WEDDING CEREMONY
(Note: This Ceremony was prepared for a small wedding without Musicians or singers. All the musical tracks where previously recorded on a special CD and are in Order)
PROCESSION OF USHERS AND BRIDAL PARTY
MUSICAL PROCESSION —TRACK 1
PROCESSION OF FLOWER GIRLS, RING BOY, BRIDE AND PARENTS
MUSICAL PROCESSION —TRACK 2
Bride stops while Minister speaks to congregation
Statement of Purpose
"We are gathered today in the presence of God to give thanks for the gift of marriage, and to witness the joining together of __________&__________. In various traditions, marriage is a sign of our Creator’s intention for wholeness in all creation. Out of the chaos, God brought order. That creative purpose is still at work. The joining together of two persons into one unique, intimate, and creative unity in marriage is therefore not only a symbol but also a demonstration of the well-being, the purpose of human society. And so marriage is truly a celebration of God’s good work in creation
The uniting of two individuals from two separate families and backgrounds to establish a new family is an important and memorable event. For us, attached as we are to _________& to ________ by special bonds of love and affection, the uniting of these two people in heart and body and mind, is an occasion of great significance which we can all celebrate.
Marriage is not a casual event, nor is it simply a private affair between two individuals. Marriage is to be entered into responsibly and prayerfully. This marriage brings together this day two individuals, two families, and two communities of faith. It is then, in the midst of a troubled and broken society, a sign of hope. It deserves and needs the support of a wider community. Today is a time for family and friends to share in their commitment to each other by offering _______ & _______our continued support, love and best wishes in their lives together.
SHORT PRAYER
Let us pray: O Lord our God, source of all blessing, in happiness and joy we thank you for the gift of marriage, which we celebrate today. May you give _______ & _________ the ability to rejoice always in their love. May you fulfill every worthy wish of their hearts. May you open their eyes to the beauty and the mystery of the love they hold for each other, every day as today. And may their life together embrace and nurture the promise of this ment, so that all who know them will call them truly blessed. Amen.
The Giving of the Bride
(To BRIDE’s Father): Who is giving this woman to be married to this man? (Father answers: “Her mother and I do.”) (He takes Bride’s right hand and places it in Groom’s left hand.)
MUSICAL INTERLUDE WHILE THEY GO UP THE PLATFORM—TRACK 3
GREETINGS (Addressing the crowd)
Marriage is not a casual event, nor is it simply a private affair between two individuals. Marriage is to be entered into responsibly and prayerfully. This marriage brings together this day two individuals, two families, and two communities of faith. It is then, in the midst of a troubled and broken society, a sign of hope. It deserves and needs the support of a wider community. Today is a time for family and friends to share in their commitment to each other by offering _______ & _______our continued support, love and best wishes in their lives together.
MESSAGE
A young businesswoman was approached by a real estate agent who wanted to sell her a home. "A home?" she said. "Why do I need a home? I was born in a hospital, educated in a boarding school, courted in an automobile, and married in a church. My husband and I work in office buildings. On weekends we spend our mornings playing golf and our afternoons playing bridge at the club. Evenings we go to the movies. And when I die, I’m going to be buried from a funeral parlor. I don’t need a home. All I need is a garage."
You can buy a garage. You can buy a house. You can even buy a house and a garage. But you cannot buy a home. A home is something that exists quite apart from whether you have a house or a garage. A home is not only where you live, but how you live. A home is how you abide. Another word for home is abode, which is derived from the verb abide.
The man and the woman in the Garden of Eden did not have a house or a garage, but they had a home in the sense that they had a relationship based on the providence and grace of God. They were created by God to be flesh and bone of one another. It was only after they had sinned and were driven from the Garden that they actually had a house, but then they faced the challenge of making that house into a home that could survive in spite of their sin.
A home is not so much a place as it is a state of being. A husband and wife cannot create this state of being on their own, try as they might. A home where love abides in the family and the family abides in love is a sheer gift from God. A home where a family shares what this love produces—compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and forgiveness—such a home is based on nothing less than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus tells us to "keep" his commandment of love. The Greek word translated "keep" does not mean to obey. It means to hold in high esteem, to trust ultimately, to value above all else. If Jesus were here calling for perfect obedience, we would all be instant failures. What he is calling for, rather, is that we trust his love for us even when we don’t see it or embody it—that a husband and wife cleave to his love even more than they cleave to each other. What he is calling for is not perfection but faith that his love for us is certain and secure. Faith like that is a window through which his love can enter our lives and infuse them with compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and forgiveness.
