Share your ceremony script!

[tdavis]

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I never even considered writing a ceremony script nor was it on my to do list. I'm sooo thankful for you starting this thread and for everyone's ideas and suggestions added. My step-dad is marrying us and now I have something to give him to use. So exciting!!!

[JBean]

I just copy and pasted most of these ceremonies to use for ideas - 158 pages!! lol. I've got some work ahead of me! Thanks to all the brides for posting!

[Samantha88k]

This is such an awesome thread! Thanks for sharing!!!

[SarahBen2011]

This thread was SOOO helpful!  So I thought I'd share our script which was taken from this and a few things online.  It runs about 8 minutes when I read it, but I think it'll go a little slower.  Is that too quick?  It's 2 pages in Word.  Still trying to decide if we should add a reading.  Are most of you guys doing a reading?

 

Opening

 

On behalf of Sarah and Ben, I want to thank you all for gathering here on this beautiful day to witness their marriage ceremony. The fact that you all have traveled such a great distance to be here today is a testament to the amazing amount of love and support they have. Many of you have given them much happiness, love and guidance through the various stages of their lives and their relationship. They would like to sincerely thank you all for being here to witness and celebrate this moment.

Ceremony

The marriage between Sarah and Ben does not mark the beginning of a new relationship; it is an acknowledgement and celebration of a relationship that has been flourishing since they met. For Sarah and Ben, marriage is an affirmation of life, an undying commitment, a spiritual, emotional, and intellectual bond between two people. It is created from the purest of friendship, respect and love. The institution of marriage is not entered into lightly, because it symbolizes commitment on every level. Together you will continue to meet the challenges and obstacles of life head-on.

Marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging adventure. 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 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.

Love is life’s highest emotion. It makes us less selfish, it makes our personalities grow, and it 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.

You have chosen to walk through life together. There is no truer statement of love. The choice was not made by any one moment, but by being together you grew to realize that you belonged together and that you fulfilled each other’s needs. You have come to thrive upon each other’s presence, loyalty and wisdom. The commitment you make today will be the foundation on which you will build your life together.

 

Look at one another… remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another - acquaintance, best friend, companion, roommate, supporter, and even teacher. Now you will say a few words that take you across a threshold of life. For after these vows, you will say to the world, THIS- is my husband, THIS- is my wife.

 

Declaration of Intent to Marry

The covenant of marriage is one that can be entered into only by persons who are both legally and spiritually free to offer themselves to each other. Therefore, in the presence of God and in the presence of all of the witnesses here, I will ask Sarah and Ben to state their intention.

Do you, Ben, knowing this woman’s love for you and returning it, realizing her strengths and learning from them, recognizing her weaknesses and helping her to overcome them, give yourself to Sarah in the holy state of matrimony?  “I doâ€

Do you, Sarah, knowing this man’s love for you and returning it, realizing his strengths and learning from them, recognizing his weaknesses and helping him to overcome them, give yourself to Ben in the holy state of matrimony?  “I doâ€

Vows

Ben and Sarah please face each other and join your hands.

(To Groom) Please repeat after me:
I, Ben, take you Sarah, to be my wife,

my partner in life and my one true love,
to have and to hold, to love and to cherish,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
for as long as we both shall live.

(To Bride) Please repeat after me:
I, Sarah, take you Ben, to be my husband,

my partner in life and my one true love,
to have and to hold, to love and to cherish,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
for as long as we both shall live.

Exchange of Rings
The wedding ring is a symbol of unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end. And today Ben and Sarah give and receive these rings as confirmation of their vows.

 

(To the groom), take this ring and place it on Sarah’s finger.  Repeat after me:

“Wear this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. With this ring I thee wed.â€

 

(To the bride), take this ring and place it on Ben’s finger. Repeat after me:

“Wear this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. With this ring I thee wed.â€

 

Flowers for Parents

This wedding celebration is a joining of two unique families who stood separate until today. Sarah and Ben would like to honor their families and acknowledge the love and sacrifice that each of them has made to make them who they are today. *we'll hug each set of parents and present a flower to our moms*

 

Closing:

Sarah and Ben, remember to treat each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty or fear assail your relationship – as they threatened all relationships at one time or another – remember to focus on what is right between you.

Give to one another new experiences of joy. Challenge one another so that you may 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. Remember the journey that brought you to each day of your lives together.

With the support of your families and friends, by the vows you have made to one another and in the presence of God, I now pronounce you “Husband and Wife.†

 

You may kiss the bride!

