Joyful wedding Scripts

Contemporary with Handholding

In marriage you make the most beautiful commitment in life; to love each other forever. You will share work and play, happiness and sadness, goals and values, family and friends, excitement and boredom. You will build a life which is stronger because you are now part of a team, a team that will go through life holding hands, always rooting for each other. We have come together today, to celebrate this special union between ________ and ________.  

TO BRIDE/PERSON1:

_____, please face _____, and hold his/her/their hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, strong and unwavering. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.  These are the hands that will work alongside yours, together, as you build your future.  These hands will comfort you, care for you, and caress you through all the days of your lives. 

TO GROOM/PERSON2:  

_____, please hold _______’s hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, soft and tender with love.  These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, console you when you are sad, and clap for your success. These are the hands that will continue to work alongside yours, together, as you build your future.  And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

———————–option 1, couple recites their own vows——————

With open hearts, and the very best of intentions, these dedicated hands were used to write wedding vows.  Let us hear them now;

———————–option 2,  vows read by minister————————–

_____ and _____,  every day you wake up grateful to be in each other’s life.    You know one another’s heart, and dreams, and goals.  Today, let those hearts join as one as you move forward as a married couple.

(TO GROOM/PERSON2:)

   _____, Do you take _____ to be your wife/spouse, your best friend and partner?  To live together, play together and laugh together?  To fill her/his/their heart and feed her/his/their soul for the rest of your days?   

(GROOM/PERSON2 says, “I DO”)
(TO BRIDE/PERSON1:) 

 _____,  Do you take _____ to be your husband/spouse, your best friend and partner?  To live together, play together and laugh together?  To fill his/her/their heart and feed his/her/their soul for the rest of your days?   

(BRIDE/PERSON1 says, “I DO”)
———————–optional exchange of rings————————–

______, placing the ring on her/his/their left hand, please repeat after me, “_______, with this ring, I thee wed”  

(Groom/Person2 recites to the Bride/Person1)

______, placing the ring on his/her/their left hand, please repeat after me, “______, with this ring, I thee wed.”  

(BridePerson1 recites to the Groom/Person2)

By the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts/_(or other)_, I now pronounce you husband and wife / married partners for life.  You may kiss (your bride/husband/partner)!

A Secular Ceremony with Many Mentions

Good morning/afternoon/evening honored guests!

From this place (officiant describes something about your chosen ceremony venue/location), we take ourselves out of the usual routine of daily living to witness a unique moment in the lives of ______ and ______. Today they join their lives in the union of marriage.

To all their guests, they are happy to share this moment with you. They have known most of you for many years. You watched them grow up, you went to school with them, or you worked with them. Because you are the ones who have supported them and known them so well, it is only fitting that you are the ones to share this once-in-a-lifetime moment with them.

______ and _____ are pleased to have their parents in the front row…close to them for the ceremony.

______ thanks her mother for providing her with every opportunity possible and being the best mother anyone could ask for.

______ appreciates all the love and support his parents gave him over the years.

A wedding day is often a day when couples miss family members no longer with them. For ______ and ______, there are family members whose memories they hold dear.

(Here you can insert references to loved ones that have passed away.  Or you can mention loved ones that couldn’t be present for other reasons.)

And so it is that _____ and _____ present themselves to be married today…surrounded by the people they love the most.

Officiant:

As _____ and _____ prepared for the ceremony part of this wedding celebration, they reflected on what it is that they love about each other.  And this was was the easiest part of planning this wedding!

To the Groom:

______ (Groom’s name), ______ (Bride’s name) loves that you blend in so comfortably with her family. She sees in you a funny, kind, and sweet man. She loves that you think she is funny and that you always find a way to compliment her.

She loves that you always want to be close to her. You remember details of the stories she tells. You want to be part of her family and circle of friends. You help her around the house. Most importantly, you are so close that even when she is at her worst, you have never made her feel like you want anything but to be closer to her.