Groom and Bride, the love of God which called you into being through human birth and holy baptism has abided with you in every way thus far in your journey through life. It has nurtured you through parents and family, through teachers and friends. That love caused you to find each other, and now it has brought you to this your wedding day. No matter where you went or what you did, that love abided with you, and it will continue to abide with you throughout the coming years.
As husband and wife, you can buy a house. You can even buy a house with a garage. But home for you will always be a gift and not a possession. Home for you will always be the love of Jesus Christ which abides in you, no matter where you are.
The Marriage Vows
Vows: Minister: _______ & ________ please state your intent to enter into this union by expressing your vows to one another. ____________, repeat after me: "I promise, _______, before God, our family and friends to commit my love to you; to respect your individuality; to be with you through life’s changes; and to nurture and strengthen the love between us, as long as we both shall live".
(Bride repeats vow, then same for the groom)
Reading of Scripture
The Word of God describes the kind of love we are to have, each for the other: “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
“Love never fails.” (I Corinthians 13:4-8, 13b)
Having this love in your hearts, you have chosen to seal your vows by the giving and receiving of rings.
The Exchange of Rings
Though small in size, these rings are very large in significance. Made of precious metal, they remind us that love is not cheap nor common; indeed, love may cost us dearly. Made in a circle, their design tells us that love must never come to an end; we must keep it continuous. As you wear these rings, whether together or apart for a moment, may they be constant reminders of these promises you are making today.
(The giver places the ring part way on the ring-finger of the other’s hand and repeats as follows [then, after repeating what you say, they place the ring completely on the other’s hand].)
(GROOM repeats and BRIDE repeats after)
______, I give you this ring, as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you; in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lighting the Unity Candle
The two outside candles have been lighted to represent your lives to this moment. They are two distinct lights, each capable of going its separate way. To bring joy and radiance into your home, there must be the merging of these two flames into one.
From this time onward may your thoughts be for each other rather than for your individual selves; may your plans be mutual, your joys and sorrows shared.
As you each take a candle and together light the centre one, you will extinguish your own candles, thus having the centre candle represent the union of your two lives into one flesh. As this centre light cannot be divided, let not your lives be divided, but instead be the united testimony of a Christian home, as Christ gives you light.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE WHILE THEY GO TO THE TABLE —TRACK 4
Sign the Marriage Register
Prayer for the Bride and Groom
The Nuptial Kiss
(GROOM)_______, you may kiss your bride.
The Pronouncement of Marriage
Now that _______ & ________ have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, before us and before God as witness, and have shown their affection and trust by the giving and receiving of rings and by joining hands, and by the power vested in me I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.
Amen.
The Benediction
May God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you; and may the Lord look upon you with His favour, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace.
Presentation of Bride and Groom
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honour and priviledge to present to you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. _______ (Last Name of Groom)
FINAL PROCESSION —TRACK 5
WEDDING CEREMONY – MUSICAL TRACKS
PROCESSION OF USHERS AND BRIDAL PARTY
MUSICAL PROCESSION —TRACK 1
PROCESSION OF FLOWER GIRLS, RING BOY, BRIDE AND PARENTS
MUSICAL PROCESSION —TRACK 2
Statement of Purpose
SHORT PRAYER
The Giving of the Bride
MUSICAL INTERLUDE WHILE THEY GO UP THE PLATFORM—TRACK 3
GREETINGS (Addressing the crowd)
MESSAGE
The Marriage Vows
Reading of Scripture
The Exchange of Rings
Lighting the Unity Candle
MUSICAL INTERLUDE WHILE THEY GO TO THE TABLE —TRACK 4
Sign the Marriage Register
Prayer for the Bride and Groom
The Nuptial Kiss
The Pronouncement of Marriage
The Benediction
Presentation of Bride and Groom
FINAL PROCESSION —TRACK 5
