"Ann
Marie, Brian and I want to thank so very much for conducting the most
beautiful wedding ceremony ever! We never dreamed it could be so perfect
and so special! We will be sending photos and more comments as soon
as possible but wanted you to know that YOU made our union incredibly
special. These memories that will last a lifetime!"
Love Love Love,
Milissa and Brian
"We
are so blessed and thankful that you were our wedding officiant! Your
warm, loving presence made the day feel all the more magical. We will
treasure the memories you helped us create forever.
Much Love,"
Kyla and Jeff Pedraz
Ferndale, Michigan
Non
Denominational Service
We are
joyfully gathered today to witness and celebrate the joining of two
lives in marriage. ____________________________ and __________________________
have invited you to be with them, and to rejoice with them in the making
of this important commitment. The essence of this commitment is the
honoring of another person in their entirety as life partner, everlasting
lover, heart companion and soul friend. It is therefore a decision which
is undertaken with great consideration and respect.
Officiate
focuses attention on the present moment.
_____________________________
and ___________________________ have come together in the hope that
the love which brought them to this union may go out beyond itself into
the lives of others. Thus, we ask that the promise and hopes of this
union be realized. May you both be granted the patience to listen, the
capacity to understand, the compassion to give comfort, and the joy
to laugh and to be yourselves. Let your marriage make a home, where
neither person is ever lonely. Let it offer illumination and the excitement
of shared discoveries. Let it be large enough to endure the difficult
times. May life's challenges bring you closer together and may you always
be able to turn to each other.
____________________________
do you take ___________________________ to be your wife and equal? Will
you share your life openly with her and promise to love, honor and stand
beside her always, in times of joy and times of conflict?
____________________________
do you take ___________________________ to be your husband and equal?
Will you share your life openly with him and promise to love, honor
and stand beside him always, in times of joy and times of conflict?
A circle
is the symbol of sun, the earth, the universe, of wholeness, perfection,
peace and of unity. Like circles, your rings have no beginning and no
ending. They are symbols of the growing relationship you have come here
to celebrate and confirm.
As a
sign of your faithfulness, place the ring on her finger and repeat after
me. I take you _______________________________ as my wife through all
of the experience life holds for us, in faith and love.
As a
sign of your faithfulness, place the ring on his finger and repeat after
me. I take you _______________________________ as my husband through
all of the experience life holds for us, in faith and love.
Having
heard the vows you have made to each other, witnessed by these loved
ones, by the power vested in me by the Superior court of the Virgin
Islands, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You
may now kiss the bride.
Family
and friends, Mr. And Mrs. __________________________________________________.
Traditional
Service
The
officiate addresses the assembly:
We are
joyfully gathered to celebrate the joining of two lives in marriage.
_____________________________ and ___________________________have invited
you to be with them and to rejoice with them as they make this most
important commitment
So let
us take a few moments to focus our full attention on_____________________
and ___________________________. Everyone take a few deep breaths and
relax. As we breath deeply and relax completely together, please send
your loving energy and thoughts to_____________________________ and
___________________________. So it is with reverence and joy we create
this ceremony together.
The
officiate addresses the groom:
_______________________wilt
thy have____________________to be thy wife to live together in the holy
estate of matrimony? Wilt thy love her, honor her, comfort and keep
her in sickness and in health and forsaking all others, keep thee only
unto her for as long as ye both, shall live?
Groom
answers "I will."
The
officiate addresses the bride:
________________wilt
thy have______________________to be thy husband to live together in
the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thy love him, honor him, comfort
and keep him in sickness and in health and forsaking all others, keep
thee only unto him for as long as ye both, shall live?
Bride
answers "I will."
The
officiate addresses the bride and groom:
______________________, please hold_______________hands, and looking
into her eyes, repeat after me:
I,_________________take
thee____________________to be my wife, to have and hold from this day
forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and
in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part, and thereto
I give thee my trust. _____________________________, please hold__________________hands,
and looking into his eyes, repeat after me.
I,________________take
thee_____________________________to be my husband, to have and hold
from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer,
in sickness and health, to love and to cherish till death do us part,
and thereto I give thee my trust.
The
wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual
grace signifying to all the uniting of this man and this woman in holy
matrimony.
_________________________please
place this ring on____________________finger and repeat after me.
With this ring I thee wed: with my heart, I thee honor, with my soul,
I thee love.
_____________________________please
place this ring on_____________________________finger and repeat after
me.
With this ring I thee wed: with my heart, I thee honor, with my soul,
I thee love.
For
as much as__________________and_____________________have consented together
in holy matrimony and have witnessed the same before us declaring their
commitment, I pronounce that they are husband and wife.
You
may now kiss your wife.
Contemporary
Christian Service
Greeting
Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together in the sight of God to witness
and bless the joining together of __________________________ and _________________________
in Christian marriage...
Declaration
of Intention
I ask you now, in the presence of God and these people, to declare your
intention to enter into union with each other through the grace of Jesus
Christ, who calls you into union with himself.....
