NON-DENOMINATIONAL CEREMONY #1

MINISTER:  Good afternoon (morning/evening)! We are gathered here today, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is! We do not create this marriage, because we cannot. We can and do, however, celebrate with Bride and Groom

And their friends and families the wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place in their lives. Marriage is a supreme sharing of experience, and an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. It is the joyous union of two people whose companionship and mutual understanding have flowered in romance. Today Groom and Bride proclaim their love and commitment to the world, and we gather here to rejoice, with and for them, in the new life they now undertake together.

The joy we feel now is a solemn joy, because the act of marriage has many consequences, both social and personal.

Marriage requires, “love.” A word we often use with vagueness and sentimentality.

We may assume that love is some rare and mystical event, when in fact it is our natural state of being.

So what do we mean by love? When we love, we see things other people do not see. We see beneath the surface, to the qualities that make our beloved one special and unique. To see with loving eyes, it to know inner beauty.  And to be loved is to be seen, and known, as we are known to on other. One, who loves us, gives us a unique gift: a piece of ourselves, but a piece that only they could give us.

We, who love, can look at each other’s life and say, “I touched his life,” “I touched her life,” just as an artist might say, “I touched this canvas.” “Those brushstrokes in the comer of this magnificent mural, those are mine. I was a part of this life, and it is a part of me.” Marriage is to belong to each other through unique directions, yet weaving one tapestry together.

The secret of love and marriage is similar to that of religion itself. It is the emergence of the larger self. It is the finding of one’s life by losing it. Such is the privilege of husband and wife- to be each himself, herself and yet another; to face the world strong, with the courage of two.

To make this relationship work, therefore, takes more that love. It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another,

To stay open tone another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both. While love is our natural state of being, these other qualities are not as easy to come by. They are not a destination, but a journey.

The true are of married life is in this an inner spiritual journey. It is a mutual enrichment, a give and take between two personalities, a mingling of two endowments, which diminishes neither,

But enhances both.

Through this cooperation, we give ourselves, our lives and love. Into the hands of the one we love. We do so trustingly and generously. And so, each of us receives a gift: the life and love of the other. We receive this gift, not only from the one we love, but also from the parents who brought us into the world, and from our friends and families as well. And so as Groom and Bride’s friends and family, we are here to share with them this joy and hope, and to see them off on the path they will walk together. May it be a path of blessedness, bright with flowers of prosperity and spiritual awakening; paths of ever deepening, ever broadening love that they will travel, arm in arm, throughout eternity

THE COMMITMENT

MINISTER: Groom and Bride this celebration is the our ward token of your sacred and inward union of hearts, which the  church and temple may bless, and the state make legal, but which neither state nor church can create nor annul. It is a union created by your loving purpose and kept by our abiding will. It is in this spirit and for this purpose that you have come here to be joined together.

VOWS

MINISTER: Groom, will you have this woman to be thy wedded wife, to live, to live together in marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, and honor her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, so long as you both shall live?
GROOM: “I WILL”

MINISTER: Bride, will you have this man to be thy wedded husband, to live, to live together in marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, and honor him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, so long as you both shall live?

BRIDE: “I WILL”

CEREMONY OF THE RINGS

MINISTER: Traditionally, the marking- of the passage to tile status of husband and wife is marked by the exchange of rings. These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning or no end, no giver, and no receiver for each is the giver, and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken? (Each places the ri

PRONOUNCEMENT

Inasmuch as you have consented together in this ceremony to live in wedlock and have sealed your vows in the presence of this company and by the giving of these rings, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are now Husband and Wife.

CONGRATULATIONS, you may kiss the bride!!

ng on the other’s finger and repeats this simple vow): “With this ring, I thee wed.”Return to top

NON-DENOMINATIONAL CEREMONY #2

Minister: With great joy, we come together to join this man, Groom, and this woman, Bride, in matrimony.

This marriage is an event in the lifetime of a love. Neither all society, nor I can join these two lovers today. Only they can do what they have chosen. They are joining themselves, each to the other. As they find union with one another, they proclaim that union today and pledge its future. We, by our participation in this celebration, do but recognize and honor their intention to dwell together as husband and wife.

GROOM: I promise you Bride that I will be your loving and loyal husband from now on. I will share with you all of life’s joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, until death parts us.

BRIDE: I promise you Groom that I will be your loving and loyal wife from now on. I will share with you all of life’s joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, until death parts us.

RING CEREMONY

MINISTER: Each of you has rings for each other. Would you exchange them?

As they are exchanging rings, the minister says: As a ceaseless reminder of this our, and of the promise you have made to each other, these rings also speak of the oneness you now experience as husband and wife. 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 you will feel no loneliness, for each of you will be a companion to the other. Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you. Go now to your dwelling place, to enter the days of your life together.

And may your days be good, and long upon the earth.

Because they have so affirmed, in love and knowledge of the other, so also do I declare that Groom and Bride are now?

HUSBAND AND WIFE.

Groom you may now kiss your Bride!!

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NON-DENOMINATIONAL CEREMONY #3

MINISTER: Good afternoon! We are gathered here today, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is! We do not create this marriage, because we cannot. We can and do, however, celebrate with (Bride) and (Groom) and their family and friends the wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place I their lives. Marriage is a supreme sharing of experience and an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. It is the joyous union of two people whose companionship and mutual understanding have flowered in romance. Today, Groom and Bride proclaim their love and commitment to the world, and we gather here to rejoice, with and for them, in the new life they now undertake together.

THE COMMITMENT

MINISTER:  Groom and Bride this celebration is the outward token of your sacred and inward union of hearts. It is a union created by your loving purpose and kept by your abiding will. It is in this spirit and for this purpose that you have come here to be joined together.

VOWS

MINISTER: (Groom), will you have this woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, and honor her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, so long as you both shall live?

GROOM:  I WILL

MINISTER: (Bride), will you have this man to be thy wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, and honor him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, so long as you both shall live?

BRIDE:  I WILL

CEREMONY OF THE RINGS

MINISTER: The wedding ring is a symbol of unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end. And today Bride and Groom give and receive these rings as demonstration of their vows to make their life one. Love freely- giving has no beginning and no end, no giver or receiver for each is the giver, and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken?

(THE RINGS- Each places the ring on the other’s finger and repeats this simple vow.)

GROOM SAYS- “With this ring, I thee wed”.

BRIDE SAYS “With this ring, I thee wed”.

MINISTER: Groom and Bride, as the two of you come into this marriage uniting you as husband and wife, and as you affirm your faith and love for one another, I would ask that you always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive – as from this day forward you shall be each other’s home, comfort and refuge, your marriage strengthened by your love and respect for each other.

UNITY CANDLE CEREMONY

MINISTER: This candle you are about to light is a candle of Marriage. Its fire is magical because it represents the light of two people in love.

This candle before you is a candle of commitment because it takes two people working together to keep it aflame

This candle is also a candle of Unity because both come together, giving a spark of themselves, to create the new light.

As you light this candle today, may the brightness of the flame shine throughout your lives. May it give you courage and reassurance in darkness, warmth and safety in the cold, Strength and joy in your bodies, minds, and spirits.

May your union be forever blessed!!

PRONOUNCEMENT

MINISTER: Inasmuch as you have consented together in this ceremony to live in wedlock and have sealed your vows in the presence of this company and by the giving of these rings, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are how,

HUSBAND AND WIFE!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE!!

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