Category: Wedding Ceremonies

Neale Donald Walch’s Wedding Ceremony

Posted on by DrToni

Wedding Ceremony= “Conversations With God”

Minister          _____ and _____ have not come here today to make a solemn promise or to exchange a sacred vow.

_____ and _____ have come here to make public their love for each other; to give noticement to their truth; to declare their choice to live and partner and grow together—out loud and in your presence, out of their desire that we will all come to feel a very real and intimate part of their decision, and thus make it even more powerful.

They’ve also come here today in the further hope that their ritual of bonding will help bring us all closer together.  If you are here today with a spouse or a partner, let this ceremony be a reminder—a rededication of your own loving bond.

We’ll begin by asking the question:  Why get married?  _____ and _____ have answered this question for themselves, and they’ve told me their answer.  Now I want to ask them one more time, so they can be sure of their answer, certain of their understanding, and firm in their commitment to the truth they share.

 

(Minister gets two red roses from table…)

This is the Ceremony of Roses, which  _____ and _____ share their understandings, and commemorate that sharing.

Now _____ and _____, you have told me it is your firm understanding that you are not entering into this marriage for reasons of security…

…that the only real security is not in owning or possessing, nor in being owned or possessed…

…not in demanding or expecting, and not even in hoping, that what you think you need in life will be supplied by the other…

…but rather, in knowing that everything you need in life…all the love, all the wisdom, all the insight, all the power, all the knowledge, all the understanding, all the nurturing, all the compassion, and all the strength…resides within you…

…and that you are not each marrying the other in hopes of getting those things, but in hopes of giving these gifts, that the other might have them in even greater abundance.

Is that your firm understanding today?

(They say, “It is.” )

And _____ and _____, you have told me it is your firm understanding you are not entering into this marriage as a means of in any way limiting, controlling, hindering, or restricting each other from any true expression and honest celebration of that which is the highest and best within you—including your love of God, your love of life, your love of people, your love of creativity, your love of work, or any aspect of your being which genuinely represents you, and brings you joy.  Is that still your firm

 

 

            Finally, _____ and _____, you have said to me that you do not see marriage as producing obligations, but rather as providing opportunities…

…opportunities for growth, for full Self-expression, for lifting your lives to their highest potential, for healing every false thought or small idea you have had about yourself, and for ultimate reunion with God through the communion of your two souls…

…that this is truly a Holy Communion…a journey through life with one you love as an equal partner, sharing equally both the authority and the responsibilities inherent in any partnership, bearing equally what burdens there be, basking equally in the glories.

Is that the vision you wish to enter into now?

(They say, “It is.”)

I now give you these red roses, symbolizing your individual understandings of these Earthly things; that you both know and agree how life will be with you in bodily form, and within the physical structure called marriage.  Give these roses now to each other as a symbol of your sharing of these agreements and understandings with love.

Now, please each of you take this white rose.  It is a symbol of your larger understandings, of your spiritual nature and your spiritual truth.  It stands for the purity of your Real and Highest Self, and of the purity of God’s love, which shines upon you now, and always.

(Minister gives [woman] the rose with [man’s] ring on the stem, and [man] the rose with [woman’s] ring on it.)

            What symbols do you bring as a reminder of the promises given and received today?

(They each remove the rings from the stems, giving them to the minister, who holds them inher/his hand as she/says…)

            A circle is the symbol of the Sun, and the Earth, and the Universe.  It is a symbol of holiness, an of perfection and peace.  It is also the symbol of the eternality of spiritual truth, love, and life…that which has no beginning and no end.  And in this moment, _____ and _____ choose for it to also be a symbol of unity, but not of possession; of joining, but not of restricting; of encirclement, but not of entrapment.  For love cannot be possessed, nor can it be restricted.  And the soul can never be entrapped.

Now _____ and _____, please take these rings you wish to give, one to the other.

(They take each other’s rings.)

(man), please repeat after me.

