Formal Wedding Ceremony 10This ceremony doesn't have a nick-name yet and it's new to my ceremony choices. It was written by a couple using pieces of other ceremonies. It's very intentionally written. I've been officiating weddings for over 13 years and there have definitely been trends. I understand that if you are having a formal wedding, my biggest competition is your well-spoken friend or family member. I often ask couples why they are choosing to hire a pro. The answer is, Many they are often choosing to hire a professional wedding officiant very intentionally, they want control over what is said during their ceremony and how it's said. It's very true - a lot of couples really don't care about their ceremony. As long as they are married in the end, it fine. Saving a few hundred dollars by not hiring an officiant is worth it to them. I cannot argue with that. I don't want to argue with that. You may intentionally hire a professional officiant so you don't have to think about your ceremony. You may hire one because your ceremony is important. Welcome! Name and Name have brought us together here for an occasion of great joy and a cause for great celebration. Having found each other, they have built the kind of relationship that will serve them well as the foundation for their marriage. They have chosen each one of you to be here with them to witness their wedding vows as they join together as husband and wife/partners in marriage. Marriage is a bold step into an unknown future. It is risking who we are for the sake of who we can be. In marriage, two lives are intimately shared; and the blending of the two must not diminish either one. Rather, it should enhance the individuality of each partner. Each of us knows that a marriage is not created by a law or a ceremony; rather it occurs in the hearts of two human beings. It grows out of loving, caring, and sharing ourselves with another. This ceremony is not magic, it will not create a relationship that does not already exist and has not already been celebrated in all the commitments Name and Name have made to each other, both large and small, in the days since they first met and recognized their connection to one another. So, in witnessing this ceremony today, we are observing only an outward sign of an inward union that already exists between Name and Name. This ceremony is a symbol of how far they have come together and a symbol of the promise that they will make to each other to continue to live their lives together and to love each other solely and above all others. Each of you here today will witness the words that Name and Name will speak to one another and the vows that they will make. You should take good care to remember these words; for a marriage needs the help of a community, of friends and family who will be there when needed and will do all that they can during hard times to stand by them and offer their support to them and the new family that they create today. May you always do all within your power to support the union that will be made here today and to nurture the bond between these two people whom you love. If the old fairy-tale ending “and they lived happily ever after….” is taken to mean “They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,” then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, and your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be “in love” need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense-love as distinct from “being in love” and it is not merely a feeling. Love is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners receive from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. They can retain this love even when each could easily allow themselves to be “in love” with someone else. “Being in love” first moved them to promise fidelity but this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it. A successful marriage is not something that just happens. It takes work, it takes patience, and it takes time. It takes a commitment from both of you, a commitment to do whatever it takes to make your relationship thrive and not just simply survive. Declaration on Intent Name and Name, 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.” Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words 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/Partner for life Name, do you take Name, to be your lawfully wedded husband/wife/spouse/partner and travel the rest of life’s road with him/her/them? Will you love him/her/them, laugh with him/her/them, comfort, honor and protect him/her/them, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him/her/them as long as you both shall live? I do. Name, do you take Name, to be your lawfully wedded husband/wife/spouse/partner and travel the rest of life’s road with him/her/them? Will you love him/her/them, laugh with him/her/them, comfort, honor and protect him/her/them, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him/her/them as long as you both shall live? I do. Please repeat after me: I, Name, choose you, Name, In the presence of our friends and families, To be my wife/husband and partner From this day forward; To love you, To be a comfort and safe haven in your life, To hold you close, To listen deeply when you speak, To uphold you with my strength, To weigh the effects of the words I speak And the things I do, To never take you for granted, And to always give thanks For your presence in my life. I, Name, choose you, Name, In the presence of our friends and families, To be my wife/husband and partner From this day forward; To love you, To be a comfort and safe haven in your life, To hold you close, To listen deeply when you speak, To uphold you with my strength, To weigh the effects of the words I speak And the things I do, To never take you for granted, And to always give thanks For your presence in my life. Ring Exchange This is the point in the ceremony when people talk about the wedding bands being a perfect circle, having no beginning and no end. But we all know that these rings have a beginning. Rock is dug up from the earth. Metals are liquefied in a furnace at a thousand degrees. The hot metal is forged, cooled, and then painstakingly polished. Something beautiful made from raw elements. Love is like that. It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings. It is the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all. The promises which you have spoken to each other today are inscribed forever in your minds, in your hearts. But words are fleeting so let these rings serve as a reminder of the feelings you have in your hearts at this very moment. Name, as you place the ring on Name's finger, please repeat after me: Name, with this ring I am giving you my promise to always love you, cherish you, honor you, and comfort you. I promise that I will love you, and keep my heart open to you, all the days of my life. Name, as you place the ring on Name's finger, please repeat after me: Name, with this ring I am giving you my promise to always love you, cherish you, honor you, and comfort you. I promise that I will love you, and keep my heart open to you, all the days of my life. Name and Name, no one but you can declare yourselves married. You have begun it here today in speaking your vows before your family and friends and you will do it again in the days and years to come, standing by each other, sharing all that is sweet and bitter in life. Each tender act, each loving word will be the declaration of what was made here today. Therefore, it is my joyful responsibility to officially acknowledge your union as Husband and Wife/Partner's in life/Married. You may now seal your marriage with a kiss. ** Formal Ceremony 1 ** Formal Ceremony 2 - Traditional, Non-Religious ** Formal Ceremony 3 - Modern and Romantic ** ** Formal Ceremony 4 - Short and Sweet ** Formal Ceremony 5 - Christian-lite ** Formal Ceremony 6 - Secular Humanist ** ** Formal Ceremony 7 - Interfaith-Jewish ** Formal Ceremony 8 - Modern Handfasting ** Formal Ceremony 9 - Christian Traditional ** ** Formal Ceremony 10 ** ** Formal Wedding Ceremony Guide ** Formal Wedding Ceremony Scripts ** Elopement Ceremony Guide ** Elopement Ceremony Scripts ** Parts of a Wedding Ceremony ** Vow Writing Guide ** Unplugged Ceremony ** Opening Prayers ** Welcoming ** Moment of Silence ** Declaration of Support ** About Love and Marriage ** Non-Religious Readings ** Christian Readings ** Secular I-do's! ** Christian I-do-s! ** Ring Meaning ** Ring Blessings ** Secular Ring Exchanges ** Christian Ring Exchanges ** Unity Ceremonies ** Secular Blessings ** Christian Blessings ** The-pronouncement-Secular ** The Pronouncement - Christian ** Diversity Statement I am open to marrying any couple. It is my goal to meet each couple where they are and help them to have a positive wedding experience. In order to meet you where you are, I approach every wedding with an open mind - I don’t know anything about you until you tell me and that’s only if you choose to tell me. Wedding ceremony scripts have been written for years for brides and grooms. Now, bride and bride or groom and groom are very common. Some couples are choosing to forego traditional gender roles altogether and are using the terms spouse or partner. If you have made the choice to use non-traditional pronouns, please let me know, and I will be happy to honor your preferences. Any wedding ceremony script can be changed to reflect those personal preferences. Comments are closed.
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