Greetings
Welcome everyone.
What a beautiful evening and magnificent location we have to witness one of
the happiest moments of human existence – the uniting of a man and woman
in marriage.
Who comes with Emily today to be married to Matthew?
[Families] We all do.
We rejoice today with Emily and Matthew as they stand together to be joined
in marriage.
We celebrate with them as they exchange their vows. We feel the love that
they have found in each other, and honor their decision to commit their lives
to each other and to the path that lies before them.
As Emily and Matthew enter into marriage, they do so with faith and reverence.
They give thanks for the past, which has brought them here together, and look
forward with hope to the future. Their love has brought us here today to celebrate
the beginning of their new life together.
Marriage is the ultimate covenant between two people. Freely given, its worth
is weighed in commitment and devotion. This closeness does not diminish as
loves grows older, but strengthens with the wisdom and experience of each
person. Emily and Matthew, our wish for you today is that what you feel in
your hearts at this very moment be only a glimmer of how you feel years from
now when you look back on your long life together.
It is written that love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love
does not parade itself, and is not proud. Love rejoices in the truth. Love
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails, even when we do.
Declaration of Consent
Today Emily and Matthew come before us as an outward sign of a sacred and
inward commitment. We are once again reminded that the joy in marriage comes
from respect, honesty, and trust. There is nothing on earth worth more than
the gift of love.
Reading
In The Prophet the poet writes,
You were born together,
and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings
of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in
the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens
dance between you.
Love one another
but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but
drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread
but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into
each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life
can contain your hearts.
And stand together,
yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each other’s shadow.
Consent and Exchange of Vows
Matthew, do you come here today in the presence of God and these witnesses,
with love in your heart and the desire to be united in marriage with Emily?
Do you promise to share the burdens and the blessings of your life together
and to give Emily the encouragement she needs to become the woman she is destined
to be?
[Matthew] I do.
Emily, do you come here today in the presence of God and these witnesses,
with love in your heart and the desire to be united in marriage with Matthew?
Do you promise to share the burdens and the blessings of your life together
and to give Matthew the encouragement he needs to become the man he is destined
to be?
[Emily] I do.
Will you please join hands and face each other?
Matthew, please repeat after me:
[Matthew] I, Matthew, take you Emily to be my beloved wife. To have and to
hold, to love and to cherish, to honor and to comfort, in sickness and in
health, in good times and in bad, for as long as we both shall live.
Emily, please repeat after me.
[Emily] I, Emily, take you Matthew as my beloved husband. To have and to hold,
to love and to cherish, to honor and to comfort, in sickness and in health,
in good times and in bad, for as long as we both shall live.
Blessing and Exchange of Rings
The circle is a sign of unity. Without end, it flows perfectly from any point
where it begins.
Your rings are reminders of the perfection and endurance of your promise to
love and care for each other. I ask God to bless these rings, that they represent
the unending union of Matthew and Emily. Please comfort them when times are
difficult and remind them of the love they feel today.
Matthew, will you place your ring on Emily’s left hand and repeat after
me,
[Matthew] Emily, I give you this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you,
and to the promise we share together. Whenever you look at it, remember my
love for you.
Emily, will you place your ring on Matthew’s left hand and repeat after
me,
[Emily] Matthew, I give you this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you,
and to the promise we share together. Whenever you look at it, remember my
love for you.
Matthew, will you please take Emily’s hands, and speak the words of your
heart to her?
[Matthew] My dearest Emily, You and I have come together like two mighty rivers
and have merged into one, forming a strong and powerful bond. Out of this
connection an indescribable force has taken root and grown in you, in me,
and between our lives. I call this great, invisible power “our love.”
Faith is the belief in something intangible in the physical world, but nonetheless,
it exists through the minds and hearts of the believers. By having faith,
a believer’s heart and soul grow.
To me, the most important vow and declaration is to always have faith in our
love and to always believe in us. In doing so, I commit my heart and soul
to you for as long as my physical body walks upon this Earth. Also in doing
so, my soul is connected and committed to you for all of time, under all of
the heavens and Gods in this vast universe.
I love you now, always, and forever, and swear before you to always uphold
the virtues of truth, compassion, honesty, friendship, patience, love, and
strength. These values are the pillars that will uphold our love and life
forever.
Together, we are unbreakable, invincible, inseparable, and unstoppable. You
will never be alone in the dark, for I will always be there to light the way
for you. You will never be lonely, for I will always be there to hold your
hand and whisper in your ear. You will never fall, for I will always be there
to catch you. You will never be hurt, because I will always be there to protect
you.
Faith in our love is the highest virtue that I must live for, and will live
for. I again swear it and will always believe in us. Because of this, our
bond is forever. From now until the end of eternity, the world and God will
honor Matt and Emily, our two souls, as one!
Emily, will you please take Matthew’s hands and speak the words of your
heart to him?
[Emily] Matt, I am committed to you in my heart and soul. You have touched
my life in beautiful ways. From being with you, I learned how to give and
receive love.
Your passion for life and abundant energy inspire me to live with joy and
pursue my dreams. Because of you, each day holds something new to be discovered.
With you, I have found a deep friendship that is based on trust, honesty,
and respect. I feel honored to climb, bike, hike, paddle, walk, and explore
this path of life with you. I will be forever by your side on all our adventures.
How I feel is beautifully stated in the Song of Solomon: I found him whom
my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go. I love and cherish you,
Matt.
Reading
The Apaches say, now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter
for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to
the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion
to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years.
May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon
the earth…And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of
your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.
Benediction
Matthew and Emily, we look on you on the day of your marriage, on the day
of the joy of your hearts. You have sealed your commitment by the exchange
of vows and the giving and receiving of rings. Your lives have been poured
together, and will mingle from this day forward. You are now one vessel, and
together you create something that will never be parted again.
We ask that this man and this woman be blessed by the strength of unending
love. We wish for them faith and courage, and hope and joy.
Emily and Matthew, by stating your vows you have declared your commitment
to each other and have had it witnessed by your friends and family.
Therefore, by the power vested in me, I hereby declare that you are husband
and wife together, now and for all your days. I invite you to share the first
kiss of your new life!
Congratulations!
© 2004, Jody Serey