I, ­­­­­_____, ask you, (woman), ­­­­­ to be my partner, my lover, my friend, and my wife…I announce and declare my intention to give you my deepest friendship and love…not only when your moments are high…but when they are low…not only when you remember clearly Who You Are…but when you forget…not only when you are acting with love…but when you are not…I further announce…before God and those here present…that I will seek always to see the Light of Divinity within you…and seek always to share…the Light of Divinity within me…even, and especially… in whatever moments of darkness may come.

It is my intention to be with you forever…in a Holy Partnership of the S oul…that we may do together God’s work…sharing all that is good within us…with all those whose lives we touch.

(The minister turns to [woman])

(woman, do you choose to grant [man’s] request that you be his wife?

(She answers,, “I do.”)

Now, (woman,) please repeat after me.

I, ­­­­­_____, ask you, (man),  ­­­­­ to be my partner, my lover, my friend, and my husband…I announce and declare my intention to give you my deepest friendship and love…not only when your moments are high…but when they are low…not only when you remember clearly Who You Are…but when you forget…not only when you are acting with love…but when you are not…I further announce…before God and those here present…that I will seek always to see the Light of Divinity within you…and seek always to share…the Light of Divinity within me…even, and especially… in whatever moments of darkness may come.

It is my intention to be with you forever…in a Holy Partnership of the Soul…that we may do together God’s work…sharing all that is good within us…with all those whose lives we touch.

(man), do you choose to grant (woman’s) request that you be her husband?

(He answers, “I do.”)

Please then, both of you, take hold of the rings you would give each other, and repeat after me:  With this ring…I thee wed…I take now the ring you give to me…(they exchange rings)…and give it place upon my hand…(they place the rings on their hands)…that all may see and know…of my love for you.

(The Minister closes…)

            We recognize with full awareness that only a couple can administer the sacrament of marriage to each other, and only a couple can sanctify it.  Neither my church, nor any power vested in me by the State, can grant me the authority to declare what only two hearts can declare, and what only two souls can make real.

And so now, inasmuch as you, (woman), and you, (man), have announced the truths that are already written in your hearts, and have witnessed the same in the presence of these, your friends, and the One Living Spirit—we observe joyfully that you have declared yourselves to be…husband and wife.

Let us now join in prayer.

“Spirit of Love and Life:  out of this whole world, two souls have found each other.  Their destinies shall now be woven into one design, and their perils an their joys shall not be known apart.

            [Man] and [Woman], may your home be a place of happiness for all who enter it; a place where the old and the young are renewed in each other’s company, a place for growing and a place for sharing, a place for music and a place for laughter, a place for prayer an a place for love.

            May those who are nearest to you be constantly enriched by the beauty and the bounty of your love for one another.  May your work be a joy of your life that serves the world, and may your days be good and long upon the Earth.

            Amen and Amen.

I

 

 

 

Christian and Buddhist

Posted on by DrToni

WEDDING CEREMONY

For Raphael & Dana

PROCESSIONAL

MUSIC – Pachelbel Canon in D Major

Raphael and Dana  have asked those of you who are most important to witness and to celebrate this marriage ceremony with them. They are taking the first step of their new beginning; their new life together.  Gathered with you in the presence of God, they have come to make public their love and commitment to live and grow together as husband and wife.  It is their wish that by being here today, we will all come to feel a real and intimate part of their declaration, and thus make it even more significant and powerful.

The ability and desire for one human being to love another is perhaps the most precious and fulfilling gift that has been entrusted to us. It is an all-consuming task, a lifelong endeavor.

Loving someone is a reason to stretch beyond our limits, to become more for the sake of the other. It is to look into the soul of your beloved and accept what you see. Loving is the ultimate commitment which challenges humans to become all that we are meant to be. As they join in marriage today, Raphael and Dana  are announcing to the world that they are welcoming that challenge.

Are you all willing  to show your support of the commitment they are making today?

Please say YES!

CONVOCATION –:

We are gathered here today to joyfully  celebrate and to add our support as two separate lives with their individual memories, desires, and hopes merge into one. We rejoice with them on this special day.  As a result of their marriage, WE are all becoming one Family.  This, then , is not on Wedding day, but a day to celebrate the coming together to create Family.

