Therefore, we celebrate with them their arrival at the portal of true and conscious loving. We are very happy for them and with them that one of the landmarks in the vast landscape of their becoming is the love that has brought them, and us, to this joyous occasion of their marriage.

(Selection 1)

Priest: Almighty God, hear our prayers for (Bride and Groom). With faith in you and in each other they pledge their love today in marriage, May their lives always bear witness to the reality of that love.

(Selection 2)

Priest: All-knowing God, we invite, indeed, we entreat, you to join us in this ceremony binding the lives and destinies of (Bride and Groom). As they speak and we hear the words that will forever join them, allow the intentions being uttered in their hearts stand true in time and run deep as a singing river through the landscape of their lives.

All take their seats if chairs are available. You may have as few or as many readings as you wish; the usual number is three. You may choose any of the readings I offer, or you may choose your own readings. Adults who can read loud enough for all to hear should usually do the readings. It is a good time to involve others in your wedding ceremony.

(Music is optional. It may be vocal or instrumental. It may take place between the readings or just after the last reading.)

 

(Selection 1)

Priest: In this sacred and joyful moment, we call upon the highest in you, (Bride) and (Groom), 

the divine inner presence that brought you to love and has chosen for you the commitment of 

marriage. For you we ask every blessing of this moment; a confirmation of the wisdom of your 

choice; great happiness on the path that is set before you; discretion, kindness and care as you 

walk upon that path, strength to live out your purpose, grace and peace through each step of your 

journey, and beloved friends and family to support you. And so, in the presence of your family 

and friends, I ask you to state your intentions.

(Selection 2)

Priest: (Bride and Groom), you have come together today so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of your family and friends. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already consecrated you in baptism and now he enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity. And so, in the presence of your family and friends, I ask you to state your intentions. 

(Selection 3)

Priest: You have been reminded once again of the deep value of your own self-knowledge, and understanding that marriage is the convergence of your individual and joint destinies as well as the greatest support for them; that as well as being a mirror for the story of yourselves, your marriage is in itself a worthy enterprise. And so, in the presence of your family and friends, I ask you to state your intentions. 

(Selection 1)

Priest: (Bride and Groom), have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage? Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives? We will.

Will you accept children lovingly from God, and bring them up according to the law of Christ? We will

(Selection 2)

Priest: (Bride), will you have (Groom) to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of 

marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and help him, in sickness and in health? 

Bride: I will.

Priest: (Groom), will you have (Bride) to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of 

marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and help her, in sickness and in health? 

Groom: I will.

 

(Selection 3)

Priest: Do you, (Groom), choose to marry (Bride), to speak the words that will bind you to her as her husband and allow you to become most fully yourself in her presence for the rest of the days of your life? Groom: I do.

And do you, (Bride), choose to marry (Groom), to speak the words that will bind you to him as his wife and allow you to become most fully yourself in his presence for the rest of the days of your life? Bride: I do.

Please note: you may have more than one or two selections in this Section 5, as the family situation dictates.

(Selection 1)

Priest: Would the immediate families of (Bride) and (Groom) please rise. (PAUSE) This is an 

important day for the families of (Bride) and (Groom). I ask you: do you bless them as they are 

married to each other? Parents/Families: I do.

Priest: Will the other family members and the friends of (Bride) and (Groom) please rise. 

PAUSE. Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold (Bride) and 

(Groom) in their marriage? All: We will. 

Priest: And so, let us pray for the families of (Bride) and (Groom) who have given their blessing 

to this union: O God our Father and Mother, who in infinite wisdom has provided families as 

the protecting and nurturing units of our natural existence, we thank you for the families of 

(Bride) and (Groom) for the strength, character, and joy which they have shared with them 

through the years. Thank you for such good friends, whose love and friendship has mutually 

enriched each others’ lives. Amen.

(SELECTION 2)

Priest: (addressing children from previous relationships:) (Name/s), you are entering a new 

family. Will you give to this new family your trust, love and affection? Children: I (we) will.

