Share your ceremony script!

[tsgnatko]

Thank you all so much for sharing

[richarsd]

Ayita, I think it's great that you designed the ceremony in both languages. We plan on doing our sand ceremony in both languages as my FI is French Canadian and I'm English Canadian. Although his family is bilingual and understands English fine, I think it just adds a nice way of blending the two families together. In the Domincan, the judge does the actual ceremony in Spanish and the WC coordinates it to English, which is why we can only do the Sand Ceremony part in French and English.

 

Thanks for sharing!!

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayita I think I never shared our script !   We did a ceremony that was entirely bilingual - French and English. The idea was that people that would understand only one language would hear a whole cohesive ceremony, but people who would understand both would hear no repeat.   Hereunder is the ceremony as if it had been entirely in English. It's longer because originally, some paragraphs are in French...   I include the English translation of the French poem (we translated all readings in both languages in our program).     Special Ceremony   Good afternoon. Today we meet in nature, surrounded by the beautiful ocean and blue sky. On behalf of the bride and groom, I extend a heartfelt welcome to the many loved ones who have travelled huge distances to bear witness to the promises that will unite Groom and Bride's lives forever. This is a beautiful and joyous occasion because it acknowledges their commitment in deep friendship and love.   We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to recognize a bond that already exists. Marriage is one expression of the many varieties of love, though it's probably one of the most accomplished.   Groom and Bride wished to being the ceremony by a reading.   Let's welcome xxx xxx, the father of the groom.   Reading #1 : A description of marriage, by Edmund O'Neill   "Marriage is a promise of love. It is a commitment to life – to the best two people can find to bring in each other.   Marriage offers opportunities for sharing and growth- a physical and emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.   Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other's best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener and critic.   Marriage deepens and enriches every fact of life. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, commitment is stronger. Even anger is felt more strongly, but passes more quickly.   Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique in themselves which binds them closer then any spoken or written words.   Marriage is a promise. A potential, made in the hearts of two people who love, which takes a lifetime to fulfil."   Today is a very special day in your lives. In the time you have been together your love and understanding of each other has grown and matured. Some say that the perfect relationship is one in which each partner brings strength to the others weaknesses, and where a balance that would be unobtainable alone is found. Groom and Bride have found such a balance.   Love makes the burdens lighter, because you divide them. It makes joys much more intense because you will share them. It makes you stronger so you can reach out and become involved in life in ways you dared not risk alone. To attain such love, you will need to commit yourselves to each other freely and gladly for the sake of a richer and deeper life together.   Groom brings to Bride his calmness, his serenity, his firmness when dealing with salesman and his sewing talents. She confides that she loves to listen to him, that she admires his generosity, and that he knows how to help her take things more lightly. Bride brings to Groom her strength, her focus, her thurst for adventure as well as her French recipes though consumption of snails and frogs will be an ongoing battle ! He confides that she surprises him every da, and that he knows that he is made a better man by her unwavering belief and encouragement.   Declaration of consent   The covenant of marriage is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly only by persons who are both legally and spiritually free to offer themselves to one another. So I ask you:   Groom, do you come of your own free will and with a conscious desire to be united in marriage with Bride ? Yes. Do you promise to give to this woman the love of your person, the comfort of your support and companionship, and the patience of your understanding? I do.   Bride, do you come of your own free will and with a conscious desire to be united in marriage with Bride ? Yes. Do you promise to give to this woman the love of your person, the comfort of your support and companionship, and the patience of your understanding? I do.   Groom and Bride, do you promise to care for each other in the joys and sorrows of life, come what may, and to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together? We do.   Exchange of vows   Minister to couple: Will you please, as an expression that your hearts are joined together in love, now join hands?   As you begin this new journey in love, openness and understanding, you have chosen words from Roy Croft, "Love", as the opening to your wedding vows.   Groom : I love you, Not only for what you are, But for what I am When I am with you.   Bride : I love you, Not only for what You have made of yourself, But for what You are making of me.   Groom : I love you Because you have done More than any creed Could have done To make me good Bride : And more than any fate Could have done To make me happy. Groom and Bride together : You have done it Without a touch, Without a word, Without a sign. You have done it By being yourself.   Minister to groom: Groom, this woman whom you hold by the hand is to be your wife. She has given you one of the most sacred things under heaven: a woman’s life and a woman’s love. It is not what you bring her in a material way that will make true happiness; for riches without love are nothing. The gift without the giver is bare. Practice as a husband the virtues that you have shown as friend and lover so her heart will be won to your heart FOREVER.   