INTRODUCTIONS

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge that fact now — by having each person here introduce him or herself to at least 2 other people who you DO NOT know —              but with whom after this day, you will share a common bond.

Love is one of the highest experiences that we can have, and adds great meaning to our lives. The day to day companionship, the real pleasure in doing things together, or   in doing separate things but delighting in the exchange of experiences, is a continuous and central part of what a man and a woman who love one another can share. This sharing should not diminish but should enhance the individuality of each partner.

We are here today, then to celebrate the love which Raphael and Dana  have for each other  and to add our recognition to their decision to accept each other totally and permanently.

Marriage is the joining of two lives, the mystical, physical, and emotional union of two human beings who have separate families and histories, separate tragedies and destinies. It is the merging and intermeshing not only of two persons, and two personalities, but also of two life stories.  Two   individuals, each of whom has a unique and life shaping past, willingly choose to set aside the solitary exploration of themselves to discover who they are in the presence of one another.

Raphael and Dana  have both  been on individual spiritual journeys for some time… Our Readings today represent the various Religions and Philosophies that have been part of their quest.

I welcome Peter Heatley to do the first READING representing the Episcopal and Christian traditions:

 

TONI:  Our second reading represents the Buddhist tradition that has also been part of both of their lives.

READING 2 — Donna’s brother

 

 

Marriage is a conscious choice of a greater connection into which two individuals, already whole and complete, now step.

The person that we choose to marry is someone we love, but his depths, her intimate intricacies, we will come to know only in the long unraveling of time. To our knowledge we add our willingness to embark on the journey of getting to know him, of coming to see her, ever so wonderfully more.

 

Even though you step today into a new life, you always bring your past – and who you have been up until now.

Toni: We now invite the fathers -Michael Heatley and Terry Tutaan to share some reflections on Raphael and Dana’s childhood days.

 

We now invite the mothers to speak for a moment about the gift they see their new son and daughter bringing to their lives.

CONNIE — to speak about DANA

ISABELLE – to speak about RAPHAEL

 

The Candlelighting Ceremony

The candle you are about to light is a candle of Marriage. It is magical

because it represents the light of two people in love.  This candle before you is a candle of Commitment because it takes two people working together to keep it a flame.

We invite your parents to first light the separate candles – Symbolizing that  both must come together  giving spark of themselves, to create the new light.

and now – from these candles — light the ONE CANDLE –

As you light this candle today, may the brightness of the flame shine throughout

your lives. May it give you courage and reassurance in darkness; warmth and

safety in the cold; and strength and joy in your bodies, minds, and spirit.

May your union be forever blessed.

 

 

We now invite David Heatley to do the Third reading coming from the Sidi Yoga tradition:

Moved by mutual attraction, appreciation, admiration, and a certain measure of recognition, we agree to come together for the mysterious future, to see where the journey will take us. This companionship on life’s journey is the hallmark of marriage, its natural province, its sweetest and most primal gift.

 

In marriage we are delivered from our most ancient aloneness  in which we are born, embraced in human company, creating the miracle of loving companionship.

 

Marriage is also the incubator of love, the protected environment in which a love that is personal and touching and real can grow and, as a consequence of that growth, develop in us our highest capabilities as loving human beings.  We are each still and always becoming, and when we marry, we promise not only our own becoming but also our willingness to witness and withstand the ongoing becoming of our partner.

 

In promising always, we promise each other time. We promise to exercise our love, to stretch it large enough to embrace the unforeseen realities of the future.  We promise to learn to love beyond the level of our instincts and inclinations, to love in foul weather as well as fine, in hard times as well as good.

 

We change because of these promises; we shape ourselves according to them; we live in their midst and live differently because of them; we feel protected because of them. Marriage, the bond, makes us ???

 

Toni:  Raphael and Dana, I have confidence in your love for and friendship with one another and I know that it will enable you to continue to grow individually and together. I support you – as I know we all do with our own deep and basic confidence.

