Stacie & Randy- Favorite Ceremonies

Such fun! These two brought a lot of excitement to the ceremony (and afterwards as Randy slung Stacie over his shoulder and sprinted down the aisle- really!).

This has one of my favorite handfasting adaptations-  promises personally written by the couple incorporated with the tying of the hands. 

The Wedding of  Stacie Kobylanski & Randy Long

August 24th, 2013

Welcoming Words

Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.

-Albert Einstein

Stacie and Randy want to thank you for sharing with them on this special and joyous day. Those of you who have had the pleasure of spending some time with them, have seen for yourselves that they possess a very rare and exceptional love. We are here today to celebrate their love and participate in this most wonderful occasion.  

Presentation of Stacie

Who, with love and support, presents this woman to be married to this man?

Opening Prayer

Eternal God, source of infinite love, bless us with a sense of your indwelling presence as we worship here. Keep us sensitive to the wonder of things which fill our days and give meaning to life. Deepen in us the level of our loving, both for those near and dear to us, and for those who, though strangers, need our concern. Especially do we pray your divine blessing on these two who come here in this high moment of their lives. Hear them as they take their promises to each other, that they shall pledge their vows with deepest sincerity knowing full well the meaning of the words they say. And do grant to us all, we pray, a heightened sense of the joy of life because we share this moment with them. In your loving spirit. Amen.

Officiant’s Address

Omitted here.

Declaration of Intent

Stacie and Randy, today I ask you to make a promise:
That whatever happens, you shall never walk alone;
That your hearts will be shelter to each other and your arms will be your
home;
That you’ll stand side by side and sleep in each other’s arms:
That Randy, you’ll watch over Stacie and keep her from harm;
That Stacie, you’ll be the joy in Randy’s heart and the food for his soul;
May you feel deeply loved  for indeed you are; through your brightest days and your darkest nights.

And so I ask, will you now take each other into your hearts and pledge your love in this moment and forever?

Personal Vows and Handfasting

In Europe, until the mid 1700’s, few unions were sanctified in a church or a synagogue.

Rather they were celebrated by a ceremony in which the couple joined hands over the village anvil, out in the fields or in a grove of trees.

The hands were then bound together with ribbon or rope.

This is where the terms ‘giving one’s hand in marriage’ and ‘tying the knot’ come from and not at all where the phrases “noose” or “bound in chains for all eternity” come from.

Today Stacie and Randy will build on this ancient tradition. They have each written vows that they would like to share with the other.

We begin with the traditional words of the ancient poet, Peter of Cook, who once said:

Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togethew today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam. And wove, twue wove, wiww fowwow you fowevah and evah… So tweasuwe youw wove...

The Handfasting

Stacie, do you promise Randy that you will laugh with him and at yourselves in times of joy, and comfort him and cry with him in times of sorrow?  

Randy, do you promise Stacie to keep your life full of wonder and adventure even if its just sitting on the couch and watching a new movie or climbing the highest mountain that you can't find just to say “I love you”?

Tie

Randy do you  promise to always strive to make all of your dreams come true and lend Stacie strength in her pursuit to do the same?

Stacie, do you promise to forever be Randy’s best friend and love him unconditionally?

Tie

Randy, do you promise to cherish Stacie and her opinion even when you do not agree with it?

Stacie, do you promise that you will try really hard to remember to put the toilet seat lid down and to wash out your cereal bowl...and that any children you have will be raised to prefer pop over soda?

Tie

Stacie, do you promise to always walk beside Randy through your future together; never before him nor behind?

Randy do you promise to always stand by Stacie’s  side for all of eternity and always keep her close... until the zombie apocalypse, at which point all bets are off?

Tie

As your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust.

The knots of this binding are not formed by these cords, but rather by the vows you have made.

For always you hold in your own hands the fate of this union, and perhaps you can teach the zombies to put down the toilet seat lid.

Tie

May these hands be blessed that we see before us this day.

May they always be held by one another.

May they have the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment.

 May they remain tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love.

May these hands continue building a relationship founded in love, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching for perfection.

May Stacie and Randy see each other’s hands as healer, protector, shelter and guide.

Cords are removed

Rings

May I have the rings please?

From the earliest times, the circle has been a symbol of completeness, a symbol of committed love. An unbroken and never ending circle symbolizes a commitment of love that is also never ending. As often as either of you looks at this symbol, I hope that you will be reminded of the commitment to love each other, which you have made today.

Randy/Stacie, take this ring and place it on Stacie’s/Randy’s, finger and repeat after me.