Pastor to woman, then to man: __________________________, will you have
___________________________ to be your husband, to live together in
holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in
sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him
as long as you both shall live?
Response
of Families and People
Do you who represent their families rejoice in their union and pray
God's blessing upon them? Will all of you, by God's grace, do everything
in your power to uphold and care for these two persons in their marriage?
Scripture
Reading John 15; Corinthians 13 or scripture of your choice.
Homily
3 minute message regarding Christian love and marriage.
Intercessory
Prayer
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in making
us a covenant people through our Savior Jesus Christ......
Exchange
of Vows
The man or the woman, then the other, repeat after the pastor: I take
you, ________________________ , to be my wife/husband, and I promise
before God and all who are present here to be your loving and faithful
husband/wife as long as we both shall live. I will serve you with tenderness
and respect, and encourage you to develop God's gifts in you.
Or:
In the name of God, I take you to be my husband/wife from this time
onward, to join with you and share all that is to come, to give and
to receive, to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond, and in
all our life together to be loyal to you with my whole being as long
as we both shall live.
Blessing
and Exchange of Rings
These rings are the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual....
The man or the woman with ring in place, repeats after the pastor: __________________________,
I give you this ring as a sign of my vow, and with all that I am and
all that I have, I honor you; in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Declaration
of Marriage
Now that ________________________ and ___________________________ have
given themselves to each other by solemn vows...
Dismissal
with Blessing and the Peace
God the Eternal keep you in love with each other...
Island Wedding
Service
Greeting
and Convocation
We are joyfully gathered today to witness and to celebrate the joining
of two lives in marriage. __________________________ and _________________________
have invited you to be with them and to rejoice with them as they make
this most important commitment. The essence of this sacred covenant
is the accepting and honoring of each other as life partner, everlasting
lover, heart companion, and soul friend. It is, therefore, a decision
that is entered into with great consideration and respect.
So let us all take a few moments and bring our full attentions into
this present moment…
The
Invocation
It is with reverence and joy that we create this ceremony together.
We have come together with the hope that the love which has brought
you together will deepen and that it will go out beyond itself into
the lives of others. Thus, we ask that the hopes and promises of this
union be realized. May you both be granted the patience to listen, the
capacity to understand, the compassion to give comfort and the joy to
laugh and just to be your Selves. Let your marriage make a home where
neither of you is ever lonely. Let your marriage offer illumination
and the nourishment of shared experiences. May your union be strong
enough to endure the difficult times. May life's challenges not separate
you; may you always be able to turn to each other.
Declaration
of Intention
__________________________, do you take ___________________________
to be your husband? Bride answers "I do". Do you promise to
love him, honor him, comfort and keep him in sickness and in health,
and be faithful to him as long as you both shall live? "I do".
Officiate addresses the groom as above.
The
Exchange of Vows
I, _______________________ take you __________________________ to be
my wife. I promise to be your loving and faithful husband. I will love,
honor, and respect you on a daily basis. I will keep my heart open to
you thru all of our life's challenges. From this moment on, I am blessed
by you being my life's partner and I promise to cherish you and be kind.
Officiate addresses the groom as above.
The
Exchange of Rings
The wedding ring is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual
union. The ring is a symbol of the commitment you are making to each
other. May I have the wedding rings, please. Your rings are sacred circles.
A circle is the symbol of wholeness, peace, and unity. As circles, your
rings have no beginning and no ending. They are the symbols of this
growing relationship you have come here to celebrate and confirm. You
wear them with the blessing that you have a partner in life and that
you are each other's life partner. As a sign of your love for and faithfulness
to each other, place the ring his/her finger and repeat after me, With
this ring, I thee wed, and with all that I am, I honor you.
Our
Wedding Blessing
May your love be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. May
the radiance of the promise you bring to each other never diminish even
as the ocean around us. Go now in joy and live in present moment with
gratitude as you create your future together.
Having
heard the vows you have just made with each other, made by the sun,
sand and sea of St John, witnessed by these loved ones, by the power
invested in me the by the United States Virgin Islands, I now pronounce
you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride.
Mr.
and Mrs. _______________________________
Follow Tradition
or Create Your Own
Some couples
honor island tradition and *Jump The Broom *
"Bless
you for the wonderful service!
Jeff and I can't imagine having had a more beautiful ceremony."
Elizbeth & Jeff
Lamin
Raleigh, North Carolina
"Your
calm, serene presence enhanced the beauty of our ceremony.
Your kind thoughtfulness made our service most sacred"
Joe & Jackie
Hee
San Diego, California
"Thank
you so much for the wonderful job you did officiating our marriage!
you were wonderful! Never had we been to such a beautiful ceremony and
it was ours! We are truly blessed to have met you and to have you join
us together for life as husband and wife. Our wedding day was the most
fabulous day of both our lives! Our day was everything we dreamed and
hoped it would be. Thank you so much for being part of it."
Warmest regards,
Heather and Matt Clark
Warren, CT
