Processional
Opening Words
Welcome! We are gathered here in the presence of God and of this company to join in holy marriage Bride's Full Name and Groom's Full Name. Nature is constantly in transition. It shows us that we die to the old and are reborn in the new. We see the leaves turning color in the fall, dropping from tree branches, followed by new growth each springtime. Just as in nature, we must let go of what was in order to grow anew. Today, Groom & Bride are choosing to do just that! They are choosing to let go of their separate lives, and are choosing to embrace a transition that will see them merge two devoted lives into one, and to grow anew in their togetherness. And today, we are here to celebrate with them this transition into a new season of their lives.
Opening Prayer
{Let us bless this joyous union with prayer.}
Beloved God, we welcome you and are so grateful for your presence on this joyous Autumn day. We have come here as a community of family and friends to love and support Groom & Bride, to witness their entrance into the sacred and joyous covenant of marriage, and to celebrate the beginning of their journey together as husband and wife. We celebrate this union of their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls, and wish them great joy. We ask that you guide and bless them with a loving, healthy, and happy marriage. Amen.
Reading
This is a reading from Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, Verses 1 through 8.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Expression of Intent
{Now, Groom & Bride will make public their intention to marry.}
Groom, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
Groom: I will!
Bride, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
Bride: I will!
Vows
{And now Groom and Bride will recite their wedding vows}
Groom, please repeat after me...
Bride, you are God's priceless gift to me. You are my beloved, my friend, my perfect one. Put me like a seal over your heart. I take you as my wife, from this day forward, to join with you and share our lives together, and to be true to you with my whole being. My commitment is made in love, to be kept in faith, lived in hope, and eternally made new.
Bride, please repeat after me...
Groom, you are God's priceless gift to me. You are my beloved, my friend, my perfect one. Put me like a seal over your heart. I take you as my husband, from this day forward, to join with you and share our lives together, and to be true to you with my whole being. My commitment is made in love, to be kept in faith, lived in hope, and eternally made new.
Blessing of the Rings
Traditionally, the transition to the 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 and 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.
Exchange Of The Rings
{And now, Groom & Bride will exchange their wedding rings}
Groom, please repeat after me...
I give you this ring in token of the covenant made today between us; in the name of God.
Bride, please repeat after me...
I give you this ring in token of the covenant made today between us; in the name of God.
Wine Ritual
{The vineyards have brought forth their bounty, and now Groom & Bride will use it to seal their covenant in a wine ceremony.}
The years of life are as a cup of wine poured out for you to drink. This "Cup of Life" contains within it a wine with certain properties that are sweet and symbolic of happiness, joy, hope, peace, love and delight. This same wine also holds some bitter properties that are symbolic of disappointment, sorrow, grief, despair, and life's trials and tribulations. Together the sweet and the bitter represent "Life's Journey" 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.
[Celebrant pours wine into goblet and holds it up]
This "Cup of Life" is symbolic of the pledges you have made to one another to share together the fullness of life. As you drink from this cup, 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 sweet and full to running over.
[Celebrant hands goblet to groom, who drinks, then hands it to bride, who drinks, and then passes it back to Celebrant]
As you have shared this cup of wine, so may you share your lives. May all the sweetness that it holds for you be the sweeter because you taste it together. May you find life's joys heightened, it's bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by God's blessings upon you.
Pronouncement of Marriage
{At this time we come to the Pronouncement of Marriage. The Pronouncement is my public, and legal, proclamation that Bride and Groom are married. It is the exact moment of Marriage...}
Groom and Bride, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by your vows, the giving of your rings, and the sharing of wine, I now declare you to be husband and wife and offer you the Benediction of the Apaches...
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 more loneliness... For each of you will be 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 into the days of your togetherness... And may your days be good and long upon the earth!
Permission to Kiss
Congratulations, you may kiss!
Benediction
May you find constant reward and challenge as you pursue the ongoing adventure of learning who you are as a couple and where you want to go together. 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. May you dare to dream dreams not yet dreamt. And may your love grow like a beautiful tree, sending roots deep and branches high, with new beauty in every season of your life.
Presentation of the New Couple
Ladies and gentlemen, It is my pleasure to present to you...
Mr. & Mrs. _________________________
Recessional