 

Will each of you repeat after me:

Randy: I, Randy / Stacie, give to you Stacie / Randy, this ring, as a symbol of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you.

Stacie: I, Stacie / Randy, give to you Randy / Stacie, this ring, as a symbol of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you.

Let these rings serve not as locks binding you together, but as keys, unlocking the secrets of your hearts for each other to know, and thus bringing you closer together forever.

Final Blessing or Conclusion

Stacie and Randy,  if there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, may it be the love that brought you here today, not only the love of each other, but also the love of your families and friends.

It is only love which can make your marriage a glorious union, and by love which your marriage shall endure.

Today your separate lives with your individual memories, desires, and hopes have merged into one. You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in the entire world whom you love above all others. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strength, your weaknesses, triumphs, trials and  responsibilities.

May you be a blessing and comfort to each other, sharers of each other’s dreams, consolers of each other’s sorrows, helpers to each other in all of life's challenges. May you encourage each other in whatever you set out to achieve. May you trust each other, trust life and be unafraid. May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you patience, tolerance, and understanding. And many, many years from now may you be able to look at each other and say “ With you I have lived the life I have always wanted to live. With you I have become the person I have always longed to be.”

Declaration of Marriage

Stacie and Randy, remember the promises you have made to each other today, carry them close in your heart, but most all live them, each and every day.  I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.

Friends and family, may I now introduce Mr. and Mrs. Randy and Stacie Long!

Linnea & Jerry- Favorite Ceremonies

So many great memories came out of Linnea & Jerry's wedding ceremony! The walled-garden at Mellon Park with it's glorious fountain, the a capella group singing in delicious harmonies, the fantastic coordination of Soiree by Souleret, but first and foremost was Linnea and Jerry themselves. 

They're a quirky pair, those two. They wanted things mostly non-traditional, but with some traditional leanings. They were realists at heart, but true romantics in spirit. They wanted to express themselves and their love to their families and friends, yet still have the day focus on their love for each other. They wanted an experience for all involved, not just a ceremony and a party. And they love games of all types. And so, that's what we did. They wrote some amazing things on their questionnaires (you'll see quotes from them throughout the ceremony that I used as I saw fit in the moment), but they were also doing personal vows. I never like stepping on a couple's toes, so I invented a little trivia game instead of a personal minister's address. It was perfect for them, and really got the crowd warmed up for their personal vows!

Also, this ceremony features an awesome take on the Rock Ceremony (aka Stone Ceremony, Pebble Tradition). It was a great moment of interaction between the couple and their guests.

The Wedding of Linnea Warren & Jerry May

June 22nd, 2013

Note: Silent presentation

Welcoming Words

Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, whatever you believe and whomever you love, Jerry and Linnea want to welcome you to this celebration of their love for one another. Each of you has given something special to their lives. Your love and encouragement will forever be appreciated. Thank you coming from distances near and far to share in one of life's happiest moments with them. May you be as important a part of their tomorrow as you are of their today.

All seated

In Memoriam

At this time, we would also like to honor those who could not be with us today. Our thoughts are especially with those who have passed and those who could not make it today. Although they are not here with us physically, we feel blessed they are with us in spirit on this beautiful day.

Community Vow

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 Linnea and Jerry 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”

Charge to the Couple

Linnea and Jerry, 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.
We wish for you the wisdom, compassion, and constancy to create a peaceful sanctuary in which you can both grow in love.

Reading

Sonnet XVII, Pablo Neruda

Reader: Meredith Stewart, friend of Jerry and Linnea

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Officiant’s Address

The best gift we can give other people is our whole selves in truth. By doing so we give them a true and accurate mirror that allows them to see themselves. We also give ourselves the best opportunity to grow. As Danny Kaye once said, “Before we can give ourselves to the world, we must first accept ourselves.” Or as my dad used to say “A man who can give himself a hug every day truly has the arms of an orangutan”

Of course, you give each other precious gifts everyday- your friendship, humor, vulnerability, sensitivity, and kindness.

Anyone who knows the two of you can see for themselves how much you love and like each other and how well you know each other.

But I’d like to find out how well you actually do know each other.

I know your mutual love of games so I’ve devised a little trivia game for you. Each of you has written some wonderful things about the other, so I am going to preface each question with something wonderful that you wrote.

Keep in mind, you are not playing against each other, you are playing for each other. If you get the majority of these questions correct I will permit you to smooch each other at the end of the ceremony. Less than that, and you will have to smooch me. Jerry, you have a lot to lose.