You have chosen each other as partners in life’s journey.  Are you ready to be married?  If so, please say,  “We are”

 

The Consent

Raphael ,  do you come here today, in the presence of these witnesses, with love in your heart and with the conscious desire to be united in marriage with Dana? Do you promise to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together and to give to Dana all the loving support she needs to become the person she is destined to be?

RAPHAEL :”I do”

 

Dana, do you come here today, in the presence of these witnesses, with love in your heart and with the conscious desire to be united in marriage with Raphael ? Do you promise to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together and to give to Raphael  all the loving support he needs to become the person he is destined to be?

Dana: “I do”

 

I invite you then to offer each other your VOWS.

Raphael  first, then Dana

 

VOWS

 

To the congregation:

Will all of you, family and special friends, do everything you can to honor, uphold and care for Raphael  and Dana as they walk the sacred path of marriage?

 

RESPONSE:  We will.

This commitment is truly a Sacred union – it brings with it opportunities for growth, for full self-expression, for lifting your lives to their highest potential, for healing any small idea you ever had about yourself and ultimately for true communion with God.

 

Let us pause now to listen to MUSIC as we reflect on the commitments each of us has made in our lives.

 

 

RINGS and ROSES

I’d now like to offer each of you a white rose.  It is a symbol of your larger understandings, of your spiritual nature, and your spiritual truth.  It stands for the purity of your Real and Highest Self, and for the purity of God’s love, which shines upon you now, and always,

 

Rev. Toni gives Dana the rose with Raphael ’s ring and Raphael , Dana’s.

 

What symbols do you bring as a reminder of the promised given and received today.

 

(They remove the rings and give them to Toni)

 

A circle is a symbol of the Sun, and the Earth, and the universe.  It is a symbol of holiness, and of perfection and peace.  It is also the symbol of the eternality of spiritual truth, love and life…that which has no beginning and no end.  And in this moment,

 

Raphael  and Dana choose for it to also be a symbol of unity, of joining, and of encirclement. These rings represent an inward belief and trust in togetherness. They express an outward sign of spirit and commitment, signifying to all who see them, the bonds of marriage the two of you share.

Now, Raphael  and Dana, take these rings you wish to give one to the other.

Raphael  – please repeat after me.

Dana, I offer you this ring// as a symbol of our marriage vows.// As you wear it,// know that I will love and cherish you always.

 

Dana – please repeat after me:
Raphael , I offer you this ring// as a symbol of our marriage vows.// As you wear it,// know that I will love and cherish you always.

Expression of Intent

 

Bride:  I do.

Will you promise to offer Raphael  your

Here’s another version without the roses —

Exchanging of the Rings:  “May we have the rings, please?”

 

The act of giving and receiving ring reminds us that love itself is an act of giving and receiving the most that life has to offer. These shining and eternal circles are the natural symbols for enduring love.  They represent an inward belief and trust in togetherness. They express an outward sign of spirit and commitment, signifying to all the bonds of marriage the two of you share. These rings are a symbol of the unbroken unity of Love now and forever to be manifested in your married life. The substance from which they are made symbolizes both great purity and great value, just as the love you share.

 

*Raphael places the ring on Dana’s ring finger. Then Dana places the ring on Raphael’s finger.

 

Repeat after me:

 

I offer you this ring/as a symbol of our marriage vows./As you wear it,/know that I will love and cherish you always.

 

Reading

 

And now ******** would like to share with you these words written a long time ago by the Apostle Paul in a letter to the Church at Corinth:

 

“There is nothing Love cannot face. No limit to its faith, its hope, its endurance.   In a word:  There are three things that last forever:  Faith, Hope, and Love…but the greatest of these is Love.”

 

 

Now, inasmuch as you, Raphael and Dana have consented together in the holy bonds of matrimony, and have pledged your faith to each other, and have witnessed the same before God and these your chosen witnesses;

 

By the authority vested in me by my ordination, and even more so, by the power of your own love and commitment to each other,

 

I now pronounce you husband and wife.  In the name of the One Living Spirit of God. Amen.

