Everyone has a different dream about what his or her wedding will be like. Some people have that dream worked out to the last detail and want to plan the ceremony the same way. Others prefer their dreams to take a more traditional course, and others still, find their way somewhere through the middle. It is my role in the ceremony to help you find the way that speaks most clearly to you.
The following Wedding Outline can be used exactly as is. It is fairly simple, fairly conservative and fairly short in duration, running at roughly twenty minutes or so, not counting processional and recessional. You may also use this outline as a stepping-off place for a ceremony you choose to write yourself (or with my help). Most importantly, you do not have to use this outline at all, buti offer it here, in the hopes that it may serve to get you started down the path you desire.
Following the outline, you will find a series of Sample Vows and Ring Vows, including the most traditional choices. Again, you are not required to use any of them. Feel free to borrow or be inspired by them in any way you wish. Should you wish to compose your own vows from your own heart and feelings, I would be glad to assist you in any way I can.
Wedding Outline
I. WELCOME OF GUESTS OF BEHALF OF THE HAPPY COUPLE.
II. GIVING AWAY OF BRIDE:
Who brings the bride and the blessings of her family into this marriage?
III. SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT MARRIAGE:
A. Marriage is a celebration of life and love
B. Corinthians 13, the "love chapter".
IV. VOWS:
(SAMPLE) I, _________________, accept your heart as I offer you mine, given in Love, wrapped up in joy, secure in the promise that I will live in your arms forever., growing older, growing wiser, respecting you more every day as I learn to respect myself. Loving you is a promise and a privilege, a shining light against the darkness to help me hope, to help me see. Do you bind yourself to these vows as you bind yourself to this marriage?
V. SYMBOLISM OF THE RINGS:
Ring is a circle/gold/symbol to the world
VI. RING VOWS:
(SAMPLE) With this ring, I bind my life to yours, not in chains, but in cheer, precious as gold, never-ending as time. I love you.
VII. PRAYER
VIII. PASTOR'S WISH FOR THE COUPLE
IX. PRONOUNCEMENT:
And now, inasmuch as __________and____________ have demonstrated their commitment to one another and their desire to live their lives together through the taking of vows and the giving of rings, it is with great pleasure that I, through the power vested in me by God Almighty, now pronounce you Husband and Wife.
Sample Vows and Ring Vows Vows are the outward promise of a couple's inward commitment to one another. While no mere words can express everything that couple holds within their hearts, it is a wonderful opportunity to try to express the inexpressible. Feel free to use any of these vows outright or as a springboard for your own.
Contemporary Sample Vows: 1. (Repeat after minister) I, _____________, accept your heart as I offer you mine, given in love, wrapped up in joy, secure in the promise that I will live in your arms forever. Growing older, growing wiser and respecting you more everyday as I learn to respect myself. Loving you is a promise and a privilege, a shining light against the darkness to help me hope, to help me see. Do you bind yourself to these vows as you bind yourself to this marriage? (I do).
2. (This vow is read by both, independently of minister) ________, Today, before our family and friends I join my life to yours. From this day on, I will be your partner and companion, for you are my dearest love and my best friend. I look forward to the joy we will find in each other's separate successes, as well as our shared ones; I welcome the challenge of what obstacles we encounter, for I know whatever we face, we face it together. Because your happiness is important to me, I will honor and support your growth as an individual. And because you deserve no less than the best of me, I will also strive to be more fully myself. I pledge that I will listen to you when you speak, encourage you in times of doubt. Comfort you in times of sorrow, and be your foundation in times of uncertainty. I will be faithful to you all the days of my life and I will be honest with you always. I have faith in our journey together. You are the one with whom I choose to share this great adventure. Knowing that God is in the midst of them all, these are my vows to you.
3. (This vow is asked by minister and answered with "I do" by both) Do you ____________, knowing __________ love for you and returning it, take him/her to be your husband/wife? (I do)
4. (These vows are to be recited to one another) I take your hand in mine, symbolizing union and my promise to keep that union uppermost in my life. I have loved you since the first time we talked and I will always love you. You are everything I have ever hoped for in a wife/husband. I promise to be faithful to you in every thought, word and deed. I will never knowingly deceive you or hurt you. Only once comes true love and through you, it has come to me. Today, I take your hand in mine, for this day, for this lifetime. I love you.
The love you have brought to me I cannot fully express in words. Each day with you seems brighter and more joyful than the one before. My promise to you is to bring you the same happiness and love that you have given me from this day on as our lives are intertwined and forever linked together. I promise to be with you through all of the ups and downs that area certain to come our way. And most of all, I promise to faithfully love and honor you with all my heart. True love only comes once and you have brought it to me. For this, I thank you.
5. Traditional Vows: Do you, ___________, take _________________ to be your lawfully wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health to love and to cherish till death do you part? (I do)
Sample Ring Vows: 1. (Repeat after minister) With this ring, I bind my life to yours, not in chains but in cheer, precious as gold, never-ending as time. I love you.
2. (Repeat after minister) ___________, I choose you to be my husband/wife, knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner and my only love. Wherever you go, I will go. I promise to be true to you and to love you with all that I am. Wear this ring as a symbol of this love and of my devotion to you.
3. (Repeat after minister) With this ring, I give you the promise that from this day forward you shall never walk alone. My heart will be your shelter; my arms will be your home. We will walk together through life as partners and best friends. I promise I will do my best to love and accept you exactly as you are. With this ring, I give you your freedom and my trust in you. I give you my heart. I have no greater gift to give. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
4. (Repeat after minister) This ring I give you in token of my devotion and love and with all my heart I promise to you all that I am.
5. (Repeat after minister) I give you this ring as a symbol and pledge of my constant faith and undying devotion.
6. Traditional ring vow: With this ring, I thee wed.