To Linnea, She has a sense of humor that is simultaneously unique and perfectly tuned to my own; I never met someone with more wit- it's what got me hooked in the first place!

What is Jerry’s favorite color?

To Jerry, I think he is adorable and is the type of guy I always pictured myself with--tall, blue eyes, sweet smile... He is confident in his personality, but at the same time slightly self-deprecating and humble. It’s no wonder he is loved by everyone he has ever met.

In what year was the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution ratified and what does it make illegal?

Linnea, She makes me feel that nothing can go wrong when I am with her. Not only the sense of being organized and well-planned, but in the sense of making every circumstance happier by her presence.

What is Jerry’s shoe size?

Jerry,  Everyone always teases Jerry that he is pretty much already a dad, his jokes are so cheesy. While we’re still a FEW (many few) years away from that, I can picture our family so clearly--it is full of fun and love and laughter and part of me can’t WAIT. (But the other parts of me definitely can! :)

What is the full name of the State of Rhode Island?

Linnea, Jerry says that Every time he looks at you, thinks about you, tells a story about you, he can't imagine how he could be so lucky to spend his life with a woman of your beauty and unmatched character.

If you could spend the rest of your life with just one person, who would it be?

Jerry, is my best friend and has been the most amazing partner through all of the things we’ve been through over the past 6 years: College, graduation, moving to North Carolina, grad school, new jobs, new friends, planning a wedding, transitions. I cannot think of a more understanding, compassionate, and adventurous partner for anything that comes our way.

More than Michelle Branch and other girly pop-rock artists, who is the one person you love above all others?

“We don't want anyone else, and I know I can't wait to show the world: Look who I have! I win!”

Declaration of Intent

Linnea and Jerry, today I ask you to make a promise:
That whatever happens, you shall never walk alone;
That your hearts will be shelter to each other and your arms will be your
home;
That you’ll stand side by side and sleep in each other’s arms:
That Jerry, you’ll watch over Linnea and keep her from harm;
That Linnea, you’ll be the joy in Jerry’s heart and the food for his soul;
May you feel deeply loved for indeed you are; through your brightest days and your darkest
nights.
And so I ask, will you take each other into your hearts and pledge your love for this moment and forever?

Reading

May Our Friendship Last Forever, Nicholas Gordon

Reader: Tom Hutchinson, friend of Jerry and Linnea

May our friendship last forever;
May I sail upon your sea.
May we go through Life together,
May there always be a "we."
May I be your endless sky;
May you breathe my gentle air.
May you never wonder why
each time you look for me I'm there.
May we be for each a smile
like the warm, life--giving sun;
Yet when we're in pain awhile,
May our suffering be one.
May we share our special days,
the happiness of one for two;
And if we must go our separate ways
let my Love remain with you

Personal Vows

Jerry Reads his vows.

"Linnea, hearing the words spoken by your beloved Jerry, do you take this man to be your husband?"

I do.

Linnea reads her vows.

"Jerry, hearing the words spoken by your beloved Linnea do you take this woman to be your wife?"

I do.

Ring Vows

Rev. Mark will ask for the rings.

Your rings are circles and a circle is the symbol of the sun, the earth, the universe, of wholeness, perfection, peace and unity. Like circles, your rings have no beginning and no end and in the sacred tradition of marriage rings have come to symbolize eternal love and the endless union of body, of mind, and spirit.
These rings will be worn by Linnea and Jerry to show to the world their love and commitment to one another. May the presence of these rings always remind you of the eternal love you have pledged and devotion you willingly share with one another from this moment on.
Let each of us in his own way, may it be prayer, may it be by a thought, whatever you and I would wish for this couple, let's pray or have our own thoughts as a blessing upon these rings. Let us pause at this time for these silent blessings. (Pause)

These rings, now blessed are a symbol of love and faithfulness. They seal the vows of marriage and represent a promise of forever love.

Jerry:

With this ring, I thee wed. And with this heart, I promise you
all that I am, and all that I hope to become.

Linnea:

With this ring, I thee wed. And with this heart, I promise you
all that I am, and all that I hope to become.

Unity Ceremony

(Each guest has been told to bring a stone with them.]

Before you met, your lives were on different paths with different destinations. But love has brought you together and joined these separate paths into one. Each one of your friends and family here today has brought with them a stone that represents their unique individuality and their presence at your wedding today. You also each brought a stone of your own that symbolizes your previous separate lives, separate sets of friends, separate families and the different life's journeys you once traveled.I will now ask that everyone please take out the stone you have brought and pause to make a wish or blessing for happiness and good will for the couple for the future of their marriage.