 

You may now kiss the Bride.

 

Bride and Groom Kiss

 

May I now present Mr. and Mrs. Raphael and Dana Heatley/LaMotta ???

 

 

 

African traditions with child

Posted on by DrToni

WEDDING TEMPLATE

 

Prelude –music

 

Welcome  by Rev. Toni

 

Processional – opening song (Marti?)

Hayden & parents

Akee

Joli

Danielle

Gina & Hayden with Zalika

 

Change music for bride to African Drumming

 

Ask her dad & mom: Who gives this woman in marriage?
response:  We do

 

Rev. Toni:   Hayden & Toni  have asked those of you who are most important to witness and to celebrate this marriage ceremony with them. They are taking the first step of their new beginning; their new life together.  Gathered with you in the presence of God, they have come to make public their love and commitment to live and grow together as husband and wife.  . It is their wish that by being here today, we will all come to feel a real and intimate part of their declaration, and thus make it even more significant and powerful.

 

The ability and desire for one human being to love another is perhaps the most precious and fulfilling gift that has been entrusted to us. It is an all-consuming task, a lifelong endeavor.

Loving someone is a reason to stretch beyond our limits, to become more for the sake of the other. It is to look into the soul of your beloved and accept what you see. Loving is the ultimate commitment which challenges humans to become all that we are meant to be. As they join in marriage today, Hayden & Toni  are announcing to the world that they are welcoming that challenge.

 

Are you all willing  to show your support of the commitment they are making today?

Please say YES!

 

CONVOCATION –:

We are gathered here today to joyfully celebrate and to add our support as two separate lives with their individual memories, desires, and hopes merge into one. We rejoice with them on this special day.  As a result of their marriage, WE are all becoming one Family.  This, then , is not on Wedding day, but a day to celebrate the coming together to create Family.

 

As a symbol of this joining – Candle lighting – fathers light candles – mothers speak about their child and wish for marriage

The candle you are about to light is a candle of Marriage.  It is magical because it represents the light of two people in love.  This candle before you is truly a candle of commitment because it takes two people working together to keep it aflame.

 

We invite your fathers to light the candles—symbolizing that each of you come from separate and distinct pasts but are willing to now come together giving spark of themselves to create the new light.  As they light this candle which symbolizing two whole lives joined together, we all pray that the brightness represented by  this flame shine throughout your lives.

 

May it give you courage and reassurance in darkness, warmth and safety in the cold, and strength and joy in your bodies, minds and spirit.  May your union be forever blessed.

 

As the fathers are LIGHTING  THE CANDLES –

We invite the mothers to say a few words

 

Invocation – Rev. Toni does prayer

Let us pray:

Divine light that illumines our hearts and gives life to each cell of our being, we give thanks for the love that has gathered us together in this place

and especially for the beautiful, heartwarming love that Hayden & Toni share which led them to choose to be united in marriage.

We know and accept that the Power and the Love that is God is with them and with all of us who share in this lovely and sacred moment of their marriage.  We declare today that the Word we speak here today will bring forth in them all the strength and beauty and love they will need to make every word that they say here a living truth in their lives.  And so it is.  Amen.

 

 

  • Music: All I Ask of You from Phantom????? — suggestion

 

 

Reading – Danielle or Jimmy

This is just a SAMPLE idea – you can use any reading – perhaps one from the Bible?

Marriage has certain qualities of contract, in which two people take on the housekeeping tasks of

living, together, to enhance life’s joy.

 

However, marriage is more than a contract. Marriage is commitment to take that joy deep,

deeper than happiness, deep into the discovery of who you most truly are. It is a commitment to a

spiritual journey, to a life of becoming-in which joy can comprehend despair, running through

rivers of pain into joy again.

 

And thus marriage is even deeper than commitment. It is a covenant — a covenant that says:

 

I love you.

 

I trust you.

 

I will be here for you when you are hurting, and when I am hurting, I will not leave.