Priest: Let us pray for the children who are entering this new family life. O God, Father and Mother of us all, we ask you to bless with your great love this/these wonderful child/children, ________, _________, ________. They have come through security to anticipation, and they desire the warmth, security and environment of a loving family. Give to this new family unit the peace and power and love which you have promised to us, Your children. Amen.

 

(SELECTION 3)

Priest: (To the new step-parent:) (Name), will you promise to guide, nurture and love (names of 

children) with unfaltering devotion? Will you care for (him/her/them) as your own from this day 

forward? Answer: I will.

Priest: (To the natural/present parent:) (Name), will you share the joys and responsibilities of 

(names of children) with (spouse)? Will you trust (his/her) sincerity and accept (his/her) love for 

(names of children)? Answer: I will.

Priest: (Children), will you promise to love and honor (Name of new stepparent)? Will you 

respect (his/her) guidance from this day forward? Answer: I will.

Bride and Groom, these are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.  

Priest: (Bride) and (Groom), the God who hears your promises to each other will be present to aid you in keeping them for the rest of your lives. Please join your right hands and repeat after me. 

(Selection 1)

(Groom) I, (Groom), take you, (Bride), to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to honor, and to cherish you all the days of my life. I will be faithful to you as long as we both shall live. 

(Bride) I, (Bride), take you, (Groom), to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day 

forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to 

honor, and to cherish you all the days of my life. I will be faithful to you as long as we both 

shall live. 

(SELECTION 2)

Groom: I, (Groom), take you, (Bride), to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, 

for better, or for worse, for richer, or for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love, to honor and 

to cherish unconditionally. Forsaking all others, I will be faithful to you. 

Bride: I, (Bride), take you, (Groom), to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day 

forward, for better, or for worse, for richer, or for poorer, in sickness, and in health, to love, to 

honor and to cherish unconditionally. Forsaking all others, I will be faithful to you. 

(Selection 3)

Groom: (Bride), we entered into each other’s lives and experienced love and happiness. Today I 

am confirming my promise for all of my life to love and respect you, to be faithful and honest 

with you, to give you encouragement and strength and trust, to stand together in our times of joy 

and of sorrow. I pray that our home will be one of love and understanding and patience ... not to 

remain the same, but to grow better and stronger with the passing of time, and through the love 

we have for one another. Our lives have become joined with the times we have shared, and will 

be more complete by the memories ahead, ready to be made. I am promising from this day 

forward that I will be your husband, to walk with you throughout all your tomorrows. I love 

you.

Bride: (Groom), we entered into each other’s lives and experienced love and happiness. Today I 

am confirming my promise for all of my life to love and respect you, to be faithful and honest 

with you, to give you encouragement and strength and trust, to stand together in our times of joy 

and of sorrow. I pray that our home will be one of love and understanding and patience ... not to 

remain the same, but to grow better and stronger with the passing of time, and through the love 

we have for one another. Our lives have become joined with the times we have shared, and will 

be more complete by the memories ahead, ready to be made. I am promising from this day 

forward that I will be your wife, to walk with you throughout all your tomorrows. I love you.

(SELECTION 4)

Groom: (Bride), I give myself to you to be your husband. I promise to love and sustain you in 

the covenant of marriage, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, 

in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live. 

Bride: (Groom), I give myself to you to be your wife. I promise to love and sustain you in the 

covenant of marriage, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in 

joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.

(SELECTION 5)

Groom: (Bride), I want you to be my wife. I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of 

you no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that 

your interests, needs and desires are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you 

my time and my attention, and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship. I 

promise to keep myself open to you to let you see through the windows of my world into my 

innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be 

willing to face changes as we both change in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting. I 

promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside, in the 

only way I know how ... completely and forever.

Bride: (Groom), I want you to be my husband. I promise to give you the best of myself and to 

ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to 

realize that your interests, needs and desires are no less important than my own. I promise to 

share with you my time and my attention, and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our 

relationship. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the windows of my 

world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with 

you, to be willing to face changes as we both change in order to keep our relationship alive and 

exciting. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel 

inside, in the only way I know how ... completely and forever.

