Non Denominational Spiritual/Religious Wedding Ceremony

Non Denominational Spiritual/Religious Wedding Ceremony

We have come together in the presence of God, family, friends in line with all creatures big and small, to join you, ------, and you, --------, in holy matrimony. This is a special time of celebration that the two of you will long remember, and because of this, we are grateful to share your special day.

We are here because of love and we have a definition of love in Cor 13:4-8,

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails....

(Alternate)  We  are here because of love and  the religious scholar Thomas Kempis once wrote in The Inner Life,:

LOVE IS A MIGHTY POWER  ―

Love is a mighty power, a great and complete good; Love alone lightens every burden, and makes the rough places smooth. It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable. The love of Jesus is noble, and inspires us to great deeds; it moves us always to desire perfection. Love aspires to high things, and is held back by nothing base. Love longs to be free, a stranger to every worldly desire, lest its inner vision become dimmed, and lest worldly self-interest hinder it or ill-fortune cast it down. Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing wider, nothing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God, and can rest only in God above all created things.

Love flies, runs, leaps for joy; it is free and unrestrained. Love gives all for all, resting in One who is highest above all things, from whom every good flows and proceeds. Love does not regard the gifts, but turns to the Giver of all good gifts. Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil, attempts things beyond its strength; love  sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. Love therefore does great things; it is strange and effective; while he who lacks love faints and fails.”

In each of you, God has planted an idea of how you would like to be treated in a loving marriage. This idea is a seed of desire that requires each of you to give to the other in constant and consistent positive behavior that reflects your desired results. Only then can these seeds, manifest in reality, and deliver abundantly. If these solemn vows which you are about to make are kept faithfully, your marriage will surely prosper in all the goodness you both desire.

Please face each other and join hands.

Bride, do you take this man, Groom, to be your lawfully wedded husband, and do you promise to love, honor and respect him, and comfort him, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him for so long as you both shall live?

(Bride's Name): I do.

Groom, do you take this woman,    , to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you promise to love, honor, respect her, and comfort her, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her for so long as you both shall live?

(Groom's Name): I do.

Your wedding rings  which have no end and made of a strong metal are symbolic of your commitment to each other and your endless love for each other.

Bride , please place your ring on Groom ’s third finger of his left hand and repeat these words:

I (Bride's Name),

give to you, (Groom's Name)

this ring as a symbol

of my commitment

to love, honor, and respect you

with all that I am   always.

Groom, please place your ring on Brides’s third finger of her left hand and repeat these words:

I (Groom's Name),

give to you, (Bride's Name)

this ring as a symbol

of my commitment

to love, honor, and respect you

with all that I am

always.

I pray with you now that our All-Loving Creator blesses your union as a loving sanctuary and that It guides you with Its perfect plan on your journey ahead so that you may fulfill your purposes on this Earth and thereafter.

I now with divine blessings and the authority vested in me by the State of Louisiana, Orleans Parish, joyfully pronounce you Husband and Wife.

You may kiss your Bride

Grooms Men and the Windsor Knot

 While at some weddings I often get ask how to tie a Windsor Knot so I have resorted to keeping this instructive picture handy. Follow it and you get a nice man's knot for the wedding party or groom.

Civil Wedding Program: What do you say in a marriage ceremony.

 As a wedding officiant I am often asked about what type or style wedding ceremony I do. As a non-denominational minister and former Justice of  the Peace I do a ceremony keyed to what the couple desires. A simple civil ceremony or more elaborate one full of favorite poems that have meaning to the couple. To assist I have a wedding ceremony guide with ideas and links to more information to make a wedding ceremony meaningful. Those ceremonies can be found on my web page at: http://www.figstreet.com/guesthouse/simpleweddingceremony.html This guide has the elements of a ceremony and you can cut and paste parts together.

 I do not limited myself to the suggested vows, couples can write their on personal vows to say to one another at their civil ceremony. And if necessary I have with me the traditional vows for them to repeat to one another. A sample spiritual ceremony is below.