 

It is a covenant intended not to provide haven from pain or from anger and sorrow. Life offers no

such haven. Instead, marriage is intended to provide a sanctuary safe enough to risk loving, to risk

living and sharing from the center of oneself. This is worth everything.

 

Margaret A. Keip

 

 

Song —  The PRAYER — Marti

 

Giving consent

SAMPLE –

The Consent

Hayden ,  do you come here today, in the presence of these witnesses, with love in your heart and with the conscious desire to be united in marriage with Toni? Do you promise to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together and to give to Toni all the loving support she needs to become the person she is destined to be?

Hayden :”I do”

 

Toni, do you come here today, in the presence of these witnesses, with love in your heart and with the conscious desire to be united in marriage with Toni ? Do you promise to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together and to give to Hayden all the loving support he needs to become the person he is destined to be?

Toni: “I do”

 

This commitment is truly a Sacred union – it brings with it opportunities for growth, for full self-expression, for lifting your lives to their highest potential, for healing any small idea you ever had about yourself and ultimately for true communion with God.

 

Vows

–I invite you to offer your vows to each other-

 

Let us pause now to listen to MUSIC as we reflect on the commitments each of us has made in our lives.

Marti sings….

 

 

Vows

 

Ring ceremony

Toni:  May I have the rings please.

The act of giving and receiving rings reminds us that love itself is an act of giving and receiving the most that life has to offer. Traditionally, the marking of the passage to the status of husband and wife is marked by the exchange of rings.  These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love.  Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver.  May these rings always remind you the vows you have taken today.

 

Hayden, as you place the ring on Toni’s hand,  please repeat after me:

 

Toni, I love you as no other. // All that I am, I will share with you. //  This ring I give you, //as a sign of my love and commitment to you. // Receive and wear this ring,// as a symbol of my faith and trust in you. // Before this community of  our family and friends,// I take you to be my wife.//

 

Toni, as you place the ring on Hayden’s hand, please repeat after me:

 

Hayden,  I love you as no other. // All that I am, I will share with you. //  This ring I give you, //as a sign of my love and commitment to you. // Receive and wear this ring,//

as a symbol of my faith and trust in you. // Before this community of our family and friends,// I take you to be my husband.//

 

 

Baby blessing

Who presents this child for Christening?

We do.

 

Toni:

“This christening is a recognition of the infinite power of the Spirit in each child. The seed of perfection is implanted in every child and awaits only its recognition for its outpouring of Truth, and the complete expression of good in each one.

 

This consecration   service welcomes This child, Zalika into our family.    It is an outward expression which reveals that Unity of Spirit within. We recognize that this child came forth from God-a Divine Being.  That perfection exists within this child and that this child’s purity of being is God incarnated in, through, and as this child.   Our blessing service symbolizes our conscious immersion in the Life Stream of God.  Our Oneness with God.  That we can never be separated from God.  That this soul on its new adventure of Life shall live and move and have his being  in God.  He shall always be in that all  embracing circle of Divine Love.”

Gina & Robert In presenting  Zalika for blessing, do you acknowledge  the unity of  God and man?

 

Gina & Robert-    We do.

 

Do you acknowledge that the Spirit of God and the Spirit of  Man  is united as one being and that we, as spiritual beings, manifest the creative power of God and that keeping the mind set on the positive Good brings joy and happiness to life?

 

Gina & Robert-   We do.

 

:   Will you teach This child the Truth of its Being, that from childhood it may realize its unity with God?

 

Gina & Robert-  We will.

 

Will you do this not only by word, but by example so that your child may learn to live joyously, creatively and harmoniously?   Will you do this to the best of your ability?

 

– We will.

 

Toni Dr. dip rose in water and says:

” I bless you Zalika in the name of the God within you, and of the moving, Creative Principle of all life.”

 

I dedicate this child to the care and keeping and to the way that perfect intelligence may guide and direct him and  unfailing Love may draw her into the ways of eternal happiness.  I dedicate this child to God’s perfect care and keeping.  God’s strength upholds him.  God’s presence fills her.  May he be guided by perfect intelligence and directed by unfailing love into the ways of day by day happiness.