[Everyone pauses to make their wish.]Music begins, nice and low

Now, we will collect the stones. Please come to the front and place your stone in the vase. Jerry and Linnea will then add their individual stones to the container as well.

(Guests are asked to come forward row by row to greet the couple and place their stones in the vase)
[The couple adds their stones to the container.]

With the combining of these stones, you have now symbolically joined your once separate lives. As the stones have been combined with love into one container, so now are your friends and family joined, through you, into one. And your once solitary life's paths are also now one. All that was once separate is now shared, and in this sharing you both will find new strength and joy as together you forge a new life's path and destination.

Music ends

Declaration of Marriage

It was Linnea and Jerry’s hope that all of you would leave here today knowing how
much they love you; that you would have learned more about their love for each other
and that you would realize that you are not here merely to bear witness to their
marriage, but to celebrate it with them.
Marriage creates from two committed spirits one beautiful tree of life. Its roots are the
trust and devotion that underlie each action, thought and motive. Its branches are
experiences shared, hopes realized, and dreams pursued. And its blossoms are the
kisses, gentle words, and tender sighs that decorate each day and beautify the union of
two loving hearts.
Linnea and Jerry, may your love grow like a beautiful tree, sending roots deep and
branches high, with new beauty every season of your life together.
May you find constant reward and challenge as you pursue the ongoing adventure of
learning who you are and where you want to go.
May you always have a special sense of your mission in life together, and may you never
tire of the endless possibilities of exploring your shared existence.
And long, long years from now, may you look at one another and be able to say, “With
you, I have lived the life I always wanted to live – with you, I have become the person I
always longed to be.”

Apache Benediction

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.
Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
Amen.

And now it is my great pleasure to pronounce that Jerry and Linnea are husband and
wife.

Kiss

“The night Jerry and I first kissed, it was a surprise party for his 22nd birthday. I had left his apartment and was walking up to my dorm room when I got a call from him “Wait there!”. I was not in a part of North Oakland that one should really wait in near midnight, but it sounded important. I shifted from foot to foot in the cold until Jerry finally sprint-lumbered up the hill to meet me. He told me that I “left something at the party” and then kissed me for the first time. The line was as cheesy as they come and we were both freezing at night in late November. But it was just so sweet, I can’t help but get a little misty thinking about it.”
Celebrant (to Linnea and Jerry): You may kiss each other

Katie & Kory- Favorite Ceremonies

Can you get that "full ceremony" feel in a shorter ceremony? Absolutely! 

Katie & Kory were thoroughly invloved in preparing the materials for their wedding ceremony. We collaborated in getting the wording right so that their personal message of gratitude for their friends, family and an appreciation of all of life's moments big and small came through loud and clear.  

They had two readings, each by an aunt (close aunts are always great for readings), and a mid-ceremony song sung by Katie's sister.
Their ceremony also featured one of my favorite things- a presentation of the couple to each other by both sets of parents. 

Oh, and check out their vows! This was a long-form style that they wrote together and read in turn. 

All-in-all a lovely, yet shorter, ceremony packed full with meaning and emotion. 

The Wedding of Katherine Jaus & Kory David

July 13th 2013

Opening Remarks (everyone remains standing)

Friends, we have been invited here today to share with Katie and Kory a very important moment in their lives. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife. This beautiful couple didn't get here all by themselves. They have been loved and cared for by you, their families, depending on you for sustenance, knowledge, guidance, and love. Without you, this day would not be possible.

Presentation of the Couple

Robert and Ellen, do you support your child's decision to join together in holy matrimony with Kory, and do you vow to receive him as a member of your family from this day on?

Rob and Ellen Jaus: We do

Chuck and Jenny, do you support your child's decision to join together in holy matrimony with Katie, and do you vow to receive her as a member of your family from this day on?

Chuck and Jenny David: We do

May the blessing of their marriage extend throughout your families forever.

Opening Prayer:

The following is a prayer that was written by Katie’s Grandfather, the late Dr. Fredrick B. Wilkes which he wrote for his engaged couples and shared with them during their Pre Cana sessions:

You are on the threshold of your life together. You are, or should be, filled with enthusiasm. The world must seem a glorious and wonderful place to you. If there is ever a time when you have aspirations, dreams, ideals, that time is now. You are entering that happiest of all periods in the human condition, when you take to yourself this other person…to merge with, to become one with...no longer alone, but from now on, united together by this sacrament of matrimony.

