We are gathered here today to witness the
coming together of
two people, Theodore and Julianne, whose hearts and spirits are
entwined as
one. They now desire to profess before all the world their intention
henceforth
to walk the road of life together.
Know that before you
go further, since your spirits have
crossed in this life, you have formed ties between each other. As you
seek to
enter into this state of matrimony, you should strive to make real the
ideals
which give meaning to both this ceremony and the institution of
marriage.
With full awareness, know that you are
declaring your intent
to be handfasted before your friends and family, present, absent, and
departed. The promises made today, and
the ties that are bound here will greatly strengthen your union; they
will
cross the years and lives of each soul's growth.
Do you still seek to
enter into this ceremony?
"We do."
Theodore and Julianne, I bid you look into
each other's
eyes. Will you honor and respect one another, and seek to never
break that honor?
"We will." [the first
cord is draped over the
couple's hands]
And so the first binding is made.
Will you share each other's pain and seek to
ease it?
"We will." [second cord is draped over the
hands]
And so the binding is made.
Will you share the burdens of each so that
your spirits may
grow in this union?
"We will." [third cord is draped over the
hands]
And so the binding is made.
Will you share each other's laughter, and
look for the
brightness in life and the positive in each other?
"We will." [fourth cord is draped over the
hands]
And so the binding is made.
[Cords are tied in three knots]
Theodore and
Julianne, as your hands are bound together now, so your lives and
spirits are joined in a union of love and
trust.
Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars,
your love should be a constant source of
light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow.
[at this point the
cords are removed and placed in a keepsake box]
Marriage is the
clasping of hands, the blending of hearts,
the union of two lives as one. It is a
lifelong dedication to love and a daily challenge to love one another
more
fully and more freely. Your marriage
must stand, not by the authority of the state, nor by the words of the
minister, but by the strength of your love and the power of faith in
each
other.
With this understanding, do you Theodore,
take Julianne to
be your beloved wife? Do you promise to be
a tender, faithful husband? Do you promise to
love, honor, and cherish her, in sickness
and in health, for richer for poorer, for better
for worse, from this day
forward?
Theodore: “I do”
With this
understanding, do you Julianne, take Theodore to
be your beloved husband? Do you promise to be a tender, faithful wife? Do you promise to
love, honor, and cherish him, in sickness
and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, from this
day
forward?
Julianne: “ I do”
Theodore and Julianne have chosen rings as
outward symbols
of the commitment they make today. From earliest times, the ring has
been a
symbol of wedded love. An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolizes a
commitment to love that is also never ending.
Theodore, please place the ring that you have
chosen on Julianne's
finger and repeat after me:
"Theodore, I give you this ring as a symbol
of our
vows, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. As
this ring has no end, neither shall my
love for you."
Julianne, please place the ring that you have
chosen on Theodore's
finger and repeat after me:
"Theodore, I give you this ring as a symbol
of our
vows, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. As
this ring has no end, neither shall my
love for 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.
Theodore and Julianne, having witnessed your
vows for
marriage with all who are assembled here, and by the authority vested
in me, I
now pronounce you husband and wife.
Theodore, you may kiss your bride.