AND SO IT IS.

 

Song:  God’s Masterpiece

 

 

The Rose

 

It is now my special privilege to present you with a special gift as husband and wife.  In the language of flowers, a red rose is the symbol of love and my gift to you is the gift of Love.  It would be our hope that wherever you may make your home, there be an especially appointed place in it for red roses.  And that on each succeeding anniversary of your wedding day, you celebrate it, at least in part, by each of you bringing to the appointed place a red rose, as a re-statement of love, and a re-commitment of the vows you made to one another and before all here present.  Also, in every marriage, it is occasionally difficult to find words to resolve certain issues which may arise, and if and when such issues might come to your marriage, if either one of you will remember and bring to the special place a red rose, the other will see it, accept it and understand it as a statement of love.

 

JOIN us now in Prayer:

 

Aware that there is one presence and power, and that we are each part of this unity, we now join in blessing Hayden & Toni in the continuing of their lives together.  We recognize that the presence of God’s grace within them enables them to fulfill the promise of God’s true partnership in life.  We know and affirm that they live in joy and love.

And now – I  recognize with full awareness that only a couple can administer the sacrament of marriage to each other, and only a couple can sanctify it. Neither my church, nor any power vested in me by the State, can grant me the authority to declare what only two hearts can declare, and what only two souls can make real.

 

And so now, inasmuch as you, Toni, and you, Hayden  have announced the truths that are already written in your hearts, and have witnessed the same in the presence of these, your family, friends, and the One Living Spirit, –we observe joyfully that you have declared yourselves to be husband and wife.

 

You may now kiss one another.

Actual wedding pronouncements

 

Indian prayer – butterfly release

 

Butterfly Ceremony

 

Jimmy  is passing out a small package – one per family.  Inside is a beautiful butterfly.  In a moment, we will all release them together as a closing blessing to the new family.  You need only open the package wide enough for the wings to flap.

 

As the Indian Legend goes:
If anyone desires a wish to come true, they must first capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it.  Since a butterfly can make no sound, the butterfly can not reveal the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit who hears and sees all.

In gratitude for giving the beautiful butterfly its freedom, the Great Spirit always grants the wish.  So, according to the legend, by making a wish and giving the butterfly its freedom, the wish will be taken to the heavens and be granted.

 

Today we have gathered to grand this couple all our best wishes and as we set these butterflies free, I invite you to hold this new family in your highest blessing in the trust that all these wishes will be granted.

 

As I present to you for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. ??  and their beautiful daughter, Zalika, I invite you to RELEASE THE BUTTERFLIES!

 

MUSIC

 

 

May I now present to you

Mr. & Mrs.

 

 

African Drums – recessional

 

Wilson Wedding – older couple

Posted on by DrToni

MARGIE AND BOB’S WEDDING

October 26, 2002  Sarasota, Fl

 

WEDDING MARCH – Jeff Lance

Margie and Bob have invited you, their family and special friends to witness and to celebrate this marriage ceremony with them. Gathered with you in the presence of God, they have come to make public their love and commitment to live and grow together.  It is their wish that by being here today, we will all come to feel a real and intimate part of their declaration, and thus make it even more significant and powerful.

The ability and desire for one human being to love another is perhaps the most precious and fulfilling gift that has been entrusted to us. It is an all-consuming task, a lifelong endeavor.

Loving someone is a reason to stretch beyond our limits, to become more for the sake of the other. It is to look into the soul of your beloved and accept what you see. Loving is the ultimate commitment which challenges humans to become all that we are meant to be. As they join in marriage today, Margie and Bob are announcing to the world that they are welcoming that challenge.

Let us join now in prayer to show our support of the commitment they are making today.

INVOCATION –:

We acknowledge the Presence of Love and in that presence, we recognize the love that Margie and Bob share. In this moment, each of us here joyfully celebrate and add our support as these two separate lives with their individual memories, desires, and hopes merge into one. We know and accept for them happiness and contentment as they join their lives and explore the depths of their love for one another. We call upon a blessing for their families and friends and the relationships which have supported, strengthened and sustained them throughout their lives.