(Selection 6)

(Groom): (Bride), my beloved, I choose now to take this journey with you wherever it leads; whatever the outcome; no matter what may befall us. As God is my witness, through all the days of our lives.

(Bride): (Groom), my beloved, I choose now to take this journey with you wherever it leads; whatever the outcome; no matter what may befall us. As God is my witness, through all the days of our lives.

  

BLESSING OF RINGS (Ring Bearer steps forward.)

(Selection 1)

These are the rings that (Bride) and (Groom) will wear for the rest of their lives, that will 

symbolize the love that they have for each other. Let us take a few moments and send our 

thoughts, our prayers and our love to them, so that as (Bride) and (Groom) wear them they 

will carry our love with them. (Priest pauses and holds the rings out for about 5-10 seconds for the guests to see.)

Priest: Let us bless these rings: Lord, these wedding rings are seamless, like the round of years 

in your sight, like the love that (Bride) and (Groom) feel for each other and You have for them. 

May that love and care deepen and broaden through the years, and may these rings remind them 

of their commitment to each other and to You. 

(Selection 2)

(Bride and Groom), you will now seal your vows through the giving and receiving of rings. The perfect circle of a ring symbolizes eternity. Gold is the symbol of all that is pure and holy. Our prayer is that your love for each other will be as enduring and precious as these rings. In the years to come these rings will remind you of the promises you have made to each other today. May you always be as happy as you are in this sacred hour.

Lord, bless these rings which we are blessing in Your name so that those who wear them may be protected by your grace and love.

(Selection 3)

Rings are made precious by our wearing them. They carry our meaning; they say whom we are, where we have been, and where we are going. They become us; they reflect us; they are a symbol of our true essence.

(Bride and Groom), your wedding rings are most special because they say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bonded, to allow the presence of another human being to enhance who you are. Your rings carry the potent double message. We are individuals and yet we belong; we are not alone. As you wear them through time, they will reflect not only who you are but also the union you are making, the fact that throughout the rest of your lives each of you will be imprinted by the other but yet remain as yourself.

Lord, bless these rings which we are blessing in Your name so that those who wear them may be 

protected by your grace and love.

(Selection 1)

Priest: (Groom placing ring on bride’s finger says:) (Bride), I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.

(Bride placing ring on groom’s finger says:) (Groom), I give you this ring as a sing of my love and faithfulness.

(Selection 2)

(Groom repeats after priest::) As a sign of my love, and that I am choosing to share my whole life’s journey with you, and of my knowing that in marrying you I shall become much more than I am, I give you this ring, with the pledge that with you, I shall become most truly myself and offer such gifts as I have and I am to the world.

(Bride repeats after priest:) As a sign of my love, and that I am choosing to share my whole life’s journey with you, and of my knowing that in marrying you I shall become much more than I am, I give you this ring, with the pledge that with you, I shall become most truly myself and offer such gifts as I have and I am to the world.

Priest: As the flames of your two souls have burned alone, lighting your way to this sacred 

moment, now they have begun to burn together and become one flame. To symbolize this 

new unity and togetherness, (Bride) and (Groom) will now light their Unity Candle.

Priest: At the beginning of this ceremony your parents lit two candles which represent your individual lives to this moment. Those candles are two distinct lights, each capable of going their separate ways. But they also bring bliss and happiness to your home where the two flames must merge into one light. The one candle you both lit from your parent’s candles symbolizes what just took place before us when you made your wedding vows to each other. This is what the Lord meant when He said: "This is why a person leaves his father and mother and is joined to a spouse and the two shall be one flesh." From now on, your thoughts shall be for each other rather than for your individual selves. Your plans shall be mutual, your joys and sorrows shall be shared alike.