______ (Bride’s name), _____(Groom’s name) loves that you ______________________(fill in the blank). He loves your brain, your smile, and your beauty. He appreciates that you are “low maintenance.” He likes that you can be really silly. He loves your emails and texts. He loves your cooking. He loves your kisses. He just really loves you!

You both look to a shared future that includes raising a happy &  healthy family. That future also includes a richly lived life together…going out to restaurants, hanging out with family, relaxing at home in front of the TV, singing and dancing…Bride will do the singing, and Groom will do the dancing.

The years will come and go…you won’t take each other for granted, you will laugh a lot, you will be the best parents you can be, you will grow older and wiser together. It’s a good story,and the ending is not in sight!

(Optional Reading)

MARRIAGE VOWS:

Officiant:

We come now to the words ____ and _____ want to hear the most today…the words that take them across the threshold from being engaged to being married.

A marriage, as most of us understand it, is a voluntary and full commitment. It is made in the deepest sense to the exclusion of all others, and it is entered into with the desire and hope that it will last for life.

Before you declare your vows to one another, I want to hear you confirm that it is indeed your intention to be married today.

____, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to _____ in marriage? If so, answer “I do.”

Groom:

I do.

Officiant:

_____, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to _____ in

marriage? If so, answer “I do.”

Bride:

I do.

Officiant:

_____ and _____, having heard that it is your intention to be married to each other, I now ask you to declare your marriage vows.

Please face each other and hold hands.

Officiant:

Groom, please repeat after me…

I, _____ take you, _____ to be my wife.

I will share my life with you,

and build our dreams together,

Support you through times of trouble,

and rejoice with you in times of happiness.

I promise to give you

respect, love and loyalty.

This commitment is made in love,

kept in faith,

lived in hope,

and made new every day of our lives.

Officiant:

Bride, please repeat after me…

I, _____, take you, _____, to be my husband.

I will share my life with you,

Build our dreams together,

Support you through times of trouble,

and rejoice with you in times of happiness.

I promise to give you

respect, love and loyalty.

This commitment is made in love,

kept in faith,

lived in hope,

and made new every day of our lives.

EXCHANGE WEDDING RINGS

Officiant:

Your wedding ring are the outward and visible sign of the inward and invisible bond which already unites your two hearts in love.

Groom, place the ring on Bride’s finger and repeat after me….

I give you this ring.

Wear it with love and joy.

As this ring has no end,

My love is also forever.

Bride, place the ring on Groom’s finger and repeat after me….

I give you this ring.

Wear it with love and joy.

As this ring has no end,

My love is also forever.

May the wedding rings you exchanged today remind you always that you are surrounded by enduring love.

Officiant:

Everyone has advice for newlyweds.  _____ and ______, I offer these good wishes to you on this special day.

May your life together be blessed with prosperity and good health.  May you always share open and honest communication between each other.  May you respect each other’s individual talents and gifts and give full support to each other’s professional and personal pursuits.

May you cherish the home and family you will create together.  May all the years to come be filled with moments that celebrate and renew your love.  May your love be a life-long source of excitement, contentment, affection, respect, and devotion for one another.

DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE

Officiant:

And so now by the power vested in me by __________________, it is my honor and delight to declare

you husband and wife. You may seal this declaration with a kiss.

Officiant:

I am pleased to present the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. _____________!

Thank You for Your Presence

Welcome, family, friends and loved ones. We are gathered here today, surrounded by the beauty of creation and nurtured by the sights and sounds of nature to celebrate the wedding of _____ and _____.

You have come here from both near and far to share in this commitment, to offer your love and support to their union, and to allow ____ and ____ to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them.

On behalf of the couple, thank you for your presence here today. They ask for your blessing, encouragement and lifelong support, for their marriage and life shared together. They also remember loved ones who cannot be here to share this moment.  Although not physically present, they are with us in spirit.

