I would like to credit and thank (Keep & share for sharing this first, and ) the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco for this collection of readings.

It is a beautiful place to be married, and welcomes all faith traditions.

This is a wonderful layout of a wedding for a very traditional or non-traditional couple.

 

 

-------------------Ceremony-----------------------

 

Minister to Guests: Dear friends, we gather here at this hour to witness and to celebrate the drawing together of two separate lives. We have come so that this man,____________, and this woman,___________, may be joined in marriage. Two people in love do not live in isolation from the wider embraces of humanity. To achieve love is not to be absolved of social responsibility. So it is that the institution of marriage is ordained as a public recognition of the private experience of love, and as a sanctifying of both parties to its great purposes. At the same time it represents the desire of ____________ and ___________ to share their joy in each other with you, their family and their friends.

 

Or Alternatively

1. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the presence of these witnesses, to join together this man, ____________ and this woman, ____________ in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God. It is therefore not to be entered into unadvisedly but reverently and after much consideration. Into this holy estate these two persons come now to be joined.

 

2. Dearly beloved, we gather here today, in the presence of God, to unite this man _______ and this woman _______ in holy matrimony. This is truly an occasion for joy and celebration but let us remember that marriage is not to be entered into lightly or in jest and only after much consideration.

 

3. We are honored and grateful to be present here today to witness the sacred vows of marriage between __________ and ___________, who were brought together by love’s divine appointment and we rejoice with them in this moment of mystical matrimony.

 

4. Dearly beloved, the love of this couple, ________ and ________ is profound and enduring. We gather here to witness this love and the vows they will make to each other on this, their wedding day. We join in our support of them as they offer themselves to each other. We celebrate their joy, their love and their expectations.

 

5. Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in holy matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and deliberately. Into this holy union ____________ and ____________ now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else forever hold your peace.

 

6. Dearly beloved, we are gathered together to witness the uniting of ________ and ________, who present themselves before God, seeking the sacrament of Holy Marriage.

 

7. I welcome you to this holy moment in the lives of ____ and _____ as we witness their exchange of marriage vows, the precious beginning of a lifetime commitment.

 

8. We are gathered here today to unite this man ____ and this woman ______ in the bonds of matrimony.

 

9. Dearly Beloveds and Honored Guests: We are gathered here today in the sight of God, and the company assembled to witness the exchange of marriage vows. Marriage is an institution ordained by God, and is not to be entered into lightly or in jest, and only after much consideration.

 

10. I stand before this couple today to unite them in matrimony. If there is anyone here that may present just and lawful cause why these two individuals may not be lawfully wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.

 

11. (Outdoor Setting) We are gathered here in God’s presence, amid the beauty of God’s creation, to witness the exchange of this couple’s marriage vows, a public declaration of the commitment that they have already shared with one another privately.

 

12. Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in the time of man’s innocence, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church: which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence and first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee, and is commended of Saint Paul to be honorable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.

 

13. Dearly beloved, we gather here today, in the presence of God, the creator as we are here to unite this man _______ and this woman _______ in holy matrimony. This is truly an occasion for joy and celebration but let us remember that marriage is not to be entered into lightly or in jest and only after much consideration.

 

14. We gather here in God’s presence to witness the joyous occasion of marriage of ______ and ________.

15. We are gathered here together to ratify in the outer, a union of souls that has already taken place in spirit. As _______ and ________ share their promises to each other on this day as they begin their life together in marriage.

 

16. Dearly Beloveds and Honored Guests: We are gathered here this day in the sight of God and the company assembled to witness the giving and receiving of the marriage vows. Marriage is an institution ordained of God and is not to be entered into lightly or in jest and only after much consideration. If there be anyone present who may show just and lawful cause why this couple may not be legally wed, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.

 

17. (outdoor setting) Dearly beloved: We gather here today, in the presence of God, the creator of the magnificent beauty of the nature that surrounds us now as we are here to unite this man ____ and this woman _________ in holy matrimony. This is an occasion for joy and celebration but let us not forget that marriage is not to be entered into lightly or in jest and only after much consideration.

