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Sample Wedding Ceremony (approx 1 ¼
minutes)
A wedding ceremony should help each of us remember
our promises and remind us of the importance of commitment.
We have come here today for the marriage of *Groom*
and *Bride*. May they continue to deepen their life with each other,
their family, and their community. Not only can we look forward to our
future, but we also look back and see where we have come from. Part of
that process is remembering all those who helped us become the people we
are today. *Groom* and *Bride* would like to thank their parents,
*Brides folks* [*groom* crosses to kiss *brides* folks] and *Groom's
mom* [*bride* crosses to kiss *groom's mom*]
Absent from the gathering today, but strongly
present in the hearts of the participants is groom's father, *name*."Go
deeper than love," D. H. Lawrence wrote, "for the soul has greater
depths." The bible talks about a man and a women come together to become
one, not two "half people" coming together to become one but two
whole, complete people becoming one - that is the divine mystery.
[Minister ad-lib: For this meaning, a man and woman must be whole enough
in themselves to step out of themselves, into the place of mutual
transformation. They are able to surrender everything they know,
everything they love, with the total abandon.]
Exchange of Rings (approx ¾ minutes):*Groom* and
*Bride* celebrate their love and proclaim their union with rings of fine
metal. A man and a woman who enter this depth of intimacy find
themselves standing in the garden where Adam and Eve stood. All things
are possible for them. The ancient Chinese sage Tzu-ssu said, "For the
mature person, the Tao begins in the relationship between man and woman,
and ends in the expanse of the universe." Like the wedding ring, it has
no beginning, no end.
Personal Vows (approx 1 minute)*Groom* and *Bride*
exchange personal vows and rings
My friends, we are about to bear witness to this
ceremony of marriage. We know that what is happening here today did not
start here but has long been true in their hearts. There is no power
greater than the power of love freely offered.
Official Vows (approx ¾ minutes): Do you,
bride, take groom to be your husband, in equal love, as a mirror for
your true self, as a partner in life, to honor and to cherish, in sorrow
and in joy, till death do you part? Do you, groom, take bride to be your
wife, in equal love, as a mirror for your true Self, as a partner in
life, to honor and to cherish, in sorrow and in joy, till death do you
part? Minister turns to the crowd: "Is everyone all right with that?"
(claps and much noise from noise makers that guests will have)
By the power vested in me (etc, etc), I now
pronounce you husband and wife.
Closing:*Groom* and *Bride* have chosen each other
from the many men and women of the earth, have declared their love and
purpose before this gathering, and have made their pledge each to the
other symbolized by the holding of hands and the giving and receiving of
rings. Let all others honor them and the threshold of their house. May
they carry into their marriage the beauty and tranquility of this
garden, and keep in it always the sense of exploration and the peace and
intimacy they have shared here. May they find here the good beginning of
their married life and the fruitfulness of many years.
Or: By the power vested in me by the State of
Louisiana, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the
bride!
Wedding Kiss (approx ¾ minutes): (smooch-a-roo with
good tongue)
Ragtime piece as processional
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