Groom, would you look into Bride’s eyes and … when you're ready   Groom's vows (our vows were very personal so I'm not writing them down. Sure you will find your own)   Minister to Bride: Bride, this man whom you hold by the hand is to be your husband. Upon your life, your love, and your devotion he will lean for strength and inspiration. He is going to look to you for encouragement, for cheerfulness and for confidence. May your life and love be the inspiration that will constantly lead him to greater affection and devotion to you, his wife.   Bride, would you look into Groom’s eyes and repeat after me:   I Bride, take you Groom to be my husband… follow my vows.   To the congregation: Do you, their family and friends, who have heard these vows, do you promise to do your best to honor, encourage and support the commitment that Groom and Bride are making to one another here today? If so, each of you please respond by saying: “We willâ€.   You, Groom and Bride, have pledged your devotion to each other. From this point on you do not stay together simply because you love; you choose to love because you have made the commitment to be together.   Let's now hear a second reading. We welcome xxx xxx, brother of the bride.   Reading #2 : L'éternelle chanson, Rosemonde Gérard (note : this is "home made" translation so absolutely not official )   "When you and when I am old When my blond hair turns white In the month of May, in the sunshiny garden We will go to warm up our shivering limbs As spring will put joy in our hearts We will believe that we are young lovers again And I will smile at you, with my head wobbling, And we will be such an adorable old couple Sitting beneath the climbing vine, we will look at each other With little, tender, sparkly eyes When you and when I am old When my blond hair turns white   On our friendly bench, greenish with moss on our good old bench we will come back to chat We will have a soft and tender joy The sentences always ending with a kiss How many times before did I say "I love you" ? Then with great care we will recount again We will remember a thousand things, even little nothings that we will ramble on about A ray of sun will come down, and in a soft caress Will lay, pink, on our white hair when on our friendly bench, greenish with moss on our good old bench we will come back to chat.   And as everyday I love you more Today more than yesterday but much less than tomorrow Little will matter the lines on our faces My love will grow more serious - and serene Think that everyday memories pile up My memories will also be yours Those shared memories more and more embrace us and constantly wove more bonds between us it's true we will be old, very old, weakened by age but every day I will clutch your hand harder As you see everyday I love you more Today more than yesterday but much less than tomorrow"   Exchange of rings   Officiant to couple: Do you have the rings?   The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts in endless love. It is a seal of the vows Groom and Bride have made to one another. A fitting symbol to represent the covenant you are making today, a circle, the emblem of eternity, reminding you that your love, devotion and commitment to one another are to be forever.   Officiant to Groom: Groom, place this ring on Bride’s finger. Hold her hand and please repeat after me:   Just as this circle is without end, my love for you is eternal. Bride, I give you this ring… as a sign of my love and faithfulness. With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. With this ring I thee wed.   Officiant to Bride: Bride, place this ring on Groom's finger. Hold his hand and repeat after me.   Bride : Groom, with this ring I thee wed.… This ring is the sign of my love and faithfulness. From now on, I commit to stand by your side under any circumstances and to give you the best of myself. May this ring shine on your hand just as your love shines in my heart.   Your lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Let these rings serve as locks, not binding you together, but as keys, unlocking the secrets of your hearts for each other to know, and thus bringing you closer together forever.   Sand ceremony   Today, Groom and Bride have chosen to commemorate their marriage through the celebration of the Sand Ceremony. This ceremony symbolizes the inseparable union of Groom and Bride into a new and eternal marital relationship. The bride and groom will simultaneously pour separate containers of sand into a common vessel. Each grain of sand in their separate containers represents a separate moment, decision, feeling, or event that helped shape Groom and Bride into the separate and unique individuals that they are today. As they pour their separate containers of sand into a common vessel, those separate and independent individuals will merge into a loving and supportive marital community. Groom and Bride, just as the grains of sand can never be separated into their individual containers again, so will your marriage be.   Music while the sand ceremony lasts after these words : I'm yours, Jason Mraz     Just as two threads woven in opposite directions will form a most beautiful tapestry, so too can your two lives merged together make a beautiful marriage. To make your relationship work will take love, much love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. Leo Buscaglia said it like this:   “Perfect love is rare indeed - for to be a lover will require that you continually have the subtlety of the very wise, the flexibility of the child, the sensitivity of the artist, the understanding of the philosopher, the acceptance of the saint, the tolerance of the scholar and the fortitude of the certain."   Establish that your love will never be blotted out by the common nor obscured by the ordinary in life.   Let me borrow the words of the poet Khalil Gibran in the Prophet to give you this last valuable advice :   You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be space in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow. May this day shine eternally in your lives. May it add brilliance to every achievement and cast a light over any misfortune. May you care for each other in sadness. May you give cheer to each other. May you give vitality to each other in all undertakings. May all that is virtuous, beautiful, and honest, remain with you always.   Prononciation of marriage   Because you Groom and Bride have exchanged your promises of faithful love, and because in our presence you have exchanged symbols which make your covenant visible, we now recognize you as husband and wife.   You may now kiss each other.   Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Groom's Family Name.

