Great Spirit. So by making the wish and releasing the butterfly it will be taken to the heavens and be granted. (Ask guests to make a wish for the bride and groom. Grandma releases butterflies.)
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
The 13 Gold Coins Ceremony
This tradition is usually associated with Hispanic families.
The madrina de arras (godmother of arras) holds the 13 gold coins the bridegroom presents to the bride. The coins, or arrhea, was a Roman custom of breaking gold or silver, one half to be kept by the woman and the other half by the man, as a pledge of marriage.
The custom of the giving of wedding coins originated in Spain. Thirteen gold coins (arras) are given to the bride by the bridegroom, signifying his willingness to support her. Often presented in ornate boxes or gift trays, this represents the bride’s dowry and holds good wishes for prosperity. These coins become a part of their family heirloom.
The symbolism, which may be explained by the officiant, is that the Groom recognizes his responsibility as a provider, and pledges his ability to support and care for her. Acceptance by the bride means taking that trust and confidence unconditionally with total dedication and prudence.
The number 13 represents Christ and his 12 apostles. Another popular belief is that the thirteen coins represent the 12 lunar cycles of a year, and the thirteenth coin symbolizes the couple’s honeymoon.
SELECTION #1
The coins are presented to the minister by a friend or relative (often the purchaser of the coins). The minister then blesses the coins and hands them to the bride who places them in the groom’s cupped hands at the beginning of the ceremony.
The coins are then placed on a tray and handed to an assistant to be held until later in the ceremony. Near the end of the ceremony, the box and coins are given to the minister who places the coins in the box and hands them to the groom.
The groom will then pour the coins into the bride’s cupped hands and places the box on top as a symbol of his unquestionable trust, confidence and pledge to provide financially for them. Sometimes their hands are bound with a ribbon for this portion of the ceremony.
SELECTION #2
Will the coin sponsor – (name) – please join us? (Groom), the sponsor will hand me 13 silver dollars, which I will drop into your hands. Drop them into (Bride’s) hands. She will return them to you. And you will place them back into this box.
(The coin sponsor presents the 13 pieces of silver to the officiant. The officiant drops the coins into the Groom’s waiting hands, who in turn drops it into the Bride’s hands. The Bride then puts her hand above the Groom’s then drops the coins into his hands again. The Groom allows the coins to then be dropped into a plate held by an acolyte.)
The metal tinkling of 13 silver coins being passed from the groom’s hands to the bride is a distinctive reminder of the groom’s promise to take care of his wife materially. The bride in return, by giving back the coins to his hands, conveys that what they both earn becomes part of each others. The trickling sound also signifies abundance and success in the couple’s joint efforts, as blessed by God.
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
Parents’ Rose Ceremony
Marriage is a coming together of two lives, and a celebration of the love of two people. But it is more. The love that you feel for one another is the flowering of a seed your mothers planted in your hearts many years ago. When you were first born, you were a bundle of diapers and tears, and your mothers lost sleep caring for you. Their love for you has brought them great happiness and great challenges, and their love did not diminish as they met these challenges. That is the great lesson you can bring into your marriage.
As you embrace one another in your love, so too do you embrace the families that have been brought together on this happy occasion. As a token of your gratitude for your families, I would like to ask you to offer these symbols of eternal love, these roses, to your mothers. (Both bride and groom can hand the roses to each mother together, offering the mothers kisses if they wish.)
Prayer for Couple’s Veil & Cord
SELECTION #1
(Officiant reads as Veil Sponsors place veil over couple’s shoulders):
(names of couple), (names of Veil Sponsors) will now place a veil over you. Let this be a symbol of the faithful love you have for each other. Through the passing of the years, let the veil remind you that you belong to each other and to no one else, and that the love you have for each other becomes more beautiful in self-surrender that is total and pure.
(Officiant reads as Cord Sponsors place cord over couple’s shoulders):
Lord, with this cord, may the bond of love and friendship uniting (names of couple) grow stronger over the years. May they remain united to you all their lives knowing, loving and serving in each other and the community.
SELECTION #2
Will the veil and cord sponsors please join us? (Groom and Bride), please kneel as your sponsors place a veil and cord over you.
(Officiant reads as Veil Sponsors place veil over groom’s shoulders and bride’s head and shoulders):
The veil is a symbol of (Groom) pledge to protect his bride, (Bride), the wife who he promises to take care of from this day forward.
(Officiant reads as Cord Sponsors place cord over couple’s shoulders):
The cord is placed over the bride and groom in a figure of eight to symbolize unity and infinity, a love together forever.
Lord, with this cord, may the bond of love and friendship uniting (Groom) and (Bride) grow stronger over the years. May they remain united to you all their lives knowing, loving and, serving each other and in the community.
From WeddingCeremonyChoices.com
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
You’re probably doing everything you can to let everyone know where to be and when to be there. You’ve included it in your invitation and you’re even putting signs up! But, alas–people forget. We’ve all been there!
As the hosts for your big day, it’s kind to remind your guests the courtesy of knowing what’s expected of them following the ceremony. You want to ensure that your guests know how to navigate through the rest of the celebration.
