WEDDING CEREMONY
September 20, 2008
PRELIMINARIES
Prelude
Lighting of Candles
PROCESSIONAL
Principal Sponsor
Officiating Ministers
Parents of the Groom
Best Man
Bridesmaids/ Groomsmen
Ring Bearer
Bible Bearer
Coin Bearer
Maid of Honor
Flower Girls
Bride with the father (Congregational please stand)
PASTOR’S INTRODUCTION
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together in the sight of God, and before these witnesses, to join together PETER AND MARIE in holy matrimony.
A wedding is an occasion when a man and a woman publicly proclaim their love and declare their commitment to one another.
PETER AND MARIE are both pleased and honored that you have responded to their invitation to share these happy sacred moments with them. And they are praying that the blessing of the Lord, our God will be upon us all as we assemble here.
INVOCATION
We thank You Father for the gift of life, for family and friends, and for the love that exists between PETER AND MARIE
As we gather here, we are mindful of the presence of the Holy Spirit who has brought us to this event.
We turn to You in faith, asking that You will enhance the lives of this couple in their union. We now commit this sacred moments , and ask Your blessing upon it, through Christ our Lord. Amen
(Motion to the congregation to be seated)
GIVING OF THE BRIDE:
Minister: Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Father of the Bride: “I, her father.”
SCRIPTURE READING: 1 Cor 13 CPT Ricky Evans
CHARGE TO THE COUPLE:
The letter of apostle Paul to the Ephesians believers 5:22-28 said,
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
PETER AND MARIE, in just a few minutes you will publicly express your love, & vows to each other for the rest of your life in the sacred covenant of marriage.
You guys shared to me how and when both of you first met, and the situations involved. I am sure since those days both of you have learned to love & to appreciate each other.
There have been acts of thoughtfulness & words of encouragement. You have gained a respect for each other’s qualities, strength of resolve, trustworthiness, & kindness.
I feel confident that during this time you have grown & matured in your relationship with each other.
And if you remain faithful to the vows you are about to make, your life together will be a blessing to both of you & to those around you.
Let me explain this to you, what this passage is telling us about marriage. It’s talks about submission. What does submission means?
Submitting to another person is frequently misunderstood concept.
It does not mean becoming a doormat or slaves. Submission means the willingness to obey.
In marriage relationship, both husband and wife are called to submit.
For the wife, it means . . . willingly . . . following her husband’s leadership in Christ.
For the husband, it means putting aside his own interest in order to take care of his wife.
Submission is rarely a problem in a home where both husband and wife have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ.
And I believe that both of you have that strong relationship with Christ as your own personal Savior and Lord.
PETER AND MARIE, each of you will brings unique contribution to your marriage life because both of you are equal.
And it is also important to remember not to take each other for granted - and to remember to take time for each other.
CHARGE TO THE PRINCIPAL SPONSORS:
(Minister asks the Principal Sponsors to please stand)
In affirmation of the desire to declare publicly their mutual commitment to marriage, PETER AND MARIE have Invited you to become their godparents- Ninong and Ninang.
By your presence here, you have committed yourselves to be more than just observers.
You are in fact accepting responsibility for supporting this couple in the new relationship into which they are about to enter.
God established marriage as the foundation of a healthy society. As a part of the society in which this couple shall live, you are called upon to be thankful when they experience happiness, to be understanding when they fall, to assist them in times of difficulties and to be prayerful at all times for their well-being.
Will you promise to constantly pray for PETER AND MARIE to be an encouragement to them when they falter and advise them during times of difficulties?
(Principal Sponsors answer, “Yes, we will”)
EXCHANGE OF MARRIAGE VOWS:
PETER AND MARIE, you have made public your intention to be married today. So that the faith and integrity of your objective may appear to all of us who are assembled here, would you respond to these questions:
To the Groom:
PETER, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to live in a fashion consistent with God’s design for marriage?
Do you promise to love her, honor her and be faithful to her in times of personal need and personal blessing .
Do you pledge, with God’s help and to best of your ability, to seek to establish and maintain honest, open and loving communication between yourself and MARIE?
Forsaking all others, do you promise to remain faithful to MARIE as long as you both shall live?
(The Groom will answer –“I do”)
To the Bride:
MARIE, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony?
Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as you both shall live?
(The Bride will answer –“I do”)
Groom’s Vow:
“I take you MARIE, to be my lawful wedded wife, and I do promise before God and these witnesses that I will love, honor, support, care for and be faithful to you through all the days of our lives.
Regardless of what the situations maybe, either in sickness or in health; either in poverty or wealth; either failure or success, until we are parted by death.
Bride’s Vow:
“I take you PETER, to be my lawful wedded husband, and I do promise before God and these witnesses that I will love, honor, support, care for and be faithful to you through all the days of our lives.
Regardless of what the situations maybe, either in sickness or in health; either in poverty or wealth; either failure or success, until we are parted by death.
