The Wine Ceremony
This is not really a new thing. When you look at a pagan wedding these often include the bride and groom sharing wine as part of the ceremony. Pagan is older then Christianity - nothing new. But, since you are more likely to have a Christian background vs. a Pagan background - this is an interesting twist for wine lovers.
I got these ideas from Wedding Bells are Ringing and Radiant Touch Weddings.
To celebrate your first drink as a married couple, and to signify you coming together as one, please drink to the love you have shared in the past.
(Bride drinks first, then Groom)
Officiant: Drink to your love in the present, on this your wedding day.
Bride drinks first, then Groom)
Officiant: And now drink to your love in the future and forever more.
Bride drinks first, then Groom)
I got these ideas from Wedding Bells are Ringing and Radiant Touch Weddings.
To celebrate your first drink as a married couple, and to signify you coming together as one, please drink to the love you have shared in the past.
(Bride drinks first, then Groom)
Officiant: Drink to your love in the present, on this your wedding day.
Bride drinks first, then Groom)
Officiant: And now drink to your love in the future and forever more.
Bride drinks first, then Groom)
The Wine Ceremony can be done many ways. As with anything, your imagination is the limit.
One way is to have one wine glass filled with a liquid. (Maybe a clear liquid in case any spills happen.) After the officiant talks about the
meaning of the glass, the glass is handed to the groom, who takes a sip; he hands it to his bride, who takes a sip and hands it back to the officiant.
This ceremony can also be done using
two glasses and intertwining arms as you both take a sip. It is quite charming and very romantic.
This wine glass is to remind you of your love. Delicate, yet strong; filled with love, yet
with room for more. It symbolizes two people coming together to share one life, one
love.
Use this loving cup for miracles. Fill it with forgiveness, understanding and
appreciation. Drink deeply and often. Whenever you do, remember this:
Love is real. Once created, it cannot be destroyed. It is eternal
"A Toast to Life"
The years of your lives are as a cup of wine poured out for you to drink. The grapes when they are pressed, give forth their good juices for the wine. Under the wine press of time, our lives give forth their labor, and honor and love.
This cup contains within it the sweet wine of happiness and hope. This same cup, at times, holds the bitter wine of sorrow and despair.
One who drinks deeply of life invites the full range of experience into his or her being.
This cup 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 that your lives have become one vessel into which all your sorrows and joys, all your hopes and fears will be poured, and from which you will receive mutual sustenance.
Many days you will sit at the same table and eat and drink together.
Drink now, and may the cup of your lives be sweet and full to overflowing.
The officiant passes the goblet to Groom. He sips from it and then passes it to Bride who does likewise.
This cup contains within it the sweet wine of happiness and hope. This same cup, at times, holds the bitter wine of sorrow and despair.
One who drinks deeply of life invites the full range of experience into his or her being.
This cup 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 that your lives have become one vessel into which all your sorrows and joys, all your hopes and fears will be poured, and from which you will receive mutual sustenance.
Many days you will sit at the same table and eat and drink together.
Drink now, and may the cup of your lives be sweet and full to overflowing.
The officiant passes the goblet to Groom. He sips from it and then passes it to Bride who does likewise.
This glass of wine symbolizes the sum of your life experiences. It contains within it the
sweet flavors of love, joy, wonder and contentment.
This same cup, at times, holds the bitter taste of sadness, pain, and despair. When you
drink deeply of this cup of life, you invite the full spectrum of experiences into your life. As you drink from this cup, you accept the commitment to draw from your marriage all
that you need to wash away the bitter flavors of life and to savor the sweet flavors you
will experience on your journey together.
"This Loving Cup 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, separate until this moment, have now become one.
(The officiant hands the Loving Cup to Bride and Groom. )
Drink for learning and respect of eachj other's cultures and traditions and understanding between nations
Drink for supporting physical and spiritual wellness for each other and family, friends and everyone in the world.
Drink for bringing a brighter future for each other, for the next generations to come and the universe surrounding us.
(The Bride and Groom sip from the Loving Cup and hand it back to the officiant)
As you have shared the wine from this Loving Cup, so may you share your lives. May you explore the mysteries of the Loving Cup and share in the reflection of love in one another's soul. From love all things proceed and unto love they must return.
May you find life's joys heightened, it's bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by blessings upon you and by the love of family and friends."
(The officiant hands the Loving Cup to Bride and Groom. )
Drink for learning and respect of eachj other's cultures and traditions and understanding between nations
Drink for supporting physical and spiritual wellness for each other and family, friends and everyone in the world.
Drink for bringing a brighter future for each other, for the next generations to come and the universe surrounding us.
(The Bride and Groom sip from the Loving Cup and hand it back to the officiant)
As you have shared the wine from this Loving Cup, so may you share your lives. May you explore the mysteries of the Loving Cup and share in the reflection of love in one another's soul. From love all things proceed and unto love they must return.
May you find life's joys heightened, it's bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by blessings upon you and by the love of family and friends."
Life is a series of contradictions. It is said that all things end and yet all things continue.
All things change and yet all things remain the same.
Wine has been called the symbol of life. It is like the blood flowing within our bodies. By
sharing this glass, the two become one, the parts become whole; two paths intertwined,
each separate, yet united in love.
Wine, like the life-blood that pulses through our veins, is a symbol of life. It is created
through the work of hands and minds.
Love, a feeling, in constant motion like the sea, lies in the soul alone. Just as wine
stimulates the body, love stimulates our souls to welcome the spirit of God.
As you share this wine glass today, may you be joined in a love as fluid as the drink
itself, yet as solid as the hands which made it.
The years of our lives are as a cup of wine, poured out for us to drink. As grapes when
they are pressed give forth their juices for the wine, so under the wine press of time, our
lives give forth their labor, their honor, their love.
<Bride> and <Groom>, often in the days to come you will sit at the same table and
break bread together. Drink now, and may the cup of your lives be sweet and full to running over.
As you have shared from this one cup of wine, so may you draw contentment, comfort, and delight from the cup of life. May you find life's joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened, and all things hallowed, by your companionship and love.
The Sake Ceremony
The traditional Japanese ceremony is a Shinto ceremony, though many Japanese in America celebrate weddings with a Buddhist ceremony. Regardless of religious rituals, most Japanese also include a cultural sake-sharing tradition at the wedding, popularly called san-san-kudo -- san means "three," ku means "to deliver," and do means "nine." This ritual dates back to a time when sharing sake created a formal bond as strongly as a handshake did in Victorian times. Using three flat sake cups stacked atop one another, the bride and groom take three sips each from the cups. Then their parents also take sips (for a total of nine sips), cementing the bond between the families.
A Gourd of Wine
The traditional Korean wedding is held at the bride's family home. Vows are taken in a ceremony called kunbere: Bride and groom bow to each other and seal their vow by sipping a special wine poured into a gourd grown by the bride's mother.
