Civil18

CIVIL CEREMONY #18 

CHERISH

PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?  /  I do. OR
Her mother and I do.

IMPEDIMENT DECLARATION
_(Groom)_, _(Bride)_, if you know of any reason why you may not be lawfully married I ask you to declare it now.

OPENING REMARKS
A wedding is a joyous occasion that marks the beginning of marriage, and marriage is an institution that supports social order, and provides that, through well-ordered families, truth and values might be transmitted from one age to another, contributing to the peace and wellbeing of our nation and our world.

Marriage as honorable among all peoples. “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cling to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh.”

Into this beautiful and profound relationship _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ now desire to be united with the purpose of bringing fulfillment and happiness to their lives. Let us also commit ourselves to them as they pledge themselves to each other and make their vows before these witnesses.

COUNSEL TO COUPLE
The union that you are about to enter is the closest and the tenderest of all human relationships. For it to succeed, husbands must sacrificially and selflessly love their wives, even as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it. In recognition of the fact that their lives are intertwined such that when one is hurt both are damaged, husbands are advised to dwell with their wives according to an attentive knowledge of and deference to who they are.

Since marriage is a dynamic of differing roles, wives who submit themselves to their husband give opportunity for their husband to lead. So a wife’s beauty should be more a matter of character than of merely outward adornment–an inward beauty of nature, the imperishable ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is truly priceless _(Groom)_. , it is essential that you realize that your wife’s submission is a sacred trust and places upon you great responsibility to provide leadership that is worthy of that trust and submission. You must learn to take responsibility for your decisions, and carefully take into account your wife’s thoughts, sensibilities and needs in the leadership you provide. In this way you will learn to move together as a couple, pursuing shared goals, winning or losing together, but always directing the raw material that life gives you and the pressures it provides so that they push you together rather than driving you apart. For this you will need the sweet cohesiveness of love that surpasses mere sentiment. The kind of love described by these characteristics: True love that is slow to lose patience; it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive; it is neither anxious to impress not does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love is forbearing and kind. Love knows no jealousy. Love does not boast; it is not conceited, unmannerly, selfish, irritable or mindful of wrongs. It does not rejoice in injustice, but joyfully sides with the truth. It can overlook faults. It is full of trust, full of hope, full of endurance. Love never fails.

Needless to say, a union of such ideals must be entered into thoughtfully, advisedly, discreetly and respectfully. I,  charge you both, as you now make your pledge and vows to each other, to remember that love, faith and loyalty are essential foundations of a happy home. May your lives be full of joy and the home you are establishing abide in peace.

PLEDGE
Will you, _(Groom)_ take _(Bride)_ to be your wedded wife, to live together according to mutually beneficial objectives? Will you love and comfort her, honour and keep her in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death shall separate you?  /  I will.

Will you, _(Bride)_ take _(Groom)_ to be your wedded husband, to live together according to mutually beneficial objectives? Will you love and comfort him, honour and keep him in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death shall separate you?  /  I will.

_(Bride)_ , please give your bouquet to your maid of honour ? Turn to face each other.

VOWS

_(Groom)_ , please repeat after me you vows to _(Bride)_ ?

I, _(Groom)_ ,
take you, _(Bride)_ ,
to be my wedded wife,
to love you
with all my heart’s affection,
to endow you
with all my earthly possessions,
to give you
the honor of my name,
and to share with you,
my deepest love;
to have and to hold
from this day forward
for better or for worse,
for richer or for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to comfort and to cherish you,
to honor and keep you
in joy and in sorrow
and to preserve with you this bond, unbroken,
until death shall separate us.
_(Bride)_ ,
this is my solemn promise to you.
I have loved you since I can’t remember when
and I’ll love you ’til I can’t remember how.

_(Bride)_ , please repeat after me you vows to _(Groom)_ ?

I, _(Bride)_ ,
take you, _(Groom)_ ,
to be my wedded husband,
to have and to hold
from this day forward
for better or for worse,
for richer or for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to comfort and to cherish you,
to honor and keep you
in joy and in sorrow
and to preserve with you this bond, unbroken,
until death shall separate us _(Groom)_. , this is my solemn promise to you.

RINGS

May I have the rings?

Groom
_(Groom)_ , what token do you give that you will faithfully fulfill these vows?

“This ring.”

The golden circle, from time immemorial, has been a symbol of wedded love. It is made of pure gold to symbolize pure love. It is one unbroken circle to symbolize unending love. Whenever you shall see it, it will remind you of this holy moment when your lives and hearts were united in one.

Bride
_(Bride)_ , what token do you give in acknowledgement of your vows?

“This ring?”

With these emblems of purity and endless devotion showing how lasting and imperishable is the devotion you have now publicly pledged, you do each other wed. These vows seal you forever.

For as much as _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ have covenanted together in the presence of these witnesses, have pledged their love to each other, and have declared the same by joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings, I, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the province of Ontario, pronounce that they are husband and wife.

Those who God has joined together let no person come between.

KISS

DOCUMENTS

PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE
With whole-hearted delight I introduce to you the newly married couple, Mr. And Mrs. ——— .

 RECESSIONAL

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