Civil10

CIVIL CEREMONY #10

SELFLESS LOVE

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

OPENING REMARKS TO GUESTS
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ stand before you today to exchange their marriage vows. To this point none has shown any just cause why they may not be married, nor have they themselves declared any impediment. If anyone here present, can show just cause why you may not lawfully be married, I charge you now to declare it. For the marriage covenant must be made in a spirit of honesty and openness.

_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ are honored to have you as their guests and are pleased that you have come to share these happy and sacred moments with them.

REMARKS TO THE COUPLE
_(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ , on behalf of your family and friends here assembled may I affirm our love for you and our pleasure over your intended marriage. Our minds are filled with memories of previous association with you and our hearts are already joyful over the prospect of you sharing life together. We are thankful for the gift of life and love granted to you and voice our confidence your union will join with you in the fulfillment of your hopes and dreams for married life.

The guests may be seated.

THE PLEDGE

_(Groom)_ , will you have _(Bride)_ to be your wife to live together in the honored state of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and keep her in sickness and in health: and forsaking all others remain faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

Answer: I will.

_(Bride)_ , will you have _(Groom)_ to be your husband to live together in the honored state of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and keep him in sickness and in health: and forsaking all others remain faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

Answer: I will.

READING
Love is very patient and kind,
never jealous or envious,
never boastful or proud,
never haughty or selfish or rude.
Love does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable or touchy.
It does not hold grudges
and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.
It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost.
You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him. All the special gifts and powers…will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever.
(I Cor. 13:4-8 LB)

GUIDANCE TO COUPLE
The marriage vows you are about to make and the union you are seeking will introduce you to the most intimate and tender of all human experiences. The relationship of marriage is a sacred bond which will be discovered and maintained only to the degree to which those involved will seek to know and follow foundational principles of selfless love and care. To undertake a marriage that is founded upon such ideals demands of each of you a deep faith in and devotion and an abiding and unconditional commitment of love to one another. As you this day make public your vows, and as in the coming years you seek to keep these solemn vows, may you discover and be committed to each other completely. In so doing you will find joy in life and your home will be blessed with peace.

_(Bride)_ , please pass you bouquet to your maid of honor?

Please face each other and join hands?

VOWS

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

In the presence of my family
and before these witnesses,
I _(Groom)_ ,
take you _(Bride)_ ,
to be my wife,
to have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better for worse,
for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow;
to love and to cherish,
as long as we both shall live;
and to that end
I pledge my loyalty to you.

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

In the presence of my family
and before these witnesses,
I _(Bride)_ ,
take you _(Groom)_ ,
to be my husband,
to have and to hold
from this day forward,
for better for worse,
for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow;
to love and to cherish,
as long as we both shall live;
and to that end
I pledge my loyalty to you.

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

May I have the rings please?

Our lives are marked by many symbols, not the least of which is the wedding band. In the same way a legal seal marks the authenticity of a document, so also the rings you give and receive today serve to mark, seal and declare in a visual way the spiritual and unseen commitments you have exchanged in this joyfully solemn hour.
In that your rings have no beginning and no end, may that endlessness symbolize also the character of your mutual trust_

(Groom)_. , as you place your ring on _(Bride)_ ‘s ring finger would you please repeat after me you commitment to _(Bride)_ .

This ring I give you
represents the unending love
that I pledge to you.
It represents my intention
to honor you with my body
and to share all my life with you.
May it at all times
visible serve to remind you
of my solemn vows to you
on this day of our marriage.


_(Bride)_ , as you place your ring on _(Groom)_ ‘s ring finger would you please repeat after me you commitment to _(Groom)_ .

This ring I give you
is an expression of,
and a pledge of
my constant faith
and abiding love.

DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
In that you _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ have made these solemn promises of marriage before these witnesses, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Province of Ontario, I declare that you are husband and wife.

You may kiss your bride

BLESSING OF THE COUPLE
May your marriage be favoured with all temporal and spiritual blessings. May you enjoy a measure of faith that will enable your relationship grow as you share in the joys, the success, the failures, as well as the relaxed and the stressful times of your marriage. May you enjoy a hope which will make you strong and a light which will keep you growing in love and joy. May you grow in your ability to share ideas and feelings, dreams and disappointments in such a way as to avoid the hurt of harsh words or the silence of unspoken thoughts. May you establish a happy home that will allow you to see the humorous side of life, yet find contentment and peace in its serious realities. May you develop an awareness that people are more important than things, that respect in your sight is more important than respect in the sight of the world, and that it is love that builds a home, not wood and stone. As you walk down life’s path together, may your union bind you together in a love that is true and a faithfulness that is lasting.

SIGNING OF THE REGISTER

PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE

It gives me great delight to introduce to you the newly married couple, Mr. And Mrs. ———- .

 RECESSIONAL

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