BLESSING & EXCHANGING OF RINGS
(Motion the Best Man to prepare the rings)
Minister:
A. PETER, what token of love do you have for this woman?
(The Groom answers– “ A ring!”)
B. MARIE, what token of love do you have for this man?
(The Bride answers– “A ring!”)
Minister:
“Rings have been symbols of wedded love. These are made of pure gold to symbolize pure love. These are unbroken circles to symbolize unending love.
These rings will remind you of this moment when your lives and hearts were united in one.”
(Minister hands the rings to the groom, instructs him to put it on the ring finger of the bride)
Groom: “This ring I give you symbolizes the unending love which I pledge to you. May it remind you of my solemn vows to you this day of our wedding.”
(The Groom will then proceed to put the ring into his Bride’s ring finger– left hand)
(Minister hands the rings to the bride, instructs him to put it on the ring finger of the groom)
Bride: “I give you this ring that you may wear it as the symbol of vows of love I have promised and the covenant I have made with you this day of our wedding.”
(The Bride will then proceed to put the ring into her Groom’s ring finger– left hand)
Minister: “With These emblems of purity and endless devotion, showing how lasting and imperishable is the faith now mutually pledged, you do each the other wed and these vows forever sealed”
SOLO Alex Calinagan
THE BIBLE CEREMONY
Minister: The Bible is God’s Word to man. May
this book find a place in your hearts by making a habit of reading it daily.
(To Bride and Groom)
Minister: Please place your right hands on this book.
Minister:
(placing your hand on top of the couple’s hands and
then will proceed to pray)
Almighty God, bless this couple as they begin to live as man and wife from this day onward.
May they learn to love your Word so that they may be guided as they begin their journey as man and wife. May they draw inspiration and guidance from YOUR Word. In Christ name we pray....AMEN
COINS CEREMONY
Minister: God does not want His children to live in poverty. These coins symbolize material blessing. The man is the head of the family and he is the breadwinner. In turn, he gives his wife his earning for the sustenance of his family.
(To the Groom) Take this coins and hand these to your bride.
(The Bride will then say- “I gladly accept.” then pass it over
to her Maid of Honor)
THE VEIL AND CORD CEREMONY
(Groom and Bride will kneel for veil & Cord)
Minister: “The veil symbolizes the purity that must develop your lives together as man and wife. It covers the head of the woman as sign of her being subject to the husband.
It also covers the shoulder of the man symbolizing his leadership and as a provider.”
(The Parents of Bride will place and pin the veil to the Groom & Bride)
Minister: “The cord that is placed upon your shoulders symbolizes that you are united with love– the greatest force that unites individuals.”
“The beauty of your faces and the strength of your bodies will someday fade.
Desire may fail you both; but the strength of any union that is founded in love will last for as long as both of you shall live.”
(The Parents of Groom will place the cord to the Groom & Bride)
SOLO Alex Calinagan
(Removal of the Cord and Veil by the Parents of Bride & Groom)
PRONOUNCEMENT OF UNION
“In that you PETER AND MARIE have exchanged vows in the presence of God and these witnesses, and have sealed these vows by the exchange of rings, I declare that you are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
SIGNING OF THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT Minister: “This marriage contract is not just a a piece of paper but it is proof that the two of you are legally joined in marriage.
As you sign this document, bear in mind that from henceforth, you are each for the other and both of you for the Lord.”
LIGHTING OF THE UNITY CANDLE
Minister: “These lighted candles signify that you are God’s light into this world.
It symbolize your unity which Jesus who said, “I am the light of the world, he that walks in the light shall never walk in darkness.”
(The Couple will light the center candle)
Minister: The success of marriage between the husband and wife depends on their partnership with God.
The center candle symbolizes Christ who is the True Light. As you light it, you are signifying your unity with Him.
Your marriage is not only a partnership between each of you but it is a partnership with Christ. With Christ as your Head, you will surely build a successful and lasting relationship as husband and wife.
CLOSING PRAYER AND BENEDICTION
(Pastor’s hands on their heads)
Lord God, PETER AND MARIE have just committed themselves to undertake the most solemn and sacred obligation known to mankind.
We, who have witnessed and participated in this ceremony are conscious of their needs for your grace and help as they seek honorably and lovingly to fulfill their commitments.
We pray, therefore, that the love that they have mutually pledge may be so enriched by Your love and it may never falter or grow cold, no matter what their life experiences be.
May the wisdom and insight which is now their’s be enhanced by the wisdom from above, that they might clearly discern and choose the right path for living.
May the Holy Spirit not only offer to them protection on their course of life, but also afford them the spiritual and physical resources they will require in their daily pursuit of love, happiness and fulfillment
May spiritual understanding and holy living be their inheritance. May Your grace, mercy and peace be a part of their lives from this day forward, through Jesus Christ our Lord! AMEN
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM
Minister: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to
present to you . . .
MR. & MRS. PETER AND MARIE FAMA
Let us give them a big hand.
To the husband: You may kiss the bride
RECESSIONAL (congregational please stand)
