Traditional Style Ceremony

Welcome, friends and family, we have gathered here today to celebrate the union of __________ and _________. Whenever two people decide to committee their lives to each other it is a time for great joy. A happy marriage is a blessing and inspiration to all; as the Greek poet Homer said, "There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends." So prepare yourselves to be delighted, _________and _________ are getting married!

READING
Any reading of your choice can be used here, this is just one suggestion

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the art of marriage, the little things are the most important.

It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say, “I love you”.
It is at no time taking the other for granted.
It is doing things for each other, always in the spirit of joy.
It is not expecting perfection in each other, and having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a very healthy sense of humor.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, the dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not marrying the right partner; it is being the right partner.
It is discovering that your love for one another at its best will never lose sight of or be blotted out by the commonplace experiences of life.
And it is remembering that remaining devoted, confident and hopeful in one another are the secret ingredients, which will help you to remain two very happy people, richer for your oneness.

VOWS
Again any vows can be used

Take ___________by the hand and say to her:

________, I take you to be my wife:
To share with you my laughter
To kiss away the tears
And to give you all the love in my heart,
As long as we both shall live

Take ________by the hand and say to him:

________, I take you to be my husband:
To share with you my laughter
To kiss away the tears
And to give you all the love in my heart,
As long as we both shall live

EXCHANGE OF RINGS
The ring is an ancient symbol, so perfect and simple. It has no beginning and no end. It is round like the sun, like the moon, like the eye. It is a circle: for love that is given comes back around again.

Minister says to the groom,
As you place the ring on _________’s finger, please repeat after me:
_______, you are my lover and you are my best friend, wear this ring as a sign to all that we are one.

Minister says to the bride,
As you place the ring on _________’s finger, please repeat after me:
_______, you are my lover and you are my best friend, wear this ring as a sign to all that we are one.

May these rings always remind you, that your love, like the sun, warms all that it touches, like the moon, it brightens up the night, like the eye, it is a gateway to your soul. And may the love that you give to one another always come back around again, in a perfect and endless circle.

(Bride’s and Groom’s Names), you have expressed your love to one another by the giving of a commitment and the exchange of rings. So it is with these in mind and by the authority given to me, that I now pronounce you husband and wife.

(Bride’s and Groom’s Names), you may seal your promises with a kiss.

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