(Everyone sits down)

Community Statement:

Rev Mark: Katie and Kory would like to thank each of you for being with them today. They know that making the journey took considerable effort for a good many of you and for this they are deeply grateful. Although many of you don’t live right around the corner, you are never far from their hearts. You’ve shared in their best and their worst days, and you are an irreplaceable part of their yesterdays, their today and all of their tomorrows.

On this happy and joyous day, Katie and Kory would also like to remember those who are not here with us. Their losses are deeply felt and their spirits are missed.

The Lords Prayer

Our Father...

First Reading:

"Wedding Prayer" by Robert Louis Stevenson

I would like to invite Katie’s Aunt and Godmother, Beth Wilkes to come up and read

Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow,
for the health, the work, the food,
and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Amen

Song:

To Make You Feel My Love (Adele)

Sung by Sarah Jaus- Sister of the Bride

Address

A great, but short, speech by Rev. Mark went here. Omitted here because of personal details.

Second Reading:

I would like to invite Kory’s Aunt and Godmother, Martha Mitchell and his cousin, Shelby to come up and read an

Apache Wedding Blessing:

May the sun bring you new happiness by day;

May the moon softly restore you by night;
May the rain wash away your worries
And the breeze blow new strength into your being,
And all the days of your life
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty.

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth."

"Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship, as they threaten all relationships at one time or another, remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives -- remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight."

Declaration of Intent to Marry

The covenant of marriage is one that can be entered into only by persons who are both legally and spiritually free to offer themselves to each other. Therefore, in the presence of God and in the presence of all of the witnesses here, I will ask Katie and Kory to state their intention. Katie and Kory, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in the holy state of matrimony?

“We have.”

Before we move into the vows, I’d like to remind us all that this is a rare opportunity, perhaps the only opportunity in our lives, that each of us – family and friends – will be here together as one. Take a minute and look around. Savor this time. Like all of life’s important moments, this one will soon be a memory.

Vows (read)

Katie: I believe in you Kory, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my husband, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine.  I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family’s love and happiness my priority. I will be yours in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph.
I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring.
You are my person -- my love and my life, today and always

Kory: I believe in you Katie, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my wife, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine.  I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family’s love and happiness my priority. I will be yours in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph.
I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring.
You are my person -- my love and my life, today and always

Exchange of Wedding Rings

Do we have the rings?

Cory was contractually obligated by the Eagles to pay .000000000001% per week into the “Engagement Ring for Katie Fund

(Best Man Jody David will have the rings)

Bless, O Lord, this ring to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Katie and Kory, let these rings serve as a reminder of the feelings you have in your hearts at this very moment. There are times in life that we tend to focus on the things we have not yet accomplished, there will also be times of great loss. Yet as you look at your wedding band, remember the great gift that you have been given and all that you have in one another. Remember that you have someone to share this life with. Never again will you walk alone.

Kory, please turn to Katie and repeat after me:

(This ring is a reminder to you and the world)

(that on this day we vowed before God and these witnesses)

(our lifelong commitment to each other).

(Whenever you see it it will remind you)

(that I am now and will always be in love with you)

Katie, please turn to Kory and repeat after me:

(This ring is a reminder to you and the world)

(that on this day we vowed before God and these witnesses)

(our lifelong commitment to each other).

(Whenever you see it, it will remind you)

(that I am now and will always be in love with you)

Conclusion

Before I pronounce you married partners, I have just one more thing I want you to do. Your wedding day is one that seems to fly. It’s a day filled with emotion, friends, rings and dances. Many people remember how fleeting their own wedding day was. So I want you to take a few seconds to look into each others eyes. Think about the happiness that you’re feeling in this place, in this moment. Really let that feeling register in your heart and your mind. Now I want you to think about your life together in twenty years. Where are you? What are you doing? We all know that your visions of the future are not identical, but always complimentary. John Lennon once said, “A dream you dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together, THAT is reality”. That new reality starts now!

Announcement and Kiss

Katie and Kory, we have heard your promise to share your lives in marriage. We recognize and respect the vows you have made here this day before each one of us as a witness. In the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done here today, it is my honor and delight to declare you henceforth to be husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.

Introduced as a couple for the first time

Family and friends, please rise to your feet and join me in celebration as we greet for the very first time as husband and wife, Mr. & Mrs. Kory and Katherine David!