Wedding Ceremony

Family and friends we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in your presence as witnesses, to join together ______and _____ in holy matrimony.

I pray that this ceremony today will not only be a time of celebration but also an inspiration to us all and our relationships with others.

Marriage is an honorable estate, instituted of God, and signifying unto us the mystical union that exists between Christ and His Church;

which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with His presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. It is therefore not to be entered into unadvisedly, but reverently, discreetly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons come now to be joined.

PRAYER

Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Then so do.

(Have bride and groom stand side-by-side facing the minister.)

_____ and _____, I require and charge you both, as you stand in the presence of God, before whom secrets of all hearts are disclosed, that, having duly considered the holy covenant you are about to make, you do now declare before this company your pledge of faith, each to the other. If these solemn marriage vows are kept, as God’s Word demands, and if a couple works at doing the will of their heavenly Father, God will bless a marriage, will grant fulfillment in it, and will establish a home in peace.

_____, do you promise to take ______ to be your wedded wife, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others keep yourself only unto her so long as you both shall live? I do.

_____, do you promise to take _____ to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love him,

comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others keep yourself only unto him so long as you both shall live? I do.

Since you asked me to perform this ceremony today, it tells me that you want a Christian ceremony—one that is performed in God’s eyes and is pleasing in His sight. So for just a few moments I want to share a passage or two from God’s Holy Word that emphasizes the marriage union and how God sees it.

The Bible tells us that in the beginning, it was God who created man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the spirit of life and man became a living being.

But the Lord soon saw that it wasn’t good for man to be alone and so He decided to make man a companion. God caused a deep sleep to come over the man. While the man slept, God removed one of the man’s ribs and fashioned it into a woman and brought her to the man.

And the man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. For this cause, a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. That is marriage.

That is precisely what is occurring here today. The two of you come to be joined together in holy wedlock and to make a commitment to one another. So today I remind you that not only are you vowing and making a covenant of commitment to each other, you are doing so in the sight of God.

You are therefore renewing this holy covenant with God—a covenant that is not to be taken lightly. You are promising Him that you will continue to make Him number One in this marriage. If you continue to do so, God will continue to bless this union today and forevermore.

And now concerning your relationship with each other:

If problems arise, and from time to time they will, you are to work together to resolve them. Divorce is NOT the answer. If you remember little else about today, do remember the words from the Bible in Malachi 2:16, “For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel.” So divorce should never even be an alternative in this marriage.

The Apostle Paul gave further instruction in his writings to the Corinthians concerning divorce. “But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband and the husband should not send his wife away.”

The husband is called to love his wife as he loves his own body. If the husband truly loves his wife and shows that love to her, it’s only natural that that same love will be returned to the husband.