Order of Service
Pastor enters with groom’s party
Bride’s party enters
The question: "Who gives these two individuals to be joined as one?”
_______________ and _______________, if you have freely chosen each other to be husband and wife and believe that God has led you in this choice, please indicate this by joining your right hands.
Pastor’s Greeting
On behalf of the bride and groom, I would like to welcome you to this service of worship. We have been invited here by these two families to share with them in a most significant occasion. ____________________ & ___________________ have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife. We have the privilege of witnessing their entrance into the covenant of marriage. We see the marriage ceremony as but another opportunity to acknowledge the goodness and graciousness of God.
Let us Pray
Pastor addresses bride and groom*
The joining of the man and the woman is a part of God’s plan in the scriptures. From the beginnings in the book of Genesis to today, Christians see the marriage ceremony as a serious commitment, not only involving the man and woman, but God as well. The marriage ceremony is to be the beginning, and not the end, of a long walk with each other with God’s Son being in the center. As long as you make Jesus Christ the center of your marriage, you will be successful in what God has planned for their lives together. God has given you all of the ingredients and guidelines necessary to lead a successful and fulfilling life together.
First, He has given us His Son Jesus Christ. Through Him we can enjoy the blessings of eternal life. We enjoy the blessing of joy and peace that only comes in knowing Him as personal Savior. Perhaps the greatest blessing that we receive from this personal relationship is that of Love. For it is love that motivated God to send his Son into this world.
From that Love you will learn the ingredient of sacrifice. There will come times when to benefit the other person in marriage a personal sacrifice is necessary. When that time comes, sacrifice your ego and pride for the other person after you have sacrificed yourselves to God. It is not the easiest of tasks but with God’s help you can.
From love you will learn perseverance. Corinthians 13, the great love chapter of the Bible says, Love never fails. God’s love has not failed you. His love is keeping you and watching over you till the day of his coming. If you will rely on the love of God your love for each other will have that same eternal quality. You will be able to go the extra mile even when you don’t feel like it. When situations arise that threaten the marriage relationship you will be able to persevere to the end.
Question to Groom: Question to Bride
______________, in taking the woman you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded wife, before God and the witnesses present you must promise to love her, to honor and cherish her in that relation: and leaving all others cleave only unto her, and be to her in all things a true and faithful husband so long as you both shall live.
Do you so promise?
________________, in taking the man you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded husband, before God and the witnesses present you must promise to love him, to honor and cherish him in that relation: and leaving all others, cleave only unto him, and to be to him in all things a true and faithful wife so long as you both shall live.
Do you so promise?
The wedding ring is a symbol of the marriage relationship. The purity of the gold symbolizes the purity of your love for one another. The precious metal getting better with age. Instead of wearing out and deteriorating, we pray that your love will grow and improve with age. The unending circle symbolizes the unending commitment that you are making today in front of these witnesses to each other till death do you part. As a token of your vows you will give and receive the ring.
Take right hands and repeat ring vows
Repeat after me:
With this ring, before God, I thee wed. I will love thee, I will cherish thee, I will not forsake thee, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Light Candles
Pronouncement by Church and State
And now having pledged your love and loyalty to each other, and having sealed the pledge with these marriage rings, I do, by the authority vested in me as a minister in the church and in comformity with the laws of this state, pronounce you husband and wife. What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.
Embrace/Kiss "You May Kiss the Bride"
Presentation to the People
I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. _________________
Recessional
