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A NON-DENOMINATIONAL CEREMONY
If it were possible to begin this ceremony by gathering together all
the wishes of happiness for and from all present here . . . if we could gather together those precious wishes of affection
and our very fondest hopes and turn them into music, we would be listening now to a most inspiring anthem, composed of the
most harmonious notes possible to produce.
Even though this is not possible, just speaking of it should assure_________
and_________that our hearts are attuned to theirs in these moments so meaningful to all of us. For what greater thing is there
for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen each other in all labor, to minister to each
other in all sorrow, to share with each other in all gladness.
Marriage is an act of faith and a personal commitment
as well as a moral and physical union between the parties. It has been described as the best and most important relationship
that can exist between two human beings; the construction of their love and trust into a single growing energy of spiritual
life. It is a moral commitment that requires and deserves daily attention. Marriage should be a life-long consecration to
the ideal of loving kindness, backed with the will to make it last.
True love gives nothing but itself and takes nothing
from itself.
Love does not possess, nor would it be possessed.
For love is sufficient unto love.
Love has no other
desire but to fulfill itself.
To awake at dawn with a winged heart and
Give thanks for another day of loving.
To
rest at noon and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude,
And then to sleep with a prayer
for the beloved in your heart
And a song of praise upon your lips.
_____________ will (do) you take ____________
to be your wedded wife, to love, to honor, to cherish, to continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion? (Groom
replies "I will/I do")
And _____________will (do) you take_______________ to be your wedded husband, to love, to honor,
to cherish, to continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion? (Bride replies "I will/I do")
Please hold
hands and repeat after me: "__________, you are consecrated to me now as my wife from this day forward, to love, to cherish,
to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, in sadness and in joy, to care
and share together as long as we both shall live."
And,_____________, you are consecrated to me now as my husband,
from this day forward, to love, to cherish, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness
and in health, in sadness and in joy, to care and share together as long as we both shall live."
What token of your
devotion do you offer your beloved?
(bride and groom retrieve rings from best man and maid of honor, handing them to minister).
May
these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever
they go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness. May these two find in each other the love for which
they yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place of
sanctuary that many will find there a friend. May these rings, on their fingers, symbolize the touch of the spirit of love
in the heart.
(Minister hands ring to groom)
________, in placing this ring on _______'s finger, repeat after me:
"I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity." (groom places ring on bride's finger)
(Minister
hands other ring to bride)
________, in placing this ring on _______'s finger, repeat after me: "I give you this ring as
the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity." (bride places ring on groom's finger)
Inasmuch as _______ and
________ have consented together in marriage before this company; have pledged their faith and declared their unity by each
giving and receiving a ring -- and are now joined in mutual esteem and devotion, I, as an ordained Minister of the Universal
Life Church, pronounce that they are husband and wife together. You may kiss.
Now you will feel no rain,
For each
of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now
there is no more loneliness for you.
Now there is no more loneliness.
Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one
life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be
good and long upon the earth.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs.___________.
A TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS CEREMONY
Dearly beloved,
We are gathered together here in the sight of
God and in the presence of these witnesses to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable
estate instituted by love. It is therefore not to be entered into unadvisedly, but reverently, discreetly and in the eyes
of God.
Into this holy estate these two persons come now to joined. If any man can show just cause why they may not be
joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.
Optional: Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Groom:
Will
you have this woman to be your wedded wife to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt you love her, comfort her,
honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her so long as you both shall live?
Bride:
Will
you have this man to be your wedded husband to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him,
honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him so long as you both shall live?
Love
is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way it is
not irritable or resentful. Love does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things, love never ends.
(Couple face and each other and hold hands.)
(Groom)
look into (Bride) eyes and into her heart and repeat after me.
The groom repeats:
I _______ take _______ to be my wedded
wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish till death do us part.
(Bride) look into (Groom) eyes and into her heart and repeat after me.
The
bride repeats:
I_______ take _______ to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better and
for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part.
You have
chosen these rings as the symbol of your marriage covenant. They are made of gold, a metal that does not tarnish and is enduring.
These rings represent the ties that bind you together as husband and wife. They are an endless circle representing your marriage
union which shall be eternal and pure as these rings.
(Ask the groom to place the ring on the brides left third finger.)
The groom repeats:
With this ring, I wed you ______ for today, for tomorrow, and for all the years to come. Please wear
it as a sign of my love and a notice to all the world that you have chosen me to be your husband.
(Ask the bride to place
the ring on the grooms left third finger.) The bride repeats:
With this ring, I wed you ______ for today, for tomorrow,
and for all the years to come. Please wear it as a sign of my love and a notice to all the world that you have chosen me to
be your wife.
(optional ceremonies can be added here)
For as much as _______ and _______ have consented together in
holy wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company and have pledged their faiths each to the other, and have declared
the same by joining hands and giving or rings; And now by the authority vested in me, but most of all by the power of your
own love, I pronounce you are married. You may now call yourself those cherished names:
Husband and Wife.
You may seal
your promise with a kiss.
ROSE CEREMONIES
First Rose Ceremony:
Marriage is a coming together of two lives, and a celebration
of the love of two people. But it is more. The love that you feel for one another is the flowering of a seed your mothers
planted in your hearts many years ago. When you were first born, you were a bundle of diapers and tears, and your mothers
lost sleep caring for you. Their love for you has brought them great happiness and great challenges, and their love did not
diminish as they met these challenges. That is the great lesson you can bring into your marriage. As you embrace one another
in your love, so too do you embrace the families which have been brought together on this happy occasion. As a token of your
gratitude for your families, I would like to ask you to offer these symbols of eternal love, these roses, to your mothers.
(Both bride and groom can hand the roses to each mother together, offering the mothers kisses if they wish.)
Second
Rose Ceremony:
___________ and __________, you will remember this day for the rest of your lives. Those of us who are
already married know that marriage, like life, brings with it many joys and also many challenges. We also know that love,
while beautiful, does not always show its prettiest face. There are days when we may find it hard to express the depth of
our love for one another. It is my hope and prayer that the two of you will set aside a special place in your home for roses,
ancient symbols of love. When words fail you, or when the challenges of life or marriage begin to weigh on you, go out and
get a rose, and put it in that special place in your home, so that the other will be reminded of this moment, and of the love
you feel for one another. As a token of that love, I would like to ask you to make these roses your first gifts to one another
as a married couple.
CHILDREN IN THE CEREMONY
If either the bride or groom already has a child or children from a former marriage
or of their own, they may include the children in the wedding ceremony. This is usually done after the ring ceremony. If an
ex-spouse has custody, or if the children are grown, the words below may be changed to fit the circumstances; these words
are applicable when the children will be living at least part of the time with the wedding couple:
____________ and
___________, the rings you have given to one another are symbols of your commitment to one another, but they are also more.
For today you are also making a commitment to the children, __________ and ___________. Today you are pledging your love to
them as well, committing to them that you will create a family together. Let the perfect circle of the wedding ring embrace
________ and _________, as well as the two of you. For our children are gifts entrusted to us. Consider these words from The
Prophet: You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but
not their souls, for they dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive
to be like them, in their innocence, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
****Ceremonies courtesy of Universal Life Church Headquarters****
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