[zbwedding]

OMGosh!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing and posting to this!  I didnt even know where to start... so many ideas from this thread... thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Trimalusta]

OPENING

We have come together today on this beautiful island of Jamaica to celebrate the love and marriage of Patricia and Roger. The fact that so many people have traveled such a great distance to be here today is a testament in itself to the greatness of this relationship and the love these two share. Patricia and Roger would like to send a special and respectful acknowledgment to those friends and family members who were unable to travel here today, and to those who have passed on but whose spirit remains alive and strong in all our hearts. All of you have given them much happiness, love, warmth, and guidance through the various stages of their lives, and for this, they thank you.  They would also like to send an extra thanks to their parents for the wonderful lives they have given them, for the hard work and guidance they have provided, for their everlasting love, support, and encouragement. It is from them that they have learned the true meaning of love, friendship, and family.


GIVING OF THE BRIDE/GROOM

If I could please have the parents of Patricia and Roger stand.
Being assured of your love as life long companions, and that you have your families blessings, I now ask, Donna and Richard, do you support this unity between Patricia and Roger and welcome Roger into your family?
 Tricia's parents, WE DO
  Sylvia and Roger Sr., do you support this unity between Patricia and Roger and welcome Patricia  into your family?
  Roger's parents, WE DO
Thank you.


Today Patricia and Roger , you are choosing to walk through life together hand in hand in marriage. The choice was not made by any one moment in time, but by being together over the years you grew to realize that you belonged together and you thrive upon each other’s presence, loyalty, wisdom, friendship, and love.  Marriage has been described as living in love with your best friend; 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, their futures, and their desire of family. The vow of marriage is a pledge of their everlasting love, uniting them in holy matrimony, whereby, they commit to share all life has to offer.

DECLARATION OF CONSENT

Please face each other and join hands.

Roger, do you come here today freely to take Patricia as your wife, to love her in good times and in bad, when life is easy and when it is a challenge, when love is simple and when it is an effort.  Do you promise to encourage her and inspire her through life, to laugh with her in times of joy and comfort her in times of sorrow and struggle. Do you promise to cherish her  and to always hold her in your highest regard. Do you give these things to her today and all the days of your lives?

  Roger says I DO.

Patricia, do you come here today freely to take Roger as your husband, to love him in good times and in bad, when life is easy and when it is a challenge, when love is simple and when it is an effort.  Do you promise to encourage him and inspire him through life, to laugh with him in times of joy and comfort him in times of sorrow and struggle. Do you promise to cherish him, and to always hold him in your highest regard. Do you give these things to him today and all the days of your lives?

  Patricia says I DO.

Passing of Rings:

At this time, Patricia and Roger have asked that all of you share in their joy and love for each other.  As I pass around the rings, please hold them in your hands and give your blessing and love to the rings and pass them to each person in attendance today.   Notice that these rings are a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end.  They represent the unconditional love that you have for one another.  Let these rings serve as a bond between you and wear them with honor and pride, as they are a visible reminder of the vows and promises that you will make here today.

Exchanging of Rings

May I have the rings.

Roger , as you place this ring on Tricia's  finger please repeat after me…

Patricia, I give you this ring, as a symbol of our marriage, and a lasting reminder, of the vows made between us today. It is a reminder that I will love you, honor you, and cherish you, in all times, in all places, and in all ways. I am forever yours.


  Patricia as you place this ring on Roger's finger, please repeat after me…

Roger, I give you this ring, as a symbol of our marriage, and a lasting reminder, of the vows made between us today. It is a reminder that I will love you, honor you, and cherish you, in all times, in all places, and in all ways.  I am forever yours.

CLOSING

May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth. Give to one another new experiences of joy. Challenge one another so that you may 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.

Patricia and Roger would now like to share a Native American poem with you all as they embark on their new life together:

Now we feel no rain, for each of us will be a shelter to the other.
Now we feel no cold, for each of us will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no loneliness, for each of us will be a companion to the other.
We are two bodies, but there is one life before us and one home.
When evening falls, I'll look up and there you will be.
I'll take your hand; you'll take mine and we'll turn together
to look at the road we traveled to reach this: the hour of our happiness.
It stretches behind us, even as the future lies ahead.
A long and winding road, whose every turning means discovery.
Old hopes, new laughter, shared fears.
The adventure has just begun. 



Patricia and Roger, remember to treat both yourself and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.  Take pride in your future together and the family that you will create. With friends and family, along with the sun, the sand, and the ocean, I have the pleasure of announcing you as husband and wife.

[Katiem2012]

This is such a wonderful thread! We haven't started working on our script yet, but I've pulled so many great ideas from here already! Thanks to all the brides who have posted their beautiful scripts. I'll be sure to post mine when we're done

[ps31]

This is full of so much good information!  Love it!

[coquine]

So beautiful, make me all emotional reading them. Thanks for posting them, this thread is sooooooooo helpful!

[sxcT]

Very helpful thread.  I plan to take bits and pieces from different ones to make it unique and special to us.  Thanks to everyone who shared.