[natalie1987]

love this!

[msglave]

Thanks for starting this thread and thank you ladies for sharing. I've been wondering what I was going to write. Now, I have some ideas!

[ChicagoBride2011]

What a great thread! I can't wait to put my own ceremony together with all these great ideas.

[Lisa DSO]

it never fails...someone makes me cry in this thread! lol

[KarenM]

We were just married at Dreams PV on 5.29. This is the ceremony script we used. We borrowed bits & pieces from lots of brides here so thanks to everyone who's posted theirs!

 

Karen & Paul's Ceremony

OFFICIANT: “Paul & Karen, Family & Friends, I would like to welcome you to Puerto Vallarta. Bienvenidos Todos.

We are here today to participate in a most joyous occasion; to celebrate one of the greatest moments in life, by acknowledging the wedding of Karen & Paul.

 

Paul & Karen would like to sincerely thank you all for sharing in this celebration of their commitment to each other. A special acknowledgment must also be made to those friends and family members who were unable to attend, or have passed on, but whose spirits remain alive and strong in all of our hearts. All of you have given Karen & Paul much love, warmth, and guidance through the various stages of their lives, and for this, they thank you. It is from all of you that they have learned the true meaning of love, friendship, and family.

Marriage is an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. It is the mutual commitment of two people sincerely in love who share the same dreams about life. But more than that, it is the intimate sharing of two lives; a sharing that does not diminish but enhances the individuality of each partner.â€

 

“Would Matthew please come forward?â€

Matt’s reading: Union by Robert Fulghum

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks - all those sentences that began with “When we’re married†and continued with “I will and you will and we willâ€- those late night talks that included “someday†and “somehow†and “maybeâ€- and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “ You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed- well, I meant it all, every word.†Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this- is my husband, this- is my wife.

 

 

OFFICIANT: “Love is life’s highest emotion. It makes us less selfish, makes our personalities grow, and makes our lives more meaningful. It is caring about the welfare and happiness of your partner as your own. Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. And it makes you stronger so you can reach out and become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone.

 

A successful relationship takes more than just love. 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.â€

 

“Would Carolyn please come forward?â€

Carolyn’s reading: Love by Roy Croft

I love you,

Not only for what you are,

But for what I am

When I am with you.

 

I love you,

Not only for what

You have made of yourself,

But for what

You are making of me.