WEDDING WINE CEREMONY (OPTIONAL)

Parents or representatives approach the wine table and pour the white wine from two separate uncorked bottles into two separate wine glasses. The two separate wine bottles represent the individual lives of bride and groom up to that day. The minister/priest, family member or friend then reads the following before the couple shares the wine together:

Throughout history, in nearly all cultures and traditions, the sharing of a cup of wine has been used as a universal and central moment of sharing. The Wine Ceremony or the “Cup of Life” includes the sharing of a glass of wine between the bride and groom at the end of the ring exchange. For many it symbolizes the celebration of the harvest and the changing seasons of life. Just as the grapes clinging to the vines, were harvested and transformed to become sweet tasting wine, so too the lives of the bride and groom are changed and transformed. They are no longer two individuals but one in spirit. So it is fitting that the couple take their first cup of wine as husband and wife, to not only celebrate all that has taken place in their lives to this point, but as an expression of hope and faith in the harvest of their lives and the commitment they make to one another.

(Bride and Groom say together.) God, our Father we feel you brought us together in the beginning, helped our love grow and at this moment are with us in a special way. We ask that you stay by our side in the days ahead. Protect us from anything, which might harm our marriage, give us courage when burdens come our way, teach us to forgive one another when we fail. Finally, in the years to come, may we love each other more dearly and cherish each other more deeply as we do at this very moment. May you grant these wishes which we offer through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Priest: (Bride and Groom), be merciful, kind and forgiving toward each other. Whatever sacrifices you have to make to preserve this common life, always make them generously. Be genuine partners in everything you do. Share your thoughts and feelings, Communicate your needs and desires. The paradox of marriage, however, is that you will only grow personally as you become more generous and loving to your spouse.

Yes, a good marriage requires love, commitment, discipline, patience, and the courage to grow and change; marriage is hard work. But if you work at it, this love relationship, with God’s help, will allow you to realize your spiritual potential as human beings, to become complete and loving people capable of nurturing others.

May the love in your hearts and the greatness of life’s possibilities give you joy. And may the assurances of your friends’ and families’ good wishes give you peace and strength.

(Priest asks everyone to stand, raise their right hand and silently in their hearts ask God’s blessing on the newlyweds as the priest says the following blessing.)

(Selection 1)

Priest: (Bride and Groom), 

May our all-loving God unite your hearts in the never-ending bond of pure love.

May the peace of Christ live always in your hearts and in your home.

May you have true friends to stand by you, both in joy and in sorrow.

May you be ready and willing to help and comfort all who come to you in need.

May the blessings promised to the compassionate be yours in abundance.

May you find happiness and satisfaction in your work. May daily problems never cause you undue anxiety, nor the desire for earthly possessions dominate your lives. But may your hearts first desire be always the abundance of good things awaiting you from our loving God.

May the Lord bless you with many happy years together, so that you may enjoy the rewards of a good, long and healthy life. And after serving God by your love of others in this physical world, may God welcome you into the eternal spiritual world for all ages to come.

(Bride) and (Groom), may you be filled with joy, may you keep your promises with ease, 

may love abide with you always. May your hearts sing and ever be warm, and may your 

every day be filled with peace. And may the Blessing of Almighty God, the Creator, the 

Redeemer and the Sanctifier be with you and remain with us all, now and forever. Amen.

(Selection 2)

Priest: Almighty God, you created mankind in your own image and made man and woman to be joined. 

(Bride and Groom), may all that you have already become, which has brought you to this day, and all you will become as a consequence of it, in the lifelong joining of your hearts and minds continue to show you your purpose.

May you always be brought most beautifully and steadfastly into the presence of yourselves and of one another, and may you live long and happily fulfilling all that your are. Amen.

(Selection 1)

Priest: (Bride and Groom), before God, your family and friends you have declared your love for one another and have made your solemn vows to each other. You have confirmed your promises by joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. Therefore, I now proclaim you husband and wife and invite you to seal your vows with a kiss.

It is my honor to present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. (The people give a sign of approval.)

(Selection 2)

Priest: (Bride and Groom), now having freely chosen to leave behind the private vigil of seeking self-knowledge in solitude, and having taken up the task of clearly seeing and supporting another human being, having promised your love by honoring one another with the gift of your rings, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now seal that union with a kiss.

(The couple kisses and then turns to the gathering for affirmation by applause. They then turn around and walk back down the aisle. )