Today and always, we acknowledge God, the Good, and know that the love that brought them here today will sustain them for the rest of their days.  AMEN          

READING

Marriage is the joining of two lives. It is the merging of two distinct personalities and two life stories. Two individuals, each of whom has a unique and life shaping past, willingly choose to set aside the solitary exploration of themselves to discover who they are in the presence of one another.

 

Margie and Bob, I have confidence in your love for and friendship with one another and I know that it will enable you to continue to grow individually and together. I support you – as I know we all do with our own deep and basic confidence.

You have chosen each other as partners in life’s journey.  Are you ready to be married?  If so, please say,  “We are”

 

The Consent

Bob, do you come here today, in the presence of these witnesses, with love in your heart and with the conscious desire to be united in marriage with Margie? Do you promise to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together and to give to Margie all the loving support she needs to become the person she is destined to be?

BOB:”I do”

 

Margie, do you come here today, in the presence of these witnesses, with love in your heart and with the conscious desire to be united in marriage with Bob? Do you promise to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together and to give to Bob all the loving support he needs to become the person he is destined to be?

Margie: “I do”

 

I invite you then to offer each other your VOWS.

Bob first, then Margie

 

VOWS

 

 

To the congregation:

Will all of you, family and special friends, do everything you can to honor, uphold and care for Bob and Margie as they walk the sacred path of marriage?

 

RESPONSE:  We will.

This commitment is truly a Sacred union – it brings with it opportunities for growth, for full self-expression, for lifting your lives to their highest potential, for healing any small idea you ever had about yourself and ultimately for true communion with God.

 

RINGS

What symbols do you bring as a reminder of the promised given and received today.

(Bob gives the rings to Toni)

 

A circle is a symbol of the Sun, and the Earth, and the universe.  It is a symbol of holiness, and of perfection and peace.  It is also the symbol of the eternality of spiritual truth, love and life…that which has no beginning and no end.  And in this moment, Bob and Margie choose for it to also be a symbol of unity, of joining, and of encirclement. These rings represent an inward belief and trust in togetherness. They express an outward sign of spirit and commitment, signifying to all who see them, the bonds of marriage the two of you share. 

Now, Bob and Margie, take these rings you wish to give one to the other.

 

Bob & Margie together– please repeat after me.

Bob/ Margie, //I offer you this ring// as a symbol of our marriage vows.// As you wear it,// know that I will love and cherish you always.

 

 

CLOSING PRAYER

At this moment as you begin your life together as husband and wife, I know each one of us gathered here gives thanks for the opportunity to bless you Margie and Bob. 

 

We know our faith-filled prayers carry great power.  So, in our mind’s eye we now see you, Margie and Bob,  as God knows you to be, — happy, peaceful, whole, free, fulfilled, prosperous and ever radiating the Love you both are.

 

This prayer is our gift to you, not just now, but as we think of you in the days, months and years to come, we will thank God in our hearts that a greater Love is assured in this world because of the commitment you have made here today. 


We are grateful in seeing this vision for you, for in seeing it, we claim it for ourselves as well.  Truly we celebrate in the Mirror of your Love. And so we say… THANK YOU  Margie and Bob..  Thank you God.   AMEN.

 

 

 

 

 

RECOGNITION of MARRIAGE

And now – I  recognize with full awareness that only a couple can administer the sacrament of marriage to each other, and only a couple can sanctify it. Neither my church, nor any power vested in me by the State, can grant me the authority to declare what only two hearts can declare, and what only two souls can make real.

       And so now, inasmuch as you, Bob, and you, Margie have announced what is already written in your hearts, and have witnessed the same in the presence of these, your family, friends, and the One Living Spirit, –we observe joyfully that you have declared yourselves to be husband and wife.

 

YOU MAY NOW KISS ONE ANOTHER

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you

The Happy Couple –    Margie & Bob