Rick and Cindy, May 27th 2007, Derry, NH
PROCESSIONAL
THE GIVING IN MARRIAGE
Reverend: Do you, Brian , entrust the care and love of your daughter Cynthia , to this man, Richard ?
Father: I do.
Reverend: With your blessing we proceed. Please be seated.
HONORING THOSE NOT PRESENT
Reverend: At this time Cindy and Richard would like to honor the memory of some family members who have passes on, and ask all present to pray for Richard’s Father, William , Cindy’s Grandfather William O, and Cindy’s recently departed Great Uncle, William R. Although not physically present, we hope they have joined us here in spirit. Please take a moment of silence to honor their memory.
[Pause]
I now invite Jennifer D to come forward with a reading.
READING
Reverend: Marriage can only be entered into when both individuals are free in spirit. In the presence of God, and all who are present, I ask you to state your intentions. Richard and Cindy, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in the holy state of matrimony?
Rick & Cindy: We have
Reverend: These vows you are about to make to one another are only as strong as their meaning to you. The endurance of your marriage will not depend on the words you say, but how you express their meaning with everyday actions for the rest of your lives. Please turn to one another and join your hands and hearts.
Richard: I Richard, take you Cindy
To be my beloved wife
To give you, from this day forward, the gift of my tender love
To honor you with my mind and spirit
To create with you a living example of the beauty of a relationship between a man and a woman
To stand at your side
In good times and bad
When love is a gift
And when it is an effort;
I promise always to love and cherish you.
To hold you always in highest regard, and die with this love that I have for you untarnished in my heart.
Cindy:
I Cindy, take you Richard
To be my beloved husband
To give you, from this day forward, the gift of my tender love
To honor you with my mind and spirit
To create with you a living example of the beauty of a relationship between a man and a woman
To stand at your side
In good times and bad
And when it is an effort;
To hold you always in highest regard, and to die with this love that I have for you untarnished in my heart.
CANDLE CEREMONY
Reverend: Every human being posses a special light that burns within them.
When two spirits, destined to be together, find each other, their streams of light flow together, and a single brighter light goes forth from their union.
Cindy and Richard, by committing to one another today, you kindle the light within each other, and promise to do your best to always see that light within one another, to nurture and tend that flame in your partner as best you can, especially in difficult times, when this may be hardest to do.
Cindy, take this candle as a symbol of your spirit, and Richard, take this candle as a symbol of your spirit.
(reverend lights candles)
join your individual flames together, light the center candle that symbolizes the spirit of your union and the new and greater flame of your marriage. As you do so, silently vow to tend the spirit of this union and never forget that just as this union is made stronger by your strength as individuals, so are you as individuals made stronger by the strength of this union.
THE BLESSING OF THE RINGS
Reverend:
Your wedding rings are most special because they say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bonded, to allow the presence of another human being to enhance who you are. Your rings carry the potent double message: We are individuals and yet we belong; we are not alone. They reflect not only who you are but also the union you are making, the fact that through the rest of your lives each of you will be imprinted by the other, while holding on to that individuality which attracted you to one another in the beginning.
Reverend: Do we have the rings?
Reverend: Let us pray
Bless, O Lord, the giving of these rings,
That they who wear them
May abide in thy peace
And continue in thy favor;
Amen.
Reverend: Richard, please turn to Cindy and place the ring on her hand, saying "with this ring, I thee wed."
Richard: With this ring, I thee wed.
Reverend: Cindy, please turn to Richard and place the ring on his hand, saying "with this ring, I thee wed."
Cindy: With this ring, I thee wed.
PRONOUNCEMENT
Reverend: Richard and Cindy,
In the presence of God, with the support of your family and friends,
By the vows you have made to one another, and the strength of your covenant,
And by the power vested in me by the State of New Hampshire,
It is my pleasure to pronounce you “Mr. and Mrs. Richard .”
You may now kiss as husband and wife for the first time. Congratulations.
Blessing [given while kissing]
Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.
Although you are two bodies,
There is only one life before you.
Go now to enter into the days of your togetherness.
May your days be good and long upon the earth.
Amen.