--------------------------------------------------------------

OPENING STATEMENT:

Dear Friends,

We are gathered here with expectation and love for these two special

people, to join them together in marriage; which is an estate rooted in

the far dawn of human history, yet forever new with each couple who

so pledge themselves freely to one another.

This celebration is the outward sign of an inward union of hearts. It is a

union created by loving purpose, kept by abiding will, and broken only

by the death of love in two people’s hearts. In this event, we are

gathered here to acknowledge the true marriage which already dwells

within them.

CHARGE TO COUPLE: (couple faces one another)

You have come together this day to accept one another in faith and in

love, and to accept the changes that time will bring to each of you and

your lives together. The person that you have chosen to share your life

must be respected, loved, and believed in as an individual, while

maintaining the inner communion of two loving spirits. Preserve and

strengthen the openness that enables you to share your thoughts,

feelings, and experiences; be sensitive to each others needs so that

you may attain mutual intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual

fulfillment within yourselves and your marriage.

BETROTHAL:

Groom, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to live

together in the shared estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort

her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy,

according to this bond of trust?

Groom answers: I will

Bride, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live

together in the shared estate of matrimony? Will you love him,

comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow

and in joy, according to this bond of trust?

Bride answers: I will

READING BEFORE THE VOWS:

What greater joy is there for two human souls than to feel that they are

joined together to strengthen each other in all labor, to minister to

each other in all sorrow, to share with each other all gladness, to be

one with each other in the silent, unspeakable memories? (George

Eliot)

EXCHANGE OF VOWS:

Groom and Bride will now exchange personal vows which they have

written for one another.

*Groom’s personal vows to be given

*Bride’s personal vows to be given

EXCHANGE OF RINGS:

(The best man presents rings)

The circle of this ring speaks love freely given; it has no beginning and

it has no end.

The circle of this ring declares the unity and oneness of your two lives,

which shall contain your devotion beyond every journey, that you may

always return to your togetherness.

(The groom places the ring on the bride’s finger, saying:

With this ring I give my love, and pledge my faithful trust.

(The bride places the ring on the groom’s finger saying:

With this ring I give my love, and pledge my faithful trust.

Blessing:

Bless these two as they go their way. Defend them in

all assaults of their enemies, that they may hold steadfast to the love

between them.Bless their house, that it may be a sanctuary of peace, a source of

radiance going out to others, a refuge from strife and confusion, a

place of hospitality and honor all who grace its door.

May the power of life abundant ever and always touch their lives,

flowing from one to the other, bringing comfort in any hour of trial, and

bringing glory to themselves and to the world as they pursue their

journey together.

Even as they have chosen each other from the world’s multitudes, may

the days and the years, now veiled by the moment, deepen the

wisdom of that choice and enlarge the storehouse of its treasures, that

they may abide in joy and peace.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Groom and Bride, having chosen each other in love and in freedom,

having declared their purpose before this gathering, and having made

their pledges to one another, I now declare them husband and wife.

Let all others honor them and the threshold of their house. May their

moments here begin untold years of unexpected joy.

Minister says: "Many Pieces, Many Years, and Many Blessings

Together...for the happy couple. Congratulations – you may now kiss

Fig Street Wedding New Orleans: Jerry Schwehm Officiant

 Excerpt of web page , www.figstreet.com/weddings. Weddings in New Orleans at local parks under $300 for officiant services. Details on the web page, Jerry Schwehm Officiant.

 Save money and elope to a beautiful park in New Orleans, LA with help planning on this web page with links to useful information.

www.figstreet.com/weddings
JK Schwehm Officiant

 ELOPE: Save time and money with a simple elopement plan in a park by a local officiant. Then rent a room in a beautiful restaurant for a wonderful meal. A simple elopement runs $295 in a lovely spot in a park. E-mail Fig Street Weddings for details. Many pictures on the web page link above to previous weddings.