(Please note that any readings, vows, prayers and any other ceremony elements can be added, changed, rearranged, substituted, deleted or added as necessary.)
~ Welcome and Introduction ~
Dear Friends and Loved Ones, we gather here today to celebrate this most special occasion – the wedding of (Bride/Groom 1) and (Bride/Groom 2).
(Bride/Groom 1) and (Bride/Groom 2) come here today to pledge their love and to celebrate the joining of their lives in marriage. The rest of us have gathered here to be witnesses to their vows about to be spoken, and to celebrate the courage, caring and commitment expressed in them. Our role here is to bless this union, as Love’s characters come together face to face.
The union into which (Bride/Groom 1) and (Bride/Groom 2) enter embodies all the warm and precious values which grow from human companionship and love. It should be entered into in all seriousness, and with the knowledge that love is both humankind’s highest achievement and life’s most precious gift.
When two individuals meet, they come from two private worlds. None of our private worlds is big enough for us to live a wholesome life in. We need the wider world of joy and wonder, of purpose and venture, of toil and tears. We are but strangers until we draw together and find the meaning of our lives in one another dissolving our fears in each other’s courage, making music together and lighting torches to guide us through the dark.
(Bride/Groom 1) and (Bride/Groom 2), you have found not only a need for companionship, but the satisfaction of that need in each other’s company. It is this love, based on your respect and understanding of each other that will aid you in creating out of your two separate lives, the family and the happiness you share together.
~ Vows ~
(Bride/Groom 1) and (Bride/Groom 2), I ask you now to join your hands together as you pledge your love in marriage.
(Bride/Groom 1), Do you promise to love (Bride/Groom 2),
To remain honest and faithful to (her/him)
To make (her/him) burdens lighter by dividing them
To make (her/him) joys more intense by sharing them.
To grow and to understand, and to discover a deeper, fuller, life.
Do you promise to challenge (her/him), to support and nurture (her/him),
and to fight with (her/him) from time to time?
Do you promise to place no limitations on the possibilities of your relationship
And to love (her/him), with all your heart, and for the rest of your life?
Answer: I do.
(Bride/Groom 2), Do you promise to love (Bride/Groom 1)
To remain honest and faithful to (her/him)
To make (her/him) burdens lighter by dividing them
To make (her/him) joys more intense by sharing them.
To grow and to understand, and to discover a deeper, fuller, life.
Do you promise to challenge (her/him), to support and nurture (her/him),
and to fight with (her/him) from time to time?
Do you promise to place no limitations on the possibilities of your relationship
And to love (her/him), with all your heart, and for the rest of your life?
Answer: I do.
~ Ring Blessing ~
And so we come (Bride/Groom 1) and (Bride/Groom 2), to the presentation of rings by which you symbolize and bind your love.
The circle has long been a symbol of spirit and the power of the universe. The sky and the earth are round. The wind in its greatest power whirls. The sun and moon, both round, come forth and go down again in a circle. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing and always come back again to where they were. Without beginning or end and with no point of weakness, the circle is a reminder of the eternal quality of the universe and of unending strength.
Let the seamless circle of these rings become the symbol of your endless love and unending faithfulness. Your wedding rings are most special because they say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bonded, to allow the presence of another human being to enhance who you are. Your rings carry a potent double message: We are individuals and yet we belong; we are not alone. As you wear them through time, they will reflect not only who you are but also the glorious union that you are now creating.
And so, I ask that we all bless these rings and the two who exchange them. May they be constant reminders of the arms that embrace the other, keeping them both comforted and safe in the circle of their love and joy.
~ Ring Exchange ~
(Bride/Groom 1), place the ring on (Bride/Groom 2)’s finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I pledge my love and faithfulness to you, today, tomorrow and always. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you.
(Bride/Groom 2), place the ring on (Bride/Groom 1)’s finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I pledge my love and faithfulness to you, today, tomorrow and always. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you.
Wear these rings as the enclosing bond of reverence and trust. Fulfill the circle of love that now makes you one.
~ Pronouncement and Kiss ~
(Bride/Groom 1) and (Bride/Groom 2), inasmuch as you have grown in your knowledge and love of one another, because you have declared your commitment to go forward in your lives together, seeking an even richer, deepening relationship, and because you have pledged to meet both sorrow and joy as one family, I now pronounce you married for life.
You may now express your eternal commitment of love to one another with a kiss.
All-Faith Wedding Minister 