_____ and ____, marriage is the promise between two people who love each other, who trust that love, who honor one another as individuals in their togetherness, and who wish to spend the rest of their lives together. It enables the two separate souls to share their desires, dreams, and memories, their joys and sorrows, and to help each other through all uncertainties of life.

A strong marriage nurtures each of you as separate individuals and allows you to maintain your unique identity and grow in your own way through the years ahead. It is a safe haven for each of you to become your best self.

You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust. It takes more than love to make a relationship work.  You are also agreeing to share strength, responsibilities and mutual respect. 

It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both.

DECLARATION OF INTENT AND SHARING OF VOWS

_________ and _________, please join hands, look at one another now and remember this moment in

time.

Officiant: Groom, do you take Bride to be your wife? I do.

Officiant: Bride, do you take Groom to be your husband? I do.

Officiant: _____, please repeat after me.

________, I take you as you are/ loving who you are / I promise from this day forward/ To be grateful for our love and our life/ To be generous with my time, my energy and my affection/ To be patient with you and with myself/ To fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter/ To inspire you to grow as an individual / To love you completely/ These things I pledge to you

Officiant: _____, please repeat after me.

_____, I take you as you are,/ loving who you are/ I promise from this day forward/ To be grateful for our love and our life/ To be generous with my time, my energy and my affection/ To be patient with you and with myself/ To fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter/ To encourage you to grow as an individual / To love you completely/ These things I pledge to you

GIVING OF RINGS

Officiant: Please present the rings

Your wedding ring is a symbol of your promise to one another. The ring, an unbroken, never ending circle, is a symbol of committed, unending love.

_____, as you place this ring on Bride‘s finger, repeat these words:

This ring symbolizes my love for you and the commitments we made today

_____, as you place this ring on Groom‘s finger, repeat these words:

This ring symbolizes my love for you and the commitments we made today

CONCLUSION & PRONOUNCEMENT

______ and _____, you have come here today of your own free will and in the presence of family and friends,  you have declared your love and commitment to each other. You have given and received a ring as a symbol of your promises. By the power of your love and commitment to each other, and by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

You may now share your first kiss as husband and wife.

Honored guests, I now present  you, for the first time as husband and wife, ___ & ____

Definition of Commitment

DEFINITION OF COMMITMENT 

Marriage is a joyous occasion. It is connected in our thoughts with the charm of love, the warmth of home, and with all that is pleasant, as being one of the most important events of our lives. Its sacredness and unity is the most significant and binding covenant known in human relations.

______ and _____, let me charge you both to remember that your future happiness is to be in mutual consideration, patience, kindness, confidence and affection. It is the duty of each of you to find your greatest joy in the company of the other; to remember that your love pledged today must remain undivided for a lifetime.

It is your duty, _____, to be to _____, a considerate, tender, faithful, and loving husband: to support, guide and cherish her in prosperity and trouble; to thoughtfully and carefully enlarge the place she holds in your life; to constantly show to her the tokens of your affection, to shelter her from danger, and to love her with an unchangeable love.

It is your duty, _____, to be to _____, a considerate, tender, faithful, and loving wife; to comfort, guide and cherish him in prosperity and trouble; to give to him the unfailing evidences of your affection; to continue making the place he holds in your heart, broader and deeper; to support him, value him and work with him to make your marriage the very best that it can be.

The vows you are about to take are not to be taken without careful thought, for in them you are committing yourselves exclusively to one another for all the days of your lives.

WEDDING VOWS

It is now time to hold hands and pledge your love and your lives to each other.

_______, do you take ______ to be your wife/partner, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?  (Groom/Person2 states, “I do.”) 

_______, do you take _______, to be your husband/partner, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?  (Bride/Person1 states, “I do.”)

EXCHANGE OF RINGS (optional)

You will now exchange rings as a symbol of the lifelong commitment and abiding love which you have promised to each other.

________, please place the ring on _____’s finger, and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.

And _______, please place the ring on _____’s finger and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.

DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE

_____ and _____, having witnessed your vows, by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife / married partners for life. You may now kiss (the bride)!

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