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.

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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

Components of a Wedding Ceremony : Write Your Own Wedding Vows

Components of a Wedding Ceremony

Generally a wedding ceremony consists of several parts beginning with the Entrance of the Wedding Party usually to music then:
1. Welcome or Introduction done by the Officiant.
2. Presentation of the Bride to the Groom by either the parents or special person.
3. Reading of a Poem or Bible verse by Officiant or special person.
4. Recitation of the Wedding Vows either traditional or words written by the couple.
5. Exchange of rings and/or giving of gifts to children of the couple.
6. Any special event like  lighting candles, drinking wine, or other special ceremony addition.
7. Declaration of Marriage where the Officiant declares the couple married and closing remarks.
8. The First Kiss as a Married Couple.
9. Exit or recessional usually to music.

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Simple Basic Wedding Ceremony

 The step which you are about to take is the most important into which human beings can come. It is a union of two people founded upon mutual respect and affection. Your lives will change, your responsibilities will increase, but your joy will be multiplied if you are sincere and earnest with your pledge to one another.
 __(Groom)___________, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, for so long as you both shall live? 
_ (Bride)____________, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall live?
 Take hands and repeat after me: I, __(Groom)___________, take you, __(Bride)___________, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.
 I, ___(Bride)________, take you, _(Groom)__________, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.
 Do you have a ring for the bride?   Please place the ring on the bride's finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed. 
Is there a ring for the groom? Please place the ring on the groom's finger and say: With this ring I thee wed. 
Let these rings be given and received as a token of your affection, sincerity and fidelity to one another.
 In as much as _____________ and _____________ have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me by the State of Louisiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife. (You may now kiss .)

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Jerry Kenneth Schwehm  served as as Justice of the Peace in 1990 to 1994 in  Slidell, La. and was ordained in 1989 as a Lay Minister after serving as Elder and Deacon in his church for many years. He has a BA and JD from Louisiana State University (1972) and an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from a  local Bible Church in 1990. He has performed numerous wedding ceremonies and is available in the Greater New Orleans and South Mississippi area to perform your personalized marriage ceremony. He will go to your location or at his office in New Orleans. He may be contacted at the below e-mail.

Sample Wedding Ceremony with Poems

Here is a sample of a wedding ceremony using quotes from poems and bible:

New Civil Celebration with Poems

Welcome to this celebration.

We gathered together here with family and friends to celebrate
the love which BRIDE and GROOM have for each other, to give
recognition to their decision to become husband and wife and to travel through life together.

If any of you has anything to say that might change their minds…
the don‟t want to hear it !-- However, they do want to hear from you, your love and support as that is why you were invited here. To encourage them to begin their married life together even with its faults and travails as you know there are times of great joy.

So Bride and Groom , please focus your attention on each another, to become man and wife you must answer a question before these witnesses to affirm you want to be married by law.

Bride, "Do you take Groom to be your wedded husband, to share your
life together, living with him, in sickness and in health, in joy and in
sorrow, in hardship and in ease, to cherish and to love, from this forward?"

Groom, "Do you take Bride to be your wedded wife, to share your
life together, living with her, in sickness and in health, in joy and in
sorrow, in hardship and in ease, to cherish and to love, from this forward?"

Because it is love that brought us all here today. Before you exchange rings and vows, I‟d like to remind you what the Apostle Paul said about love:

If I speak in the tongues of men and ofangels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clangingcymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries andall knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but havenot love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrendermy body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it isnot 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 rejoiceswith the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, alwaysperseveres.

Tradition has you exchanging rings to mark you as married to one another.

Groom, as you place this ring on Brides hand, please repeat after me:

I take you -----to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this
day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness
and, in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part.

Bride as you place this ring on Grooms hand, please repeat after me:

I take you ------to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from
this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in
sickness and, in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part.
NOW- Gibran on Marriage:

“You were joined together and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter yourdays.
And you shall be together in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other‟s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and make a joyous noise unto the Lord, butlet each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with thesame music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other‟s keeping.
For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other‟s shadow.”

You may now kiss as husband and wife..