Opening Prayers

Opening Prayers for your Wedding Ceremony

I perform a lot of semi-religious wedding ceremonies.  Often, an opening prayer might be the only Christian element added to an otherwise non-religious ceremony.  Here are some wonderful options.

These can also be used as closing prayers. ​

Opening Prayer Option 1

O God, Creator of us all, we thank you for the gift of life, and on this day we thank you especially for the joy that Name and Name have found in each other, and for the promises, they will make before you. Bless all of our families and friends who are present with us on this special occasion. We also remember those who couldn't be here today, particularly  (you can name people here if you like). We pray, O God, that you remain with them as a partner in their marriage. Grant to them, and to us all, love and understanding all of our days. Amen

Opening Prayer Option 2

Heavenly Father, we gather here together because you have promised that wherever 3 or more are gathered in your name, you will be in the midst of them.  We ask for your presence here, as we join Name and Name in marriage. We ask your blessings over this ceremony as Name and Name make their vows to each other.  Stand by them throughout their marriage and fill them with your perfect love so that they may grow in their love for you and for each other throughout their marriage and their lives.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen

Opening Prayer Option 3

Father in heaven, You ordained marriage for your children, and you gave us love. We present to You Name and Name, who come this day to be married. May the covenant of love they make be blessed with true devotion and spiritual commitment. We ask that You, God, will give them the ability to keep the covenant they have made. When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity; when mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength; when there is misunderstanding, give patience and gentleness; if suffering becomes a part of their lives, give them a strong faith and an abiding love. Amen.​

Opening Prayer Option 4

Heavenly Father, we invite you here today as we celebrate the joining of Name and Name in Marriage.  We acknowledge and praise you as the creator and source of unconditional and unending love,  We pray your loving spirit be poured over this wedding ceremony today. As Name and Name make their vows,  promising their unconditional love and faithfulness to each other, may they be reminded, just as your love is poured anew over each of our lives every day, their love for each other is also continually renewed and stregnthened daily. As all of us here witness this joyous and sacred act of marriage, may each of us be encouraged in our own relationships, growing every closer to you, and to each other, cherishing one another and the special love and friendships we share.  As we pray for those here today, we also remember those who could not be here today, we know we are all together in spirit, eternally connected through your perfect love.  Amen.

Opening Prayer Option 5

Wedding Prayer 
by Robert Louis Stevenson

Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow,
for the health, the work, the food,
and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth.
​Amen.
​

Opening Prayer Option 6

Grateful

​Let us be grateful 
for the capacity to see, feel, hear, and understand. 
Let us be grateful for this incredible gift of life. 
Let us be especially grateful 
for the ties of love which bind us together, 
giving dignity, meaning, worth and joy to all our days. 
This is indeed a day which the Lord has made. 
Let us rejoice in it and be glad, 
and let us count our many blessings.

Opening Prayer Option 7

Marriage Prayer

Father in heaven, 
You ordained marriage for your children, 
And you gave us love. 
We present to You, Name and Name, 
Who comes this day to be married. 
May the covenant of love they make be blessed 
with true devotion and spiritual commitment. 
We ask that You, God, 
will give them the ability to keep the covenant they have made. 
When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity. 
When mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength. 
When there is misunderstanding, give patience and gentleness. 
If suffering becomes a part of their lives, 
give them a strong faith and an abiding love. 
Amen.

Opening Prayer Option 8

Heavenly Father, we gather to celebrate your gift of love and its presence among us. We rejoice that these two people have chosen to commit themselves to a life of loving faithfulness to one another. We praise you, Lord, for the ways you have touched our lives with a variety of loving relationships, and we give thanks for Name and Name, and for the special love and friendship you have put in their hearts. Renew within us an affection and a loving spirit. Enrich our lives with the gracious gift of your love so that we may embrace others with that same love. May our participation in this celebration of love and commitment bring us renewed joy and a deeper responsiveness to the relationships we cherish. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
​

Opening Prayer Option 9

Heavenly Father, Bless this marriage, as Name and Name begin their journey down the road of life together. We don’t know what lies ahead. But help them to make the best of whatever comes their way. Help them to hug each other often … laugh a lot, talk more, and argue less. Help them to continue to enjoy each other as they did when they first met. Help them to realize that nothing or no one is perfect and to look for the good in all things and all people including themselves. Help them to respect each other’s likes and dislikes, opinions and beliefs, hopes and dreams and fears even though they may not always understand them. Help them to learn from each other and help each other grow mentally and emotionally. Give them peace of heart and strength of spirit so they may honor the vows they made here today. And may the promises they made inspire each of us who celebrates with them. Amen.

Opening Prayer Option 10

God, as you join us today, we ask for your blessings upon this couple as they unite in marriage. Let all their days together be happy and all their words to each other be sweet. Though their paths are intertwined, let them be aware of each other’s separateness. Bless their home and allow it to be a place of joy and serenity. Remind them to nurture each other’s body with mutual love, honor and respect. Let their spirits dwell within. As they learn from one another, may they grow stronger as individuals and closer as a couple. And as their wedded life begins today with prayer, so may they continue it, praying for and with each other.  Amen.

Opening Prayer Option 11

Family and Friends, this is a very sacred time for Name and Name, so – let us begin with prayer.  I invite you to close your eyes and turn within yourselves to the presence of God, and let us now realize that God’s richest blessings are being poured out on Name and Name. We see them both blessed with an abundance of all-good and see their minds illumined by divine wisdom, and your hearts quickened by divine love. And now – let us affirm these things in an awareness that we are in the living, loving indwelling presence of God. Amen.

Opening Prayer Option 12

Gracious God, our hearts are filled with great happiness on this, the wedding day of Name and Name. They come before you, pledging their lives and their hearts to one another. Grant that they may be ever true and loving, living together in such a way as never to bring heartbreak into their marriage. Temper their hearts with kindness and help them be sweethearts, helpmates, friends, and guides. Together, may they meet the cares and problems of life more bravely.  May their home truly be a place of love and harmony where your Spirit is ever present. Bless their wedding day, we pray, and walk beside them, through all their life together. Amen.

Opening Prayer Option 13

Thank you, God, for the beautiful bond of love that exists between Name and Name. Thank you for this wedding ceremony with family, friends, and loved ones. We are grateful for your presence with us today and for your divine blessing on this holy occasion, the marriage of Name and Name.  Amen.

Opening Prayer Option 14

Faithful God, we dare to invoke Your name in this glad moment, because we know You are the Creator of humanity in Your image and in all our diversity. You are the Author of love, the Source of passion, the Model of commitment. You stand with us, through all of life’s experiences, worries, defeats, and victories. So we pray for your presence now, confident that divine blessing comes to rest wherever hearts are woven together with fidelity and life. Bless this hour for Name and Name, and let Your peace uphold all who love them and who witness this sacred moment.  Amen.

** 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 **