Cara and Brandon's Christian Wedding Ceremony Script With a Unity Candle, The Willows at Westfield, Indianapolis

Opening Prayer, 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 Cara and Brandon
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.  Those who couldn’t make it or who are no longer with us.  We know they are with us in spirit. We pray, O God, that you remain with Cara and
Brandon as a partner in their marriage. Grant to them, and to us all,
love and understanding all of our days. Amen

Please Be seated.  

Welcome!  Thank you for joining us here today, for coming from far and wide to celebrate the joining together in marriage of Brandon and Cara.    We gather here today to celebrate their union, and to honor their commitment to not just gazing at one another, but to looking outward together in the same direction.  Cara and Brandon  proclaim their love to the world, and we are happy for them.

We have come here as a community of family and friends to love and support the two of you. To witness your entrance into the sacred and joyous covenant of marriage, and to celebrate the beginning of your journey together as husband and wife.

Who gives this woman to be married?

Mom and Dad:  We do.

Thank You!

We are all happy  that you have found each other And that through each other, You have come to know the power of love. We celebrate your union of hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.  And wish you great joy and a loving and happy marriage.

At this time, I’m going to pass around the wedding rings. We call this a ring warming.   We are asking that as you pass them you share your positive vibes, blessings and prayers. When they make their way back to the front Cara and Brandon will exchange them and hopefully carry your love with them as them embark on their journey through life together. They are starting out as cold pieces of metal and they will return to them ready to exchange warmed with your love.  Thank you!

(pass the rings)

In marriage, we give ourselves freely and generously into the hands of the one we love, and in doing so, each of us receives the love and trust of the other as our most precious gift. But even as that gift is shared by two people who are in love, it also touches the friends and family members who in various ways support and contribute to the relationship. All of you are Brandon and Cara's community, and each of you has played some part in bringing them to this moment. 
This is why gathering as a community is such an important part of a wedding ceremony. Because they are now taking a new form as a married couple, and in this form, they become part of their community in a new way.

Today we have come together to celebrate the love you have found with each other. By being here with you, Each of us is declaring our support For your decision to join together in marriage.

As families and friends, all of you here from their community of support That surrounds Them. Each of you, by your presence here today, Is being called upon to uphold them In honoring and loving each other. Always stand beside them, Never between them. Offer them your love and support, Not your judgment. Encourage them with your kindness and loving hearts, And honor this marriage into which they have come to be joined today.

Marriage is the ultimate relationship because it offers the opportunity of limitless intimacy between two people. It is a great and challenging adventure into the depths and heights of human caring, Affection, trust and understanding. Today as you make your vows, your lives are intermingled. 

Marriage is a journey of transformation into the profound mysteries of life and creation. Perhaps these are the little secrets of life a couple share with each other? You know, funny little habits... In marriage, two become one and, the two of you together is much greater than the simple sum of your parts. In marriage, We do not give ourselves to another, But rather surrender into something greater.  We surrender to love itself. Today, you step into a much fuller experience and expression of the mysteries and miracles of love.   Today it becomes officially legal!

Your precious union is lovely in its innocence, Mighty in its strength, And abundant with possibilities. It belongs to you both. Over time you will give it identity. We wish for you the wisdom, strength of character, and divine creativity to make this a happy marriage, A safe harbor. And a joyful journey to share. 


Cara’s Godmother  will now share a reading from the book of Corinthians.

​1 Corinthians: 13 NIV

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.​

The Second Reading is by Cara’s brother in honor of Cara’s and Brandon’s dog, Lily. 

How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog
by Taylor Mali
First of all, it’s a big responsibility,
especially in a city like New York.
So think long and hard before deciding on love.
On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
when you’re walking down the street late at night
and you have a leash on love
ain’t no one going to mess with you.
Because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable.
Who knows what love could do in its own defense?
On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.
Love doesn’t like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.
Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.
Love makes messes.
Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Somethimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain,
just to let love know Don’t you ever do that again!
Sometimes love just wants to go out for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise. It will run you around the block
and leave you panting, breathless. Pull you in different directions
at once, or wind itself around and around you
until you’re all wound up and you cannot move.
But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.
Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.

Mali. Taylor. “How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog.” What Learning Leaves. Write Bloody Books.



Vows

The two of you fell in love by chance, but you're here today because you're making a choice. You both are choosing each other. You've chosen to be with someone who enhances you, who makes you think, makes you smile, and makes every day brighter.
You're about to make promises to each other that you intend to keep. You're going to vow to take care of each other, to stand up for one another, and find happiness in the other. There's a simple premise to each of these promises: you're vowing to be there. You're teaming up and saying to the other, "Every experience I am going to have, I want you to be a part of."
Cara and Brandon, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?

We have

Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?

We will

Since it is your intention to enter into the covenant of marriage, join your hands, and declare your consent. 

Brandon, please repeat after me: 

I Brandon, take you, Cara, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

Cara, please repeat after me:

I, Cara, take you, Brandon, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

And I have a few more questions for both of you:
Will you keep each other as your favorite person — to laugh together, go on adventures together, support each other through life's tough moments, be proud of each other, grow old with each other, and find new reasons to love every day?  Will you be each other's partners from this day forward? Will you bring out the best in one another, share your happiest moments together, and love each other absolutely — for the rest of this lifetime and for whatever may come next?

We will

Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?

We will

Ring Exchange:

The rings are the universal symbols of marriage.  They mean many things.  From now on you will wear these rings and they will remind you...  They will remind you of the endless circle that they are.  Like love, there is no beginning and no end.  They will remind you daily that you are married.  Sometimes they will remind you of the commitment that you have made - for better or worse.  But, may they always remind you that there is one other person in the world that has pledged to love you forever, through thick and through thin and with all that they have. 

Cara, I give you this ring with all that I am and all that I ever will be.  Wear it and know that I love you.

Brandon, I give you this ring with all that I am and all that I ever will be.  Wear it and know that I love you.

Unity Candle

At the beginning of the ceremony Cara and Brandon’s mother’s lit candles.  Now, Cara and Brandon are going to use those candles to light their candle together.  There is great meaning behind this.  Their mothers are where it all began.  They gave birth to them and raised them.  Essentially, their mothers loved them and taught them how to love and helped to give them the foundation of who they are today. All of you here, family and friends, also helped to make them who they are. Now, through marriage, we are joining your two families together and all that has gone before now blends here towards your becoming.  These two candles will now join together to make one new flame that we hope will burn brightly for many years to come.  

Cara and Brandon come back together and hold hands

May the two of you be blessed by God, May you be touched by angels.  May your hearts stay full, may your spirits stay connected, and may you love long and happily in one another’s arms.

You are no longer just one man and one woman, but now of one heart and one spirit in the eyes of our Lord.
For whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder!

I now pronounce you Husband and wife!
You may kiss the bride!
Mr. and Mrs. !!!
How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog
by Taylor Mali
First of all, it’s a big responsibility,
especially in a city like New York.
So think long and hard before deciding on love.
On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
when you’re walking down the street late at night
and you have a leash on love
ain’t no one going to mess with you.
Because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable.
Who knows what love could do in its own defense?
On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.
Love doesn’t like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.
Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.
Love makes messes.
Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Somethimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain,
just to let love know Don’t you ever do that again!
Sometimes love just wants to go out for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise. It will run you around the block
and leave you panting, breathless. Pull you in different directions
at once, or wind itself around and around you
until you’re all wound up and you cannot move.
But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.
Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.

Mali. Taylor. “How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog.” What Learning Leaves. Write Bloody Books.