Here's the complete text of a wedding ceremony I used a month or so ago; some I pirated from other places, some I made up on my own, some readings are credited. The wedding went very well, btw...

Feel free to cut/paste what you need or like. I will be posting others.

Ceremony for Jennifer and Tony

Officiant: “With whose blessings does Jennifer enter into this marriage?”

Father: “With the blessings of her parents, her family, and her friends.”

Officiant: “Tony and Jennifer have prepared a lovely ceremony for this very special occasion. We begin with a passage from Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, read by Jennifer’s Aunt Patty _____.

Patty:

“Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish, it does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's faults, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope. It is always ready to endure whatever comes. True love does not come to an end.”

Officiant: “Thank you, Patty. Family and friends, we are gathered here today to share with Tony and Jennifer in celebration of their marriage. There are no vows more meaningful than the ones they are making today. Marriage is one of life’s most sacred experiences. I know they enter into it thoughtfully. Married life is a give and take between two personalities, diminishing neither, enhancing both. A successful marriage requires trust and dedication. It is something that makes Tony and Jennifer more powerful together than either one could be separately. Jennifer and Tony, each of you give of yourself, your life and your love, unto the hands of each other. You do so trustingly and openly. In return, each of you receives the gift of love and commitment from the other. You receive this gift of love, not only from each other, but also from the parents who brought you into the world and raised you. You receive this gift from the friends and family who are with us here today, and also from those who are with us today in spirit only.

It takes trust to know in your hearts that each of you wants only what is best for the other and for your relationship. The most fulfilling bond can only be achieved when both individuals have enough trust in each other to share their most intimate selves. You must therefore take care to nurture and strengthen your faith in each other.

Tony and Jennifer understand that a successful marriage will require dedication, effort and, at times, sacrifice. Today they promise to give this marriage the highest priority in their lives. They promise each other that they will always strive to communicate honestly and openly.

Jennifer and Tony know that their bond will be strongest when both partners are fulfilled as individuals. They will therefore encourage each other to improve all aspects of their respective lives. They promise to inspire strength and confidence in one another, and will support each other’s dreams and motivations without hesitation. They will also accept gratefully the love and support of their family and friends, who are also affected in many ways by Tony and Jennifer’s union.

As the two of you come together in this marriage as husband and wife, you affirm your faith in your relationship and your love for each other. I would ask you to always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, to respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another and to make time to enjoy each other’s company. Be patient with each other, be able to forgive, do not hold grudges, and live to the fullest each day that you share together.

Now, Natalie _____ will read an excerpt from The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

Natalie:

Your friend is your needs answered.

He is your field that you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.

And he is your board and your fireside.

For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the “nay” in your own mind, nor do you withhold the “ay”.

And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;

For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.

When you part from your friend, you grieve not;

For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

And let your best be for you friend.

If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.

For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?

Seek him always with hours to live.

For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

Officiant: “Thank you, Natalie. Now, another reading, from the poet Walter Rinder, read by Groomsman Robert _____.”

Robert:

“Everyday you live, learn how to receive love with as much understanding as you give it. Find things within yourself, then you can share them with each other. Do not fear this love. Have an open heart and a sincere mind. Be sincerely interested in each other's happiness. Be constant and consistent in your love. From this comes security and strength. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us on this day of your marriage. Try to commit yourselves fully and freely to each other.”

Officiant: “Thank you, Rob. Now, Jennifer and Tony will exchange vows.

Jennifer: “Tony, I commit my life to our marriage. I promise to comfort you, and to encourage you. I promise to express my thoughts and emotions to you, and to listen to you in times of joy, and in times of sorrow; to celebrate my life with you, and to receive you as my equal. You are my closest friend, and I promise to love, honor and cherish you from this day forward and as long as I shall live. Do you take me to be your wife, and to share your life with me?”

Tony: “I do.

Jennifer, I commit my life to our marriage. I promise to comfort you, and to encourage you. I promise to express my thoughts and emotions to you, and to listen to you in times of joy, and in times of sorrow; to celebrate my life with you, and to receive you as my equal. You are my closest friend, and I promise to love, honor and cherish you from this day forward and as long as I shall live. Do you take me to be your husband, and to share your life with me?”

Jennifer: “I do.”

Officiant: “You have chosen these rings as symbols of your love and the promises you have made to each other today.”

Tony:

Jennifer, with this ring I thee wed. Let it ever be a reminder of my love for you. As a symbol of our unity, I place it upon your hand.”

Jennifer:

Tony, with this ring I thee wed. Let it ever be a reminder of my love for you. As a symbol of our unity, I place it upon your hand.”

Officiant: “Now, as a representation not only of Jennifer and Tony’s marriage, but as a sign of the unification of their families and friends that this day brings, the mothers of Jennifer and Tony will light their children’s candles, and Tony and Jennifer will together light a unity candle.”

Unity candle is lit.

Officiant: And now, one last reading, by Tony’s Uncle Jerry:

Jerry:

“This is the time you have chosen to become husband and wife. We are here, not only to witness your commitment to each other, but also to wish you both every happiness in your future life together. Within its framework of commitment and loyalty, marriage enables the establishment of a home, where through trust, patience and respect, the love and affection that you have for each other may develop into a deep and lasting relationship. We who are witnessing your marriage here today hope that despite the stresses inevitable in any life your love, respect for each other, your trust and understanding of each other will increase your contentment and heighten your joy in living.”

Officiant: “Thank you, Jerry.

Now, in as much as you, Tony, and you, Jennifer, have pledged your love for each other, and witnessed the same by all present, I now pronounce you husband and wife. I ask you now to seal the promises you have made this day to each other with a kiss.”

Jennifer and Tony kiss.

Officiant: “Now that the ceremony is over, and the experience of living together day by day is about to begin, go and meet life gladly. Family and friends, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. _____”

 

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