The other ceremonies: A Blend of Traditional & Modern
This ceremony is a blend of old and new.
We have all come today to share the special joy that Groom and Bride have found in life. We are here to celebrate a new beginning for them as we recognize their love with the ceremony of marriage.
A wedding is just a small moment. Yet in some ways it captures the ebb and flow of life. To prepare, we work hard hoping that it will be perfect. It never is, and yet the imperfections are often what make it memorable. Certain parts go smoothly, others do not go as planned and we have to change how we look at them and figure out how to make them work.
What you see depends on what you are looking for. If we take too much time to examine things too closely, all we may see are the imperfections. But if we step back and look at large, there is joy, there is love, and it is good.
Life is like that. There are times when it is easy, we are playful and kind. Other times we have to work harder, life is frustrating and difficult. Sharing the happiness in life makes it better, but sharing hardship in life also makes it easier to bear.
By this ceremony today, you will become husband and wife. But the soul of your marriage depends on you constantly renewing the promises of love you make to each other today.
This love goes beyond the excitement of romance. Love is commitment. Love is nurturing. Love is listening. Love is caring for one another. Love is being friends with each other. Love is encouraging each other to grow to our best potential. Expecting the best of each other and supporting each other in every day living.
Bride and Groom came together as friends. They met at a [insert place here] several years ago, and Groom stole Brides heart. As Bride said to me earlier, they have been best friends ever since. Today, they pledge to each other not only their love, but also the strength, warmth and fun of true friendship.
Bride and Groom, the step you are about to take today is one of the most important people can take. The union of two people founded on mutual respect and affection. Your lives will change, your responsibilities will increase, but your joy will be multiplied.
It is the wish of everyone here today that your marriage bring you great happiness. But this does not just happen. You must work on it. Remember to say I love you and hold hands whenever you get a chance. Never take each other for granted.
Do you, Groom, take Bride to be your wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, forsaking all others, for so long as you both shall live? (I Do)
Do you, Bride, take Groom to be your husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, forsaking all others, for so long as you both shall live? (I Do)
Take hands and repeat after me:
I, Groom, take you, Bride, to be my wife
To have and to hold, for better or for worse
For richer or poorer
To love and to cherish from this day forth.
I, Bride, take you, Groom, to be my husband
To have and to hold, for better or for worse
For richer or poorer
To love and to cherish from this day forth.
Rings Please
Groom, place the ring on Bride’s finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed
Bride, place the ring on Groom’s finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed.
And now the bride’s father would like to contribute to the ceremony: (the dad participated here)
In as much as Bride and Groom have pledged their vows before their family and friends, by the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you man and wife
You may kiss the bride.
Loving Quote:
"Marriage is not a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of balance and your choice of partner."
~ Amy Bloom