 

I love you

For the part of me

That you bring out;

I love you

For putting your hand

Into my heaped-up heart

And passing over

All the foolish, weak things

That you can't help

Dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out

Into the light

All the beautiful belongings

That no one else had looked

Quite far enough to find.

 

I love you because you

Are helping me to make

Of the lumber of my life

Not a tavern

But a temple;

Out of the works

Of my every day

Not a reproach

But a song.

 

I love you

Because you have done

More than any creed

Could have done

To make me good,

And more than any fate

To make me happy.

 

You have done it

Without a touch,

Without a word,

Without a sign.

You have done it

By being yourself.

 

 

VOWS

 

OFFICIANT: "Paul & Karen, today you join yourselves together for life, as friends and lovers; husband and wife. The vows you are about to exchange represent your pledge to each other. For it is not the words that bind you together as one, but it is the love and commitment each of you feel deep within your soul."

(Vows written by P & K)

 

RING CEREMONY

 

OFFICIANT: “The wedding ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love as it has neither a beginning nor an end. It should always remind those who wear it of the sacredness of marriage and the love that sustains it.

 

Karen & Paul, your rings are intimately associated with your intent to honor and treasure the vows you have made today. Believe and trust that the words you have spoken have the capacity to create the marriage, family and life of your dreams, and that the rings you exchange will have the power to return you to your vows.

 

These rings mark the beginning of a long journey together, wear them proudly, as they are symbols which speak of the love that you have for each other.â€

 

“Paul as you place this ring on Karen’s finger please repeat after me:

 

Karen, with this ring, I give you my heart. I have no greater gift to give. I will love you, honor you, and cherish you, in all times, in all places, and in all ways. I am forever yours.â€

 

“Karen as you place this ring on Paul’s finger, please repeat after me:

 

Paul, with this ring, I give you my heart. I have no greater gift to give. I will love you, honor you, and cherish you, in all times, in all places, and in all ways. I am forever yours.â€

 

SAND CEREMONY

 

OFFICIANT: “Will Jennifer please come forward?â€

Sand Ceremony read by Jen:

Karen & Paul, today you join your lives together. These two separate bottles of sand symbolize your separate lives, separate families and separate sets of friends. Each grain of sand in their separate containers represents a unique moment, decision, feeling or event that helped you become who you are today. They represent all that you are as individuals and your lives before today. They can stand on their own and be whole, without need of anything else. However when these two are blended together they create an entirely new and extraordinarily more intricate entity.

Each grain of sand brings to the mixture a lasting beauty that forever enriches the combination. Please pour the sand into this common container to symbolize the union of your two lives.

 

(Begin pouring sand)

 

Paul and Karen, just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be a melding of two individual personalities, bonded together forming one heart, one life, and one family.

 

 

CLOSING COMMENTS

 

OFFICIANT: “Paul & Karen, remember to treat each other with respect and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give to one another new experiences of joy. Challenge one another so that you may continue to grow. May the love you hold for each other, now sealed in marriage, continue to mature with the passing years. May you never take each other for granted, but always experience the wonder of your union. Be slow to anger, quick to forgive, leaving no tracks of resentment behind. May your love be a sanctuary and a source from which you draw strength to live your lives with enthusiasm and imagination.

 

With friends and family, along with the sun, the moon, and the sea, I have the pleasure of announcing you as husband and wife.â€

[Barbo]

Ladies, these are all so beautiful... It's making me teary eyed envisioning my day, which is coming so quickly!

 

I need some help... I have put together a script, with the help of this thread, thank you ladies! My question is, do I just print this off and hand it to the judge? I don't know when and how I will get it to him... How did you ladies do it?

 

Thank you.

[nicdeb928]

BEAUTIFUL! i have tears in my eyes and a smile on my face...thank you for all the great ideas

[KarenM]

Barbo, we emailed the script to our wedding coordinator the week before we left & she forwarded it to the minister. We also printed out a copy on nice paper & gave it to the WC when we met with her to give to the minister.