 

18. Into this holy union __________ and __________ now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else forever hold your peace.

 

19. Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in the time of man’s innocence, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church: which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence and first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee, and is commended of Saint Paul to be honorable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.

 

Minister to Bride and Groom: Love is the most profound experience that can come to humankind. At its best it reduces our selfishness, deepens our personalities, and makes life far more meaningful. Its very nature is to want to give to another, and to feel joy in the joy of the other. Such love can call forth the best qualities in each of you.

 

Marriage is an estate that is to embody, nurture and protect all the warm and precious values that grow in human companionship and love. Marriage symbolizes the ultimate intimacy between two people. Therefore, it is not to be entered into lightly, but with certainty, with mutual respect, and with a sense of reverence which can include beauty, humor and joy. 

 

A marriage that is to last will be continually growing. Yet the closeness which it assumes should not diminish but strengthen the individuality of each partner. The poet Rilke has written that, "Marriage is not a matter of creating a quick community of spirit by tearing down and destroying all boundaries, but rather a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude . . . once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as whole and before an immense sky.

 

"Khalil Gibran echoed these sentiments in The Prophet, when he wrote:

"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.

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."

 

Thus it is out of the resonance between individuality and union, that love, whose incredible strength is equal only to its incredible fragility, is born and reborn.

 

(An alternative reading to Gibran: Brandock Lovely has written that "Love is a respect for the preciousness and worth of a person. Love gives and love receives. Love can not live in itself, it must be nurtured with a mutual and ultimate sharing, a giving and taking. Love is the noblest passion a man or a woman can feel, for it surpasses all lesser desires. Love is precious because it is an ethical commitment to another, which honors the duties of the promises here made, not only from a sense of obligation, but from the depths of the most divine sentiment we can enjoy.")

 

Today's celebration of human affection is the outward sign of a sacred and inward commitment, which religious societies may consecrate and states may legalize, but which neither can create or annul. Such union can only be created by loving purpose, be maintained by abiding will, and be renewed by human feelings and intentions. It is in this spirit that these two come now to be wed.

 

Declaration of Intention

Minister to Groom: ______________, do you take ____________as your wife, promising to tenderly care for her, to respect her individuality, to cherish her as she is, to love her with fidelity? (I do.)

Minister to Bride: _______________, do you take_____________ to be your -husband, promising to tenderly care for him, to respect his individuality, to cherish him as he is, to love him with fidelity? (I do.)

The Presentation (optional)

Who presents _______________ to be married to ______________? Who presents _______________ to be married to ______________?)

 

Congregational Support (optional)

Will each one of you here today do all that is in your power to support and encourage ______________ and ______________ in fulfilling the promises they make here today - if so, please respond by saying, "We will".

 

Introduction and Exchange of Vows

The vows through which you accept each other as husband and wife contain no hidden power within themselves. It is to the extent that they express in words your intention and commitment that they have meaning. In a world where pressures pushing people apart sometimes seem stronger than those drawing people together, your commitment to each other will need to be creatively re-expressed in the coming days and years. The expression in today's vows is an important and visible milestone in your journey together.

Groom shall repeat after the minister:I, ______________, take you, ______________, to be my wife from this time onward, to join with you and to share all that is to come, to give and to receive, to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond, and in all our life together to be loyal to you with all my being.

 

Bride shall repeat after the minister:I, _______________, take you, ______________, to be my husband from this time onward, to join with you and to share all that is to come, to give and to receive, to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond; and in all our life together to be loyal to you with all my being.

 

Exchange of Rings

Rings are an ancient symbol, blessed and simple. Round they are, like the sun, like the eye, like the arms that embrace. Circles they are, for love that is given comes back round again. ______________ and ____________, may these rings remind you that your love, like the sun, illuminates; that your love, like the eye, must see clearly; and that your love, like the arms which embrace, is a grace upon this world.

 

Bride & Groom alternately repeating: As I give you this ring, I give you my love.

