WEDDING SERVICE
Bride & Groom (Names)
Date
Time
P. S. Baptist Church
Officiating Minister
(Name)
* THE PROLOGUE -
Hebrews 13:4a
Marriage is honorable ...
* FAMILY & FRIENDS OF BRIDE & GROOM -
We have gathered here today at the invitation of Bride and Groom in the presence of God and in your company to witness and share in the joy of their wedding ceremony.
Today is a significant day for Bride and Groom. It is a defining moment in their relationship to one another. Today’s wedding is the occasion when this man and woman publicly proclaim their love to each other and affirm their commitment to one another.
This wedding will be the uniting of two individuals from two separate families and backgrounds to establish a new family.
This day, ________________, will become to Bride and Groom an important and memorable event for the remainder of their lives for it now marks the beginning of their new life together as one.
* THE GIVING OF THE BRIDE -
The original idea of a father giving his daughter away seems archaic today - especially where a man and a woman can freely choose to marry one another.
Today - the tradition is connected with the love between a father and daughter.
Today the father symbolically passes the responsibility of caring for his beloved daughter to the man which she has chosen to marry.
With that understanding, I ask: - "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
[Father says, "I Do" or "Her Mother and I Do."]
(Father returns to stand next to the bride’s mother)
* OPENING PRAYER -
[Please join me in a word of prayer -]
Father,
We come this evening to celebrate in Your presence this marriage of _______ and _______. We are here to witness the declaration of their love to each other. May this moment of time always find a place in our fond memories. May this time also cause us to consider You as one of mercy and grace as it reflects the greatest expression of love ever found in the giving of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary’s hill. In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord, we ask. Amen.
(Audience to sit down)
(Couple to face the minister)
* OPENING COMMENTS -
The purpose of marriage today remains the same as it has for thousands of years - it is the uniting of two (2) lives together to become one (1).
In ancient time, weddings were some of the most anticipated events of a lifetime. It was understood that the union of a man and a woman in marriage signifed new life and represented God’s love and passion for humanity.
Today - we all participate in this oldest ceremony know to mankind - marriage - a ceremony based on biblical roots.
In Genesis Chapter 2, "marriage - was established by God in creation when He said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him" - 2:18. So God fashioned a woman and brought her to man. On seeing the woman, Adam exclaimed, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man." And Adam said: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" - 2:23-24.
In John Chapter 2, our Lord Jesus Christ honored the "wedding ceremony" with his presence and by the performing of His first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.
In Ephesians Chapter 5, The Apostle Paul wrote that marriage "symbolizes" the union between Christ and His church.
The Scriptures throughout commends marriage to be highly honored. This is the reason we have gathered in this house of worship today - because God is involved in the institution of marriage.
The coming together of the husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy, for the help and comfort given to one another in prosperity and adversity, and when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore, marriage is not to be entered into lightly but soberly, deliberately, and in reverence before God.
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. Marriage is the clasping of hands, the blending of hearts, the union of two lives as one. Marriage is an expression of genuine love toward one another.
Today - this marriage is _______ and _______ declaring their geniune love to each other unconditionally as found in:
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8a (adapted - NIV)
Love is patient - i.e., it is understanding, it passively waits
... is kind - does not retaliate, instead responds to benefit the other person
... does not envy - is not jealous, instead rejoices in other’s blessings
... does not boast - has no ego, is not the center of attention
... is not proud - humbles oneself
... is not rude - has good manners , shows respect
... is not self-seeking - pursues others’ interests
... is not easily angered - not looking for an excuse to blow up
... keeps no record of wrongs - not looking to the past
... does not delight in evil - misfortune of others does not cause joy
... but rejoices with the truth - expresses itself in truth
... always protects - allows no harm
... always trusts - gives the benefit of doubt
... always hopes - optimistic, refuses to accept defeat
... always perseveres - strong - enduring
Love never fails - never ceases to be active, all else falls away - Love will never fail!
_________ and ________, your wedding must stand, not by the authority of the State or by the seal on your wedding certificate, but by the strength of your love and by the power of your faith in each other and in God. Recognize God as the center of your marriage and the source of your devotion, trust, and love to each other and you will always be on a strong foundation. With God you will have everything; without Him, you will have nothing. Love God and one another. As the Scripture just proclaimed: "Love never fails."
* MUTUAL CONSENT ----- _________ and ________ - I ask you now, in the presence of God and these people, to declare your intention to freely enter into union with one another through this marriage.
[Couple says - "We will."]
(Couple now faces each other)
* THE MARRIAGE VOWS -
GROOM
Do you _______ take _______ to be your wife?
[Groom says, "I do."]
________ repeat after me -
I, _______ take you, ________ to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward; for better or worse; for richer or poorer; in sickness and health; to love and to cherish until we are separated by death; as God as my witness, I give you my promise.
BRIDE
Do you _________ take _________ to be your husband?
[Bride says, "I do."]
________ repeat after me -
I, _______ take you, ________ to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward; for better or worse; for richer or poorer; in sickness and health; to love and to cherish until we are separated by death; as God as my witness, I give you my promise.
[Best man to step forward with rings]
* THE EXCHANGE OF RINGS -
The ring is a never ending circle, representing that your love for one another never stops and starts; it is a declaration of your continuous unending love.
The ring is small in size, but it is very large in significance. Traditionally the ring stood for a covenant, an agreement, or a seal of a binding contract. Made of precious metal, it reminds us that love is neither cheap nor common; indeed love may cost us dearly.
Many people think that a marriage is a decision, but it’s more than that. It’s a commitment to one another and before God to love one another.
As you wear these rings, whether together or apart for only a moment, may they be constant reminders to you of these promises you are making to one another today.
GROOM
________ place the ring on _________ ring finger and repeat after me:
_________, I give you this ring as a witness of my love for you to wear every day and as a symbol of my vows to you.
BRIDE
_________ place the ring on _________ ring finger and repeat after me:
________, I give you this ring as a witness of my love for you to wear every day and as a symbol of my vows to you.
* PRONOUNCEMENT -
Today - in God’s eyes these two individuals through their vows and by the exchanging of rings to one another have become one flesh.
________ and ________ as witness before God and this company - you have pledged your love to each other.
By the authority invested in me as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and according to the laws of the state of _________, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
* KISS -
________, "You may now kiss your bride."
* LIGHTING OF THE UNITY CANDLE -
At the beginning of the ceremony a separate candle was lit by each of the two families represented.
Now the new bride & groom, ________ and _______, will light the unity candle together signifying the beginning of a new life together as one ¨C the creation of a new family.
(Couple face the minister)
* BLESSING AND PRAYER -
Blessing
The Lord bless and keep you: The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and give you peace.
Now let us pray for you as you begin together this new portion of your life’s journey.
Closing Prayer
[Please join me in a word of prayer -]
Father,
You who presides over the heart and home of all that is good and holy, we ask Your special care upon this new journey ________ and _________ are now beginning as husband and wife. May You be pleased to bless their lives together. Give them grace that they may find strength in each other, and may they always place their hope in Jesus Your Son for every direction they take with their new life. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord we ask. Amen.
(Couple turn and face the audience)
* PROCLAMATION - Ladies and Gentlemen it is my privilege to present to you for the first time
Mr. and Mrs. ________ ________.
* RECESSIONAL -
Music - Couple depart!
END OF SERVICE
Bruce Allen
bea0210@hotmail.com
