Wedding Ceremony
Welcome, friends and family, we have gathered here today to celebrate the union of ________ and _______. A wedding ceremony is an outward expression of something inner and real; it is a sacred personal union which nature might mirror, or a state declare legal, but which only love can create and mutual loyalty fulfill. ______ and ______ you have come here today to forge a bond of love, friendship, and respect that will sustain you throughout your lives. This bond is not a chain that binds your hearts; it is a silken cord that spans the distance between your souls. You must each hold fast to the cord to keep the bond strong. As long as you both take that responsibility to heart, your marriage will be stronger than any obstacle you will face.

READING (of your choosing)

______ and ______, you have chosen to marry because you belong-- not to each other, but with each other. Your marriage, to be strong, must be built upon your ongoing commitment. In the days and the years ahead, you will have to choose, over and over, in many different ways, whether or not to keep your love and your commitment to each other as the most important part of your lives.

So I would encourage you, to accept one another just as you are. And although you’ve know each other for years and been through good and bad times already, remember still to always listen that you may learn each other’s feelings and needs, and never assume the other can read your thoughts. Be truthful that you may be trusting. Be respectful and kind. Laugh with each other, a lot, for laughter shared, is the glue which will hold you together through many difficulties. And always keep in your hearts this truth- the power of forgiveness is surpassed only by the happy capacity to forgo blame.

PROMISES

______, do you take _______ to be no other than herself... Loving what you know of her, Trusting what you may not know... With respect for her integrity, And faith in her abiding love for you... Through all your years, and in all that life may bring you, do you embrace her as your wife?

______, do you take ________to be no other than himself... Loving what you know of him, Trusting what you may not know... With respect for his integrity, and faith in his abiding love for you... Through all your years, and in all that life may bring you, do you embrace him as your husband?

VOWS

I, ____ take you _______, to be my wife:
To love you when you drive me crazy.
To respect you when we disagree.
To support you if bad times come our way.
And to always remember how grateful I am
To have you by my side

I, ______ take you _____, to be my husband:
To love you when you drive me crazy.
To respect you when we disagree.
To support you if bad times come our way.
And to always remember how grateful I am
To have you by my side

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

The ring, a circle without beginning or end, is an ancient symbol of renewal, of the cycles of life, of the eternal. 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.

_____ as you place the ring on _____”s finger you can say to her:
____, I hope you will wear this ring as a reminder that I will love you every single day of your life.

_____ as you place the ring on _____’s finger you can say to him:
____, I hope you will wear this ring as a reminder that I will love you every single day of your life.

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 souls. And may the love that you give to one another always come back around again, in a perfect and endless circle.

READING (of your choosing)

Pronouncement

_____ and _____, you have expressed your love to one another by the giving of a commitment and the exchange of rings. So it is with this in mind and by the authority given to me, by the Territory of Virgin Islands that I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Let the kissing begin!!

sunlight weddings : p.o. box 1013 : st. john : u.s. virgin islands : 00831
elaine@sunlightweddings.com :phone 340.776.6092
toll free: 1-800-755-8105