Daniel and Charlotte's Wedding Ceremony Script, The Montage, Indianapolis, IN

Charlotte and Daniel chose a Sunday afternoon in Indy to get married. Daniel had his heart and his mind set on getting married outside under the Pergola next to the lake at The Montage in Indianapolis.  From the way it was POURING down rain on Saturday night it didn't look like that was going to happen. But, when we all woke up on Sunday morning the sun was out and it was drying up and the outdoor wedding happened!

Daniel is a teacher and as soon as classes let out for the summer he was full speed ahead into wedding planning and 100% involved.  I love the ceremony they chose. The words they chose to express their thoughts and feelings are perfect. 

​Charlotte learned to sew and made her own wedding dress.  She looked absolutely beautiful!  The two of them split up after the rehearsal dinner on Friday night and didn't see each other again until the ceremony.  Yes, Charlotte definitely took Daniel's break away!  (sigh...)

Charlotte and Daniel's Wedding Ceremony Script

​Ladies and Gentlemen, before we begin, Please take a moment to silence your phones and refrain from taking taking pictures during the ceremony.  It is important to Charlotte and Daniel that you be present with them and share the moment as they make their wedding vows.  

Welcome! We are gathered here today to celebrate and to witness the joining of Charlotte and Daniel in marriage. As they promise to love, trust, and honor one another, and anticipate with joy spending the rest of their lives together, they are surrounded by you- their friends and family. Thank you for gathering here to witness their marriage and to share in the joy of this special occasion.

Charlotte and Daniel, today as you two are joined in marriage, there is a vast and unknown future stretching out before you. The possibilities and potentials of your married life are great. We join with you in hoping you realize your dreams, and that you are reborn in each other as you share your loves and dreams, wants and desires, and together are enriched by them. Through your commitment to each other, may you grow and nurture a love that makes both of you better people, a love that continues to give you great joy, and also a passion for living that provides you with energy and patience to face the responsibilities of life. There was a time when your loves were two separate paths. Gradually, they were joined as you grew closer together. Today, you proclaim to the world your choice to stay on the same path. We gather today to celebrate with you the new life that you now undertake together.

People are like cities: We all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between the sidewalk cracks, but most of the time all we let each other see is a postcard glimpse of a skyline or a polished square. Love lets you find those hidden places in another person, even the ones they didn’t know were there, even the ones they wouldn’t have thought to call beautiful themselves. 

But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. It is indeed a fearful gamble. Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature. To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take. If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation. It takes a lifetime to learn another person. When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling.

Take a moment and take a deep breath and remember this moment. 

Daniel and Charlotte, now you’ll say a few words that take you across of life, for after these vows, you’ll say to the world, this is my husband and this is my life.  

Declaration of Intent

Groom, do you come here today, in the presence of these witnesses, with love in your heart and with a conscious desire to be united in marriage with Bride?  Do you promise to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your lives together and to give to Bride all the loving support she needs to become the person she is destined to be?

Groom:  I do

Bride, do you come here today, in the presence of these witnesses, with love in your heart and with a conscious desire to be united in marriage with Groom?  Do you promise to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your lives together and to give to Groom all the loving support he needs to become the person he is destined to be?

Bride:  I do


Vows
​
The rings, please.  They will have each other's rings

The ring is an ancient symbol, so perfect and simple. It has no beginning and has no end. It is round like the sun, like the moon, like the eye, like arms that embrace. It is a circle; for love that is given comes back round again. Your rings are precious because you wear them with love. They symbolize your commitment in marriage. They remind you of who you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going. As you wear them through time, they will reflect not only who you are as individuals, but also who you are a couple.

Repeat after me:
Daniel, as you place the ring on Charlotte’s finger, please repeat after me:

I Daniel, take thee, Charlotte to be my Wife.
To have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
for richer or for poorer,
in joy and in sorrow,
and I promise my love to you,
for as long as we both shall live.
I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you.


Charlotte, as you place the ring on Daniels finger, please repeat after me
I Charlotte, take thee, Daniel to be my husband.
To have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
for richer or for poorer,
in joy and in sorrow,
and I promise my love to you,
for as long as we both shall live.
I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you.

Final pronouncement

Life and love are the greatest gifts bestowed upon humanity.
May your union grant you patience, tolerance, and understanding as well as the passion and excitement every marriage should possess.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you support one another, as a sign of mutual independence.
May you continually rediscover your love in one another, as the greatest gift of all.

It is my great pleasure to pronounce you “Husband and Wife.” You may now kiss the bride.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my pleasure to introduce to you: Mr. and Mrs....!