Blessed Ceremony Traditional #2 Wedding Ceremony

Once Reverend Debby has taken her place before the gathering, the Groom takes his place along with his best man and the ushers. When the Bride appears, and is ready to walk down the aisle……..

Reverend Debby: Will the guests please rise.

Presentation of the Bride

Reverend Debby: Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Respondent: “Her mother and I do”

The father of the bride now steps back and goes to his seat.

Whomever has escorted the Bride down the aisle may simply give her a kiss, and return to their seat.

Reverend Debby: ________&________, it is with joy and reverence that I welcome you here today. To our assembled guests, welcome to this moment in their lives and to the place they have come to in their hearts.

_________&_________, we join with you on this day to witness your vow & commitment before God and humanity that from this point forward you shall live as one.

(Optional Silent Blessing: To honor relatives or memorable others who have passed on)

Reverend Debby: Please join with me now as we bow our heads to observe a moment of silence to honor the memory of those who are not with us today in body, but are here in Spirit. Amen.

Reverend Debby’s Opening Remarks

Welcome! This beautiful day, surrounded with love, is a moment to be treasured and cherished forever. You all were invited here for a holy purpose. Not only to witness, but to participate fully with intention, thoughts and prayers, asking God to bless _________ and _________, and their marriage. It was important to them that they asked you to join them in this dedication of sacred purpose. You represent symbolically all the people in the world who will be touched in every way by the life of this couple. You represent their friends and family, now and forever. They have chosen this act of marriage and this public, holy ceremony in which to proclaim their promise and pledge before God, and all of you, to be united in the mystical, spiritual and holy bond of matrimony.

Together we all thank God who brought them together, and we ask Him to always guide their way. May a great and glorious light sanctify this joining.

Declaration of Consent to Marriage

:Reverend Debby: And now, in the presence of your families and closest friends, I ask you:

_________, will you have this woman, _________ to be your wife, to live together in the sacred union of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health,
in sorrow and in joy, and pledge to be faithful to her for as long as you both shall live?
_________: I Will.

_________, will you have this man, _________, to be your husband, to live together in the sacred union of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in
health, in sorrow and in joy, and pledge to be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?
_________: I Will.

Reverend Debby’s Marriage Charge to the Couple

Reverend Debby: _________ and _________, When you were children, you looked into a mirror that gave only a blurred reflection of reality. But with love and maturity, you shouldn’t be afraid to look into that mirror and see each other face to face. Be swift like the wind in loving each other. Be brave like the roaring of the thunderclouds and lightning in loving each other. Be gentle like the breeze in loving each other. Be patient like the sun who waits and watches the four changes of the earth in loving each other. Be shining like the morning dawn in loving each other. Be proud like the tree who stands without bending in loving each other. Be brilliant like the rainbows colors in loving each other. Love each other with the depth of the sea. Now there will be no more loneliness because your worlds are joined together, forever.

_________, _________ is God’s gift to you, but he is not a gift for you alone. It is God’s will that in your love, this man might find within himself a greater sense of who he is meant to be. You are asked by God to see the good in this man, to accept him for whom he is and whom he shall be, that thus he might be healed and made strong. In this way God’s purpose shall be accomplished in this relationship. May this man find, literally, the kingdom of heaven through the love you share.

And so it is with you also _________, that although _________ is God’s gift to you, she is not a gift intended for you alone. You are asked by God to so love this woman, that in your love she might find herself as God has created her, so beautiful and strong and brave and true, that the entire world might be blessed by the presence of a woman who shines so. May she relax in your arms as she has never relaxed before. May she know, from now on, that there is one on whose love she can depend forever.

From this point forward, your beloved’s needs carry the same priority as your own. May you find in your love profound acceptance and complete release. You shall not be as two conflicting or competing forces, but rather the energies of your lives shall blend into harmony and oneness through the grace of God. The angels shall dance between you, and they will rejoice in the dance of life you do together.

To both of you, I enjoin you to release at this time all impediments to your joy. In this moment may you forgive each other any past transgressions, that you might enter this marriage reborn. Allow the waters of forgiveness to wash you clean. You are given the chance to begin your lives again this day, as God grants you radical renewal through the power of this commitment. You commit to a compelling future for yourselves, for any children you have or might one day have, and to any part you might play in the healing of the world. Receive fully God’s gifts on this day, as He receives so fully the gift of your love for each other. May you rejoice in Him, as He rejoices in you.

( Optional: Your own vows to each other )

Reverend Debby: At this time, _________&___________ have some personal promises that they would like to give to each other. Would you now please face each other and make your declarations....

Reverend Debby will ask _________ to speak first.
(He speaks his promise).

Reverend Debby now asks _________ to speak her promise.
(She speaks her promise)

Presentation of the rings

Reverend Debby: Is it your intention to symbolize this marriage with rings?

Bride and Groom: "Yes."

Reverend Debby: May we have the rings. (The best man hands them to the Reverend.)

The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity as it has no beginning and no end. It is an outward sign of the inward and spiritual bond uniting two hearts in endless love. In the sacred tradition of marriage, rings have come to symbolize eternal love and the endless union of body, mind and spirit. May the presence of these rings always remind you of the promise, hope and joyful love you have pledged today.

Vows of Matrimony

(Reverend Debby hands the brides ring to _________ )

“_________, please repeat after me”:

With this ring,
I give you my promise that from this day forward you shall not walk alone. May my heart be your shelter, and my arms be your home, and may God bless you always. May you always know that you are deeply loved, for indeed you are. I will love you through the good and the bad, through the joy and the sorrow. I will do my best to be understanding, and to trust in you completely. I accept you not only for who you are, but also for who you are yet to become. With all my heart, all my joy and all my honor, I take you to be my wife.

He places the ring on her finger.

(Reverend Debby hands the grooms ring to _________)

“_________, please repeat after me”:

She places the ring on his finger.

Optional: additional symbolic ceremony or readings here

Reverend Debby:

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. Go now to your dwelling, to enter into the days of your life together, and may your days be good and long upon the earth. (Apache Marriage Blessing)

Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship--as they threaten all relationships at one time or another--remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives--remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Final Prayer and Pronouncement of Marriage

Reverend Debby: I’d now like to ask you all to pray with me:

Dear God,

Please bless this couple. May their love be nurtured by You, always and forever.

May this marriage be held in Your hands and ministered unto by Your angels.

We dedicate this love to You.

May this man grow strong in the arms of this woman.

May this woman grow glorious in the love of this man.

May the earth be brought closer to heaven through this love. May all the world be blessed hereby.

And so it is. Amen.

And now, _________ and _________, by the authority vested in me by the State of Michigan, it is my honor and delight to now pronounce you, henceforth from this moment, husband and wife.

_________, you may kiss your bride!

Ladies and Gentlemen: may I present Mr. & Mrs. ________________________!!

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