CIVIL CEREMONY #11
ENHANCING LIFE
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Father: I do. / Her mother and I do.
OR
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE
_(Bride)_ is about to pledge her faith, love and loyalty to _(Groom)_ . Is there one of her family who is prepared to present her to him?
Father or other designate:
“I do.” or “Her mother and I do.”
OPENING REMARKS TO GUESTS
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ have called you to assemble here today that they might publicly declare and affirm their love for each other, and their choice of each other as life mates. Further, they wish to exchange vows of mutual commitment to the fulfillment of married life together.
On their behalf may I tell you how honored they feel to count you as family and friends and how pleased they are that you have chosen to share with them in the solemnity and joy of these sacred moments.
REMARKS TO THE COUPLE
_(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ , the moment to which you have looked forward has now come. As a company of family and friends, we have at your invitation, assembled in this place of worship to witness the public exchange of your vows of commitment to each other.
DECLARATION
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ , you have made it known that you wish to be joined together in marriage. If either of you, or 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.
THE PLEDGE
So that your faith and integrity of purpose may appear to all of us who have assembled, would you respond to these questions:
_(Groom)_ do you purpose in your heart and mind to live with _(Bride)_ in a fashion consistent with the design for marriage? Do you purpose to love her, honor her and be faithful to her in times of personal need and personal blessing? Do you pledge, to the best of your ability, to seek to establish and maintain honest, open and loving communication between yourself and _(Bride)_ ? Forsaking all others, do you promise to remain faithful to _(Bride)_ as long as you both live? / Answer: I do.
_(Bride)_ do you purpose in your heart and mind to live with _(Groom)_ in a fashion consistent with the design for marriage? Do you purpose to love him, honor him and be faithful to him in times of personal need and personal blessing? Do you pledge, to the best of your ability, to seek to establish and maintain honest, open and loving communication between yourself and _(Groom)_ ? Forsaking all others, do you promise to remain faithful to _(Bride)_ as long as you both live? / Answer: I do.
In that you have publicly stated your willingness to receive each other as partners in marriage will you hear some counsel concerning marriage and love?
COUNSEL TO COUPLE
This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience;
It looks for a way of being constructive.
It is not possessive;
It Is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish Inflated ideas of its own importance.
Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage.
It is not touchy.
It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people.
On the contrary, it Is glad with all good men when truth prevails.
Love knows no limit to its endurance,
No end to its trust,
No fading of Its hope;
It can outlast anything.
It Is, In fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.
(I Corinthians 13:4-7 JBP)
“for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one.” (Matthew 19:4-6)
COUNSEL TO WEDDING GUESTS
In recognition of the part that family and friends have had in their lives to this point, and in affirmation of their desire publicly to declare their mutual commitment to marriage, _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ have invited you to this ceremony. By our presence here we have committed ourselves to be more than just observers of the acts of people we know. We are in fact accepting responsibility for supporting, enriching and encouraging _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ in the new relationship into which they are about to enter.
Marriage as the foundation of a healthy society, and as a part of the society in which _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ shall live, we are called upon to be thankful when they experience happiness, to be understanding when they err, to assist them in times of difficulties and to be prayerful at all times for their well-being. Let us not dismiss this marriage as just another happy occasion in which we have been privileged to share. Instead, let us resolve to make _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ very much a part of our every day lives.
GUIDANCE TO COUPLE
Marriage is designed so that the very needs and traits that characterize you as man and woman should find fulfillment and purpose in the wholesomeness of sustained commitment to each other. Yet while unity and union are very much the purpose of marriage, there is nowhere the inference that you should lose your individuality. There is rather a strong suggestion that what you are and do as an individual can and will either enhance your life together or do it harm. As you grow more loving, more mature and add wisdom to your individual lives, you do so for each other. As you add faith, virtue, patience and humility to your individual lives, you will in fact add the same ingredients to the character and life of your mate. This unity and individuality for which you must strive, will not be created only by romance, but rather by resolute love, reinforced with commitment that runs deeper than momentary feelings; and a faithfulness more sturdy than mere pleasantness in relationships. As you embark on this experience of seeking to become one in mind, body and spirit, may I remind you that only as you are able to capture that quality of sacrificial love, will you truly grow in your marriage relationships.
In a few moments you will seek publicly to acknowledge the purposes for your marriage and you will declare your mutual commitment to each other and these goals. I, therefore, challenge you to think often and seriously of the spiritual intentions you possess this day. May they ever be clear to you, a vision, a hope, a driving force in your lives together. May they keep you from the lust for earthly power, the longing for personal success or the unreasonable desire for possessions which can so thoroughly destroy your union.
May you intend always to be open, honest, loving and communicative with one another in all facets of your life together.
VOWS
_(Bride)_ , please pass your bouquet to you maid of honor?
As an expression of your willingness to engage in these obligations and as a seal of the vows you are about to make, will you face one another and join your right hands.
_(Groom)_ , would you please repeat after me you vows to _(Bride)_ ?
Before this company of our family and friends,
with joy and in love
I take you to be my wife.
I promise to share with you
in whatever happiness or sadness,
abundance or want,
adversity or blessing
that may be a part of our lives.
I intend that our lives
should together be woven
into a single tapestry
of love and mutual concern
for as long as we both remain alive.
_(Bride)_ , would you please repeat after me you vows to _(Groom)_ ?
Before this company of our family and friends,
with joy and in love
I take you to be my husband.
I promise to share with you
in whatever happiness or sadness,
abundance or want,
adversity or blessing
that may be a part of our lives.
I intend that our lives
should together be woven
into a single tapestry
of love and mutual concern
for as long as we both remain alive.
EXCHANGE OF RINGS
May I have the rings please?
From the earliest of time the golden circle has been a symbol of wedded love. It is made of precious gold to symbolize the preciousness of your love. Being one unbroken circle, it symbolizes unending love. As often as either of you see these golden circles you will be reminded of this high moment and the unending love you have promised.
_(Groom)_ , as you place your ring on your bride’s finger will you please repeat after me you commitment to _(Bride)_ ?
As a sign and pledge
of my love, faith and loyalty,
I give you this ring.
May it constantly remind you
of my commitment to you this day.
_(Bride)_ , as you place your ring on your groom’s finger will you please repeat after me you commitment to _(Groom)_ ?
(Bride’s choice…)
This ring I give you
is an expression of,
and a pledge of
my constant faith
and abiding love.
OR
As a sign and pledge
of my love, faith and loyalty
I receive your ring
and declare my intention
to wear it
as a reminder of our vows this day.
DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
For as much as you _(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ you have exchanged marriage vows in the presence of this company, and have sealed those vows by the exchange of rings, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Province of Ontario, I declare you to be husband and wife.
Let all others honor your decision and the threshold of your home.
You may kiss you bride.
BLESSING OF THE COUPLE
May you be favored with all temporal and spiritual blessings. May you develop a measure of faith that enable you to share in the successes, the failures, the relaxed and the stressed times of your marriage. May you enjoy a hope which will make you strong and light which will keep them growing in love and joy. May you grow in the 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 be able to 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 appreciate 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.
SIGNING OF THE REGISTER
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM
It is my privilege and pleasure to present to you the newly married couple, Mr. and Mrs. ———— .
RECESSIONAL
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