This is where you can give us instructions to give direction in the way of group photos, family photos, receiving lines, cocktail hour, reception times and places, etc. We will make sure your loved ones are headed the right way.
If you’re getting married at a staffed venue, it’s a good idea at this point to include your event coordinator or wedding planner to receive from them any venue-specific instructions they may have.
Removing (or at least minimizing!) confusion about what’s coming next will ensure your guests are as stress-free as possible. And when you’re guests are well taken care of, you’ll be stress-free, too! It’s a win-win!
BACK TO MARRIAGE
After letting folks know what’s next, it’s nice to end things by focusing again on what we’re all here for–you and your new spouse!
Below are some suggestions to ‘bring things back to the task at hand.’
Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship, as they threaten all relationships at one time or another, remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives–remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.
From Ceremony Wedding Choices
Join with me as we ask God’s blessing on this new couple. Eternal Father, redeemer, we now turn to you, and as the first act of this couple in their newly formed union, we ask you to protect their home. May they always turn to you for guidance, for strength, for provision and direction. May they glorify you in the choices they make, in the ministries they involve themselves in, and in all that they do. Use them to draw others to yourself, and let them stand as a testimony to the world of your faithfulness.
We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
From ThoughtCO.com
Irish Blessing
May God give you…
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.
God keep you safe,
God keep you warm
God keep you and
Yours from all harm.
May He bless your
Kith and kin,
The hearth, the house
And all within.
There’s the joy of dear Killarney
In these blessings meant for you,
There’s a bit of Irish blarney,
There’s a touch of magic, too.
There’s a hope that love and laughter
Will steal your heart away
And a prayer that all you’re wishing
God grant you and yours today.
A Cherokee Blessing
May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house. May the Great Spirit bless all who enter here. May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows and may the rainbow always touch your shoulder.
We rejoice today in your marriage. May you have a marriage graced with the intimate sharing of both of your lives. May your marriage enhance and not diminish your individuality. May your marriage continually grow and encourage the growth of each of you in heart and spirit, while increasing your understanding of each other. Go now and begin your marriage together in peace and happiness.
By Robin Renteria
May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam? May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life’s passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!
Irish Blessing
May your love grow like a beautiful tree, sending roots deep and branches high, with new beauty every season of your life together. May you dare to dream dreams not yet dreamt. May you find constant reward and challenge as you pursue the ongoing adventure of learning who you are and where you want to go. May you always have a special sense of your mission in life together, and may you never tire of the endless possibilities of exploring your shared existence.
By Cynthia Reed
In the presence of this good company,
By the power of your love,
Because you have exchanged vows of commitment,
We recognize you as married.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
Italian Blessing
There are three beautiful things in life: birth, love, and this day. Best wishes and good fortune to you, ______ and ______, for all of your life.
Couples Wedding Prayer by Mary Fairchild
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for this beautiful day. You have fulfilled the desire of our hearts to be together in this life.
We pray that your blessing will always rest upon our home; that joy, peace, and contentment would dwell within us as we live together in unity, and that all who enter our home may experience the strength of your love.
Father, help us to follow and serve you with an ever-growing commitment because of our union. Guide us into greater love and sacrifice as we care for each other’s needs, knowing you will care for us. May we always be as keenly aware of your presence as we sense it today on our wedding day. And may our devotion in marriage be a radiant reflection of your love for us.
In the name of Jesus, our Saviour, we pray.
Amen.
Bride and Groom Blessing
May you be generous and giving with each other.
May your sense of humour and playful spirit always continue to enliven your relationship.
May you always respect the diversity of humankind.
May you act with compassion to those less fortunate and with responsibility to the communities of which you are a part.
May you appreciate and complement each other’s differences.
May you always share yourselves openly with your friends and family.
May your home be a haven of blessing and peace.
From Wedding Ceremony Choices
______ and _____, may this be the love that you bring into this relationship and may its essence touch all those with whom you come in contact. Just as the waters touch and nourish the many shores of the earth, may your love be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Love enriches each part of life and marriage enriches love. Your lives, shared in love, can hold more fulfillment and happiness than either life alone. Love is the reason this day was chosen by you to begin your lives together and love is the reason you will give with all your hearts for the good of each other. Love is the reason that together you will become one; one in hope; one in believing; one in sharing the coming years.
From Ceremony Wedding Choices
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6
DECLARATION
This is one of the three have to’s from earlier for the officiant: declaring you husband and wife.
It’s a happy moment for not only your family and friends but certainly you two as a couple.
THAT FIRST KISS
As an officiant, it’s always a joy to tell the groom that he can now kiss his bride. We step back out of the way so the photographer can get a great shot of just the two of you sealing the marriage ceremony with a kiss. Make sure you make it count and not just a quick peck, you don’t want the photographer to ask you to do it again!
INTRODUCING THE HAPPY COUPLE
One of our favourite times of the whole day is introducing the couple as husband and wife for the first time.
Have you considered how you want to be introduced?
Mr. and Mrs. ______?
First names included or not?
Maybe you are hyphenating names?
Just your first names?
Just tell us before we shout it out to your cheering guests. 🙂