Congratulations! You’ve set the date and now you are looking for a meaningful ceremony. The four ceremonies below are available for location weddings, The Little Wedding Chapel or The White Wedding Chapel. Each ceremony can be customized to suit your desires and situation. Your officiant or our wedding consultant will be happy to discuss with you. Please see our packages for all-inclusive options.
Customization can include Sand or Unity Candle ceremonies, hand fasting, cultural traditions, etc. Discuss a hand-crafted ceremony with us today!
We can also design a Renewal of Vows ceremony for couples celebrating their first anniversary and beyond or a Commitment Ceremony for those couples who are entering into a committed relationship but not quite ready to take the leap into marriage. Our wedding planner will refer you to one of our officiants to answer all your questions!
The Traditional Christian Ceremony
GATHERING
Dear friends: We have come together in the presence of God to witness the marriage of _______ and _______, to surround them with our prayers, and to share in their joy.
The scriptures teach us that the bond and covenant of marriage is a gift of God, a holy mystery in which two become one flesh, an image of the of Christ and the church. As _______ and _______ give themselves to each other today, we remember that at Cana in Galilee our Lord Jesus Christ made the wedding feast a sign of God’s kingdom of love. Let us enter into this celebration confident that, through the Holy Spirit, Christ is present with us now also; we pray that this couple may fulfill God’s purpose for the whole of their lives.
DECLARATION OF INTENTION
_______, will you have _______ to be your wife/husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her/him, comfort her/him, honour and keep her/him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her/him as long as you both shall live. R: I will.
Will you, the families of _______ and _______, give your love and blessing to this new family?
R: We will.
Will all of you, by God’s grace, do everything in your power to uphold and care for these two persons in their life together? R: We will.
______ and _______, if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now.
Prayer
Let us pray. Eternal God, our creator and redeemer, as you gladdened the wedding at Cana in Galilee by the presence of your Son, so bring your joy to this wedding by his presence now. Look in favour upon _______and _______ and grant that they, rejoicing in all your gifts, may at length celebrate the unending marriage feast with Christ our Lord. Amen.
READING
1 Corinthians 13
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Meditation
Marriage is not a one time event but something that happens over time. While today you are getting married and establishing a new status, becoming married is a much longer process. Becoming married can be a challenging adventure with both burdens and blessings. But our faith teaches us that your married life together will be undergirded by the promise of God’s grace and the sustaining love of your family, friends and faith community. That said, becoming married is a responsibility given the two of you as you are married today and will take much hard work and the gracious gift of love that you have toward each other. In order for your marriage to stay fresh and your commitment from going stale you must choose every day anew the love you have for each other today. In a moment you will make your vows to each other and one of the commitments you will promise is to be faithful to each other. May your vows of faithfulness reflect your commitment to becoming married as the years unfold, your commitment to grow as individuals and to sacrifice within this marriage, and your commitment to being flexible and open to change and especially to forgive. As the future opens up before you today, may you embrace the gift of relationship God has given you and live in peace and joy.
MARRIAGE
_______ and _______, I invite you to join your hands and declare your vows.
Vows
In the presence of God and our family and friends, I, _______ take you, _______to be my wife/husband; to have and to hold from this day forward, in joy and in sorrow, in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and to be faithful to you alone for as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow.
Giving of the Rings
Gracious God, by your blessing let these rings be to _______ and _______ a symbol of their unending love and faithfulness, to remind them of the vow and covenant they have made this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
_______, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.
ACCLAMATION
_______ and _______, by their promises before God and in the presence of their witnesses, have bound themselves to one another as husband and wife. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder. (The groom kisses the bride)
SIGNING OF THE REGISTER
MARRIAGE BLESSING
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out your abundant blessing upon _______ and _______. Defend them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.
Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death.
Bless them so that all may see in their lives together within the community of your people a vision of your kingdom on earth. And finally, in the fullness of times, welcome them into the glory of your presence.
Through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
BLESSING
God Almighty send you light and truth to keep you all the days of your life. The hand of God protect you; the holy angels accompany you; and the blessing of almighty God, the Father, the + Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you now and forever. Amen.