The following
is an Irish wedding ceremony that I compiled from some ideas I saw on other web
sites.
Minister: Who presents the bride in marriage?
DAD: Her mother and I do.
Opening Words
MINISTER: When two individuals meet, so do two private
worlds. None of our private worlds is big enough for us to live a wholesome
life in. We need the wider world of joy and wonder, of purpose and venture, of
toil and tears.
What are we, any of us, but strangers wandering through the nighttime, until
we draw together and find the meaning of our lives in one another, dissolving
our fears in each other's courage, making music together, and lighting torches
to guide us through the dark? We belong together. Love is what we need. To love
and be loved. Let our hearts be open; and what we would receive from others,
let us give. For what is given still remains to bless the giver -- when the
gift is love. --A. Powell Davies
Statement of Purpose
MINISTER: Family and friends, we are gathered here to
join Michael and Jenna in marriage. It is fitting and appropriate that you,
their families and friends, be there to witness and to participate in their
wedding, for the love that they have for each other has some of its roots in
the love, friendship, and guidance you have given them. Marriage makes us aware
of the changes brought about by time, but their new relationship as husband and
wife will continue to draw much of its beauty and meaning from their
associations with all of you who join with them today.
Michael and Jenna in the specialness of this place, we come to celebrate
your wedding. Throughout all of the days of your years may you remember this
day with tenderness and joy, remember is as a day when the glory and the beauty
and your precious lives began to unfold in a most gracious way before you.
Blessings by Family
MINISTER: From time immemorial, weddings such as this one have been
public occasions where family and friends gather to express the joy and
approval that they feel for the new union.
Let me therefore ask you, the parents, this question:
Do you, John and Carol, and you, David and Gail, who have raised and nurtured
these two, give your blessings now to them as they enter into this new
relationship, and do you aspire in the days and years ahead to give them your
deepest love, understanding, and support during both good times and bad? If so,
please say, "We do."
PARENTS: We do.
Reading: I Corinthians
Though I speak with the tongues of mortals and angels and have not love,
I am but a sounding gong, a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge;
And though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, Yet have not
love,
I am nothing.
And though I share all my goods among the poor,
And though I give my body to be burnt,
But have not Love, It profits me nothing.
Love is patient; Love is kind;
Love is not envious or boastful, arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.
Love bears al things, believes all things, Hopes all things, endures all
things.
Love never ends.
Faith, hope, and love: These three abide,
And the greatest of these is Love.
Preface to the Vows
MINISTER:
The vows through which you accept each other as husband and wife have no
hidden power within themselves. Only to the extent that they express in words
your continuing intention and commitment do they have meaning. In a world where
the pressures pushing people apart might often seem stronger than those drawing
people together, your commitment to each other will need to be re-expressed in
many different ways in the coming days and years. The expression in today's
vows is simply a visible milestone in your journey together.
I invite you now to join hands as you repeat your vows. The hand offered by
each of you is an extension of self, just as is your mutual love. Cherish the
touch, for you touch not only your own, but another life. Be ever sensitive to
its pulse. Seek always to understand and respect its rhythm.
Exchange of Vows
The groom takes the bride's right hand in
his right hand and repeats the vows line by line after the minister or reads
them from the card. The bride then repeats the vows in her turn, substituting husband for wife and father for mother.
MICHAEL
I honor your God
I drink at your well
I bring an undefended heart to our meeting place
I have no cherished outcome
I will not negotiate by withholding
I am not subject to disappointment
Jenna, I take you to be my wife,
To be the mother of my children,
To be the companion of my days.
We shall bear together whatever of sorrow and adversity life may lay upon us.
We shall share together whatever of joy and fulfillment life may hold in store.
JENNA
I honor your God
I drink at your well
I bring an undefended heart to our meeting place
I have no cherished outcome
I will not negotiate by withholding
I am not subject to disappointment
Michael, I take you to be my husband,
To be the father of my children,
To be the companion of my days.
We shall bear together whatever of sorrow and adversity life may lay upon us.
We shall share together whatever of joy and fulfillment life may hold in store.
The next part should be read together by
the bride and groom after both vows have been said:
We swear by peace and love to stand
Heart to heart and hand in hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
Confirming this our Sacred Vow.
Preface to the Ring Ceremony
The best man and matron of honor now give
the rings to the minister.
MINISTER:
A circle is the symbol of the sun and the earth and the universe. It
represents wholeness and peace. In the form of a ring it is the accepted token
of marriage. Love freely given has no beginning and no end. Love freely given
has no separate giver and receiver. You are each the giver and each the
receiver. By the use of these rings you express in visible form the unbroken
circle of your love in which wherever you go you will always return to your
shared life together.
The Ring Ceremony
The one giving the ring repeats after the
minister:
I give you this ring
As a symbol of my commitment
To love, honor, and respect you.
Unity Candle Ceremony
Michael and Jenna, as you light the unity candle together, we hope for
harmony and creativity, as well as for love and laughter, in your life
together. And when there is pain, may there be a peace that passes not away. As
you share the richer experiences of life, may your hearts and minds be knit
ever more closely, while yet your bonds of sympathy strengthen your separate
personalities. Finally, we hope that at the end of your lives you will be able
to say these two things to each other: "Because you have loved me, I have
learned to love myself more fully And because I have seen good in you, I have
learned to see good in humanity."
Pronouncement
Michael and Jenna, you have told me and all of your friends and family
members who have gathered here to share this moment of joy with you, that you
deeply love one another, and wish to live together now seeking an ever-richer,
ever-deeper relationship. You have formed your own union -- in friendship, in respect
for one another, and in love -- and it is therefore my joyful task to pronounce
you Husband and Wife.
Ring the bell.
Kiss.
Prayer or Benediction
Let us pray: O Divine Love, we rejoice in the splendor of the world and
beauty of this day. We give thanks for all the binds us to one another and
helps us recognize the mystery of Your presence among us. May Michael and Jenna
know more and more wondrously the power and blessedness of life. May they trust
and not be afraid. May the home they establish together be a place of peace and
grace for them and for all who enter therein. And my their days be good and
long upon this earth. Amen.
Closing Words
Go now to walk the ways of the world together,
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
May God go with you and bless you,
May you see your children's children,
May you be poor in misfortune and rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
