Civil20

CIVIL CEREMONY #20 

Your Shelter

PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE
Who is it that brings this woman to this man? / Who gives this woman in marriage? /  “I do”

WELCOME
Welcome family and friends on this beautiful day. We are here this evening to celebrate and bless the wedding of _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_. They would like to thank each of you for making the journey to be with them today as they celebrate their marriage. Each of you has touched their lives in a special way, and they are honoured to have you present today.

We have gathered here to be joyful in celebration for _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ in the new life they now begin together. For _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ this ceremony represents the start of a new chapter in their lives. Today, they proclaim their love and commitment to each other.

DECLARATION
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ are about to commit themselves in marriage to each other. If anyone knows of just cause why they may not be lawfully joined in marriage, let them declare it or else forever hold their peace.

TO COUPLE
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ , I welcome you to this moment in your lives and to the place you have come to in each other’s hearts. I join with you on this day, in the uniting of your two souls already attuned to one another.

REMEMBRANCE
Today, as we celebrate this special day, _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ would like to pause to reflect upon those who have shaped their character, moulded their spirits and touched their hearts. Although death has separated us physically, faith and love have bound us eternally. Though we cannot see them, we sense their presence. Though we cannot touch them, we feel the warmth of their smile, as we begin a new chapter in our lives. Let us not forget the ones that have departed from our world, but not before they graced us with special memories only they could create. May the influence of our loved ones that touched us deeply, but only stayed briefly in our lives, continue with us as we join our lives together as one.

PARENTS RECOGNITION
Will the parents of _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ please stand.

Many years ago, though it may feel like only yesterday, two children were born into this world. When you first gazed at them, you marvelled at their perfection and you felt truly blessed. In your children you saw infinite potential and you placed great hope in them.

With you they uttered their first words. With you they took their first steps. You rejoiced in their victories; you cried at their sorrows. You guided them, nurtured them, educated them, loved them. You gave them all you had to give, so they would grow up strong and independent, capable of great love, capable of what they are doing here today. Without you, this marriage would not, could not be possible.

Now, today all the love and caring you gave to _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ , they will give to each other. And it does not end here. For in turn, they will pass it along to their children. In this sense we are immortal as we see firsthand how this sublime torch, this lineage of love, gets passed along from generation to generation. We thank you and honour you.

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT
To all of you, who are gathered here, today will be especially important to this couple. You are loved ones and friends that fill their lives. You are the framework that supports their world. You represent, symbolically, all the people who will be touched in any way by the life of this couple. You represent their families and friends, past, present and future. Marriage is an intensely personal act, but, in order for the couple’s marriage to gain strength to last throughout the years, their marriage must be supported by their greater society of family and friends. Today, _(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ proclaim their love and commitment to each other, and we gather here to rejoice, with and for them, in the new life they now begin together. 

READING
(Reading from “Marriage Joins Two People In The Circle Of Its Love”  By Edmund O’Neill)
Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal. It is a physical and an emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.

Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener and critic.

Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, commitment is stronger, even anger is felt more strongly and passes away more quickly.

Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences and new ways of expressing a love that is deeper than life.

When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique unto themselves which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people who love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfill.

WHAT IS MARRIAGE
A joyful marriage is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say I love you. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted. Let your courtship not end with the honeymoon, but continue throughout all the years. Your marriage will be a great journey of surprises, joys and miracles. Above all, remember that your love for each other will prevail.

No ceremony can create your marriage. What this ceremony can do is witness and affirm the choice you have made to begin a new life today as husband and wife. Marriage is not an event but an inner spiritual journey. It is a path towards mutual enrichment, a give and a take between two people, a mingling of two endowments which diminishes neither, but enhances both.

Your marriage will provide you with safety and comfort of an embrace from one who will not judge you by your mistakes, but instead, will love you in spite of them. You will always know the security of having a partner who supports you and believes in you without condition. The strength of the bond between you will give you courage in the face of adversity. The joy you will share will sustain you through times of sorrow and doubt. The love you share will inspire you and all that you will do on this Earth.

Those who truly love one another cherish each other’s divinity. Those who know true love look upon one another with eyes that see through the personality to know the others inner most emotions and aspirations. To make this marriage work, however, will take more than love. It will take trust, to know in your hearts, that you want only the best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow even when it is difficult to do so. It will take courage to honour your differences, to make the important things matter and let go of the rest. And it will take faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for both of you.

VOWS
Today you make a commitment to love and care for each other for the rest of your lives. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a unique bond which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. The strength of that bond will provide you courage in the face of adversity; joy and laughter to sustain you through times of sorrow and doubt, and love that will inspire you in all that you do.

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

_(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ if at this time you wish to affirm your free choice to unite as partners in marriage please indicate that now by turning to face each other, join hands and look deeply into each others eyes as you take your wedding vows before your family and friends _(Groom)_. please repeat after me the vows you have selected to make.

_(Bride)_ , I accept you
just as you are today.
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.
I promise to love you,
to honour you,
and to cherish you
for all my days.
I make this commitment with all my love.

_(Bride)_ please repeat after me the vows you have selected to make

_(Groom)_ , I accept you
just as you are today.
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.
I promise to love you,
to honour you,
and to cherish you
for all my days.
I make this commitment with all my love.

RING EXCHANGE
I will ask you now to seal the vows you have just made by the giving and receiving of rings. 

~ May I have the rings please? ~

The wedding ring has been a traditional symbol of commitment and enduring love that, like a circle, has no end.These rings are your gift to each other; they are the outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual bond that unites your two hearts in love that has no end. With your rings you seal the vows you have just exchanged, reminding each other of your decision to remain faithful to your promises of love and commitment. Let them be a symbol of a never-ending love and devoted friendship. As often as either of you looks at this symbol, I hope that you will be reminded of the commitment to love each other, which you formalized today_(Groom)_. , please repeat after me while placing this ring on _(Bride)_ ‘s finger.

With this ring,
a symbol of my love,
I thee wed.

_(Bride)_ please repeat after me while placing this ring on _(Groom)_ ‘s finger.

With this ring,
a symbol of my love,
I thee wed.

These rings are powerful symbols. The circle symbolizes the wholeness of your love, unbroken and everlasting. The precious metal represents the sincerity of your commitment. It is strong, enduring, and does not tarnish. As you wear them, may you be reminded of your eternal love and devotion to each other.

These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women long. May they grow in understanding and compassion. May the home that they establish be a place of happiness for all who enter it, a place of growing and learning, of good friends and laughter. May your two rings symbolize the spirit of this undying love in the hearts of you both.

CLOSING
_(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ , may the challenges of your life together be met with courage and optimism. May you learn from your challenges and grow in your achievements. May life bless you with friends and family in a wide network of mutual support and enjoyment. May you face adversity with courage and a light heart.

May your union last through all of your moments together, so that in the triumphs and the trials that lie ahead, you will feel just as happy as you do now – happy to be in love and married to one another. Go then in peace, and live more and more in the present, which is beautiful and bountiful and stretches beyond the limits of the past toward the horizons of the future.

PRONOUNCEMENT
_(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ , you have openly declared your wishes to be united in marriage and in the presence of these witnesses have pledged your love to one another. You have confirmed the same by each giving and receiving a ring and by joining hands. By virtue of the powers vested in me by the Province of Ontario, it is my honour and delight to pronounce that you are husband and wife.

Please seal your vows with a kiss.

DOCUMENTS

PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE

Family and friends, it is my pleasure to present to you the newly married couple, Mr. & Mrs.———–

 RECESSIONAL

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