A Liturgy Of Love
A Marriage Ceremony Combining A Solemn Religious Tone With Personal Warmth
Convocation
All stand.
Dearly Beloved: We are gathered here, in the presence of God and of this company, that this Happy Human and this Other Happy Human may be united in holy matrimony.
The union of two in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; it is God’s gift to deliver us from our isolation and loneliness. It is an opportunity to give each other the gifts of God and to receive the gifts of God from each other. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in the joyful spirit for which it was instituted by God.
Into this holy union Happy Human and Other Happy Human now come to be joined.
We ask God’s blessing on this commitment, both today and in the days to come.
Presentation Of The Happy Human
Who presents this Happy Human to be married to Other Happy Human?
Father (or parents) of the Happy Human: “I do” or “her mother and I do.” Or something similar.
All seated.
Charge To The Couple
Happy Human and Other Happy Human, you have made a very serious and important decision in choosing to marry each other today.
You are entering into a sacred covenant as life partners.
As in tending the flowers in a garden, the quality of your marriage will reflect the effort you put into nurturing this relationship.
You have the opportunity to go forward from this day to create a faithful, kind, and tender relationship.
It is up to you to keep the blessings flowing each and every day of your lives together.
The Declaration Of Consent
Happy Human/Other Happy Human, will you have this man/Happy Human to be your husband/wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honor and keep him/her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him/her as long as you both shall live?
I will.
Community Vow Of Support
Marriage is the promise of hope between two people who love each other, who honor each other as individuals, and who wish to unite their lives and share the future together. In this ceremony, they dedicate themselves to the happiness and well-being of each other, in a union of mutual caring and responsibility. Therefore, it is all the more important that those of you here with Happy Human and Other Happy Human may stand as witnesses to the happiness which they have found together, and to the promises they have made to each other. As they join their lives in marriage, they also bring you together in a new relationship, creating new bonds of trust and ties of affection. Will all of you by God’s grace, do everything in your power to preserve this marriage? Will all of you, who have supported these two in friendship and love, now bestow your blessing upon them? If so please show them your support by saying, "We will”
A hymn, psalm, or anthem may be placed here.
All stand.
The Liturgy
May God be with you. Let us pray.
O gracious and eternal God, shine your blessings upon these two who come to unite before us. Grant that they may be ever true and loving, living together in such a way as to never bring heartbreak into their marriage. Temper their hearts with kindness and help them to be sweethearts, helpmates, friend and guide, and together, may they boldly meet the cares and problems of life. May their home truly be a place of love and harmony where your Spirit is ever- present. Dear God, we ask that you also be with us, their witnesses, that we may all be changed by what is said and beheld here. Bless their wedding day and walk beside them, through all their life together.
We ask this in Your Name, Amen.
Reading 1
All seated.
Song Of Solomon 2:10-13; 8:6-7
My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.
Reading 2
Marriage Means Being In Love
Chris Ardis
Marriage is Love walking hand in hand together.
It's laughing with each other about silly little things,
and learning to discuss big things with care and tenderness. In Marriage love is trusting each other when you're apart, it's getting over disappointments and hurts,
knowing that these are present in all relationships.
It's the realization that there is no one else in this world that you'd rather be with than the one you're married to.
It's thinking of new things to do together, it's growing old together,
Marriage, real marriage is being in love for the rest of your life.
Between the readings, a psalm, hymn, or secular song may be sung or said. Appropriate psalms are 67, 127, and 128.
Minister’s Address (Homily)
(Officiant gives a homily on marriage, and talks about special characteristics of the couple. May include the following or another passage of his choosing.)
"Marriage Joins Two People In The Circle Of Its Love", By Edmund O’neill
Marriage is a commitment to life, to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal; a joining that is promised for a lifetime. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger; even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing love through the seasons of life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential, made in the hearts of two people who love, which takes a lifetime to fulfill.
The Marriage
Where there has been cold, you have brought warmth; where my life was dark, you have brought light. Happy Human, I promise before family and friends to be your husband/wife from this day forward. Let us make of our two lives, one life,
and let us always honor and respect each other.
Blessing Of The Rings
Do we have the Rings?
May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your unity. As day follows night and night follows day, your two lives are joined in an unbroken circle. Wherever you go, may you always return to one another and the home you have made for each other in your hearts. May these rings forever represent your promise to each other – precious, perfect, and without beginning or end.
Happy Human places the ring on Other Happy Human’s ring-finger and says:
With this ring, I marry you. And with this heart, I promise you all that I am, and all that I hope to become.
Then the celebrant joins the right hands of husband and wife.
Now that Happy Human and Other Happy Human have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife/partners in life.
Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.
People: Amen.
Unity Ceremony
Unity candle (sample text below) or other unity ceremony such as a sand ceremony or wine ceremony may be added here.
May the lighting of this candle of unity represent the oneness of this union and the eternal flame of love that burns within these two hearts
The Prayers
All stand.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray together in the words our Savior taught us, the Lord’s Prayer:
People and Celebrant:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Prayer Of The Faithful
Let us pray. After each prayer is read please respond “Amen”.
Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life and giver of all grace: Look with favor upon the world you have made and especially upon these two whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony. Amen.
Give them wisdom and devotion in the new life before them, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a counselor in confusion, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy. Amen.
Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and one another all the days of their life. Amen.
Grant that they will never forget the foundation of their love for one another, that they will take of it, nurture it, and allow it to grow strong and firm in the years to come. Amen.
Make their life together a sign of love to this world, that unity may overcome separation, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer anguish. Amen.
Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others. Amen.
Grant that all persons- whether married or committed to another- who have witnessed these vows may find their lives strengthened, their loyalties confirmed and their love renewed. Amen.
Grant that the promises that Happy Human and Other Happy Human have made before us today may inspire all of us to look upon each other with kindness and enrich our world with charity towards all. Amen.
The Blessing Of The Marriage
The people remain standing.
May you never take each other for granted but always experience the wonders of your union. May your love consist not only in gazing into each other’s eyes, but also in looking outward in the same direction. May your life together be a source of strength and inspiration to yourselves, your families and your friends. May you never forget the beginning of your love for one another, take care of it, nurture it, and allow it to grow strong and firm in the years that are to come. May you always concentrate on making each other happy and secure in your commitment to one another and always rely on your ability to keep the promises you have made to one another today throughout the thick and thin of life’s experiences. And may you always be in love. May your love be as beautiful each day you share as it is on this day of Your Wedding and may all of your wishes come true. Amen
God bless, preserve, and keep you; the Divine Spirit mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come have life everlasting. Amen.
Presentation Of The Couple
The ceremony has ended.
Other Happy Human, you may kiss your Happy Human!
Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me now in celebration as we greet for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Other Happy Human and Happy Human Lastname!