 

Lighting of the Unity Candle (optional)

(The Unity Candle can be lit with or without the following introduction.)

__________________ and _______________, the two single candles now lit on the altar symbolize each of you in your individual uniqueness. The center candle -still unlit - is to symbolize your coming together to share a new life with one another. Each of you has brought to this moment a wealth of personality, of background, of experience, and of strengths and weaknesses, now you are joining in a new life together. Come now, and light a new light, using the fire each of you brings to this union. But do not extinguish the former lights, lest there be less light and warmth. May all three lights burn brightly and the warmth of your love for each other and for others be greater.

 

"For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the hardest of all our tasks," says Rilke again , "the ultimate test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation . . . Love . . . is a high inducement to the individual to ripen, to become something in themself, to become a world to themself for another's sake . . . and human love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other."

 

Wedding Prayer (optional)

O God, give your blessings now to what we have done here. Make this moment fruitful to ___________ and _____________ through an added devotion to one another, through new inner strength, and through a new sense of the sacredness of all life. We do not ask that they be kept from sorrow and trial, but that they may learn from these and be stronger because of them. We do not ask that all life be easy and profitable to them, but that they find life good and worth celebrating. May all their tasks in life, including the task of being human, be easier because they approach those tasks together. Make them each quick to forgive, quick to laugh, quick to enjoy. Let each so value the personality of the other that he may not wish to alter it into some other course. And let them, in the measure of time that is theirs together, find much joy in small things. Amen.

 

The Lord's Prayer (optional)

(Repeating together:) Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it 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. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

 

Pronouncement

Forasmuch as you ________________and you_______________have consented together in wedlock, and have pledged yourselves each to the other in the presence of God and the presence of this company, I do now pronounce you husband and wife. Let all others honor their decision and the threshold of their house.

 

or Alernatively 

1. Inasmuch as you__________, and you __________, have thus consented in holy matrimony and have witnessed the same before God and this gathering and by the authority vested in me by the State of ________, I now pronounce you husband and wife and what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. You May Kiss The Bride!

 

2. Therefore because ________ and ________ have pledged their love and faith to each other, sealed their vows in the giving and receiving of rings and have expressed their complete and pure dedication to one another before God and our gathering then it is by the authority vested in me by the State of _____________, I now pronounce you husband and wife. -- You may kiss the Bride!

 

3. Now that _________ and ____________ have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife.

 

4. By the authority vested in me by the State of _________ I now pronounce you husband and wife.

 

5. By the authority vested in my by the State of ____________ I now pronounce you man (or husband) and wife and what God hath joined together, let no man or woman put asunder.

 

6. Inasmuch as you, __________ , and you ________ , have thus consented in holy matrimony and have witnessed the same before God, then it is by the authority vested in me by the honorable State of ________ I now pronounce you husband and wife. Therefore what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.

 

7. In conformity with your mutual declaration and pledges, and by the authority vested in me, and in the name of the Holy Spirit, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You May kiss the Bride.

 

8. Those whom God hath joined together, let no one put asunder. For as much as __________ and __________ have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining of hands; I pronounce that they be husband and wife together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. You may seal your vows with a kiss!

 

9. For as much as _____ and___ have promised to be faithful and true to each other, and have witnessed the same, before God and this gathering, by spoken vows and by giving and receiving rings in pledge, they enter now into a new estate. As a minister of Jesus Christ, I pronounce them husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no one put asunder. You May kiss the Bride.

 

10. For as much as______ and_______ have made this solemn covenant of marriage before God and this company, I declare them to be husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. You May kiss the Bride.

 

11.  _______ and _______ , having witnessed your vows of marriage with all who are assembled here, and by the authority vested in me, I announce with great joy that you are now husband and wife. You may seal your vows with a kiss!

 

12. Since, then, you have pledged your mutual vows, I, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the state and the church, declare you to be husband and wife, according to the ordinance of God and the law of the state. You may kiss the bride!

 

Benediction (optional)

May all blessings attend you, May joy pervade your lives together, and May your home be forever a place of peace and true fulfillment.