Civil32

Civil Ceremony #32

UNION OF TWO HEARTS

Who gives this woman to be married to this bride?

OPENING REMARKS
Friends, we are gathered here today to witness and to celebrate the coming together of two separate lives. We have come to join this man, (Groom), and this woman, (Bride), in marriage, to be with them and rejoice with them in the making of this important commitment. Marriage is an estate rooted in human history, yet, forever new with each woman and man who pledge themselves freely to one another. It is an union created by a loving purpose and kept by abiding will. In this event we are gathered here to acknowledge the marriage which dwells within them. Marriage is such a coming together – the joining of two people-the union of two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of each new day…Marriage is love. May you always be blessed in your hearts with the wonder of this special day. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share moments of quiet and peace, when the day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness.

IMPEDIMENT DECLARATION
(Bride) and (Groom), by your presence here today you express your willingness to enter into marriage with one another. If any person can show just and sufficient reason why these persons may not be joined in matrimony, let them now declare reasons, or else from this time forward, keep their peace.

TO GUESTS
For (Bride) and (Groom) this is a special moment in the development of their relationship. Through their love for one another, their lives have become richer and fuller and they are both made stronger. Having found one another and established their relationship, they have come here to sanctify it and give it special significance by celebrating it here with you in this place.

CHARGE TO THE COUPLE
(Groom) and (Bride), love is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about your own. Real love, however, is not total absorption into each other; rather, it is looking outward in the same direction together. For love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. May you trust each other, trust life and be unafraid. May you love each other and offer love and support to those around you.

DECLARATION OF INTENTION
The decision to marry, made in the context of human uncertainty, requires tremendous trust; trust in yourselves as individuals, and in the strength of your relationship, trust that you will be able, in your marriage, to deal with whatever the future may hold. And so I ask you:

(Bride), will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health, and be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?   (Bride): I will.

(Groom), will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together in marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and keep her in sickness and in health, and be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?   (Groom): I will.

(Groom) , would you please repeat after me your vows to your
bride?

EXCHANGE OF VOWS

(Bride), on this day,
I join my life with yours.
I promise to grow
in my knowledge of you,
and to allow you to grow
in your knowledge of me.
I promise to honour you
and cherish you,
to trust you
and to be worthy of your trust.
|I promise to have faith in our relationship,
to be forgiving and to seek forgiveness,
to share both my joy and my despair,
my pain and my laughter.
These things I promise
as long as we both shall live.

(Bride), would you please repeat after me your vows to your
groom ?

(Groom), on this day,
I join my life with yours.
I promise to grow
in my knowledge of you,
and to allow you to grow
in your knowledge of me.
I promise to honour you
and cherish you,
to trust you
and to be worthy of your trust.
|I promise to have faith in our relationship,
to be forgiving and to seek forgiveness,
to share both my joy and my despair,
my pain and my laughter.
These things I promise
as long as we both shall live.

May I have the rings please?

WORDS OVER THE RINGS
These rings in their unbroken wholeness are tokens of your union and of your love. They are symbols of the enduring trust and affection that you bring to one another. May they always remind you that your lives are bound together by devotion and faithfulness.

THE EXCHANGE OF RINGS
(Groom), as you place your ring on (Bride)’s / (Groom)s finger, would you please repeat after me you commitment to your bride / groom?

(Bride), I give you this ring
as a lasting reminder of my vows
and as a symbol
of my commitment to you.
Take this ring
as a sign of my love and fidelity.

(Bride), as you place your ring on (Bride)’s / (Groom)s finger, would you please repeat after me you commitment to your bride / groom?

(Groom), I give you this ring
as a lasting reminder of my vows
and as a symbol
of my commitment to you.
Take this ring
as a sign of my love and fidelity.

THE DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle.
Wherever they go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness.
May these two find in each other, the love for which all long.
May they grow in understanding and in compassion.
May the home that they establish be such a place of sanctuary that all will find there a friend.
And may these two rings symbolize the spirit of undying love in the hearts of both of YOU

(Groom) and (Bride), it is with the greatest of pleasure that, by the powers vested in  me by the province of Ontario, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

(Groom), you may now kiss your bride.

SIGNING OF DOCUMENTS

INTRODUCTION OF THE COUPLE & THE EMBRACE
I present (Groom) and (Bride), now joined together in marriage as husband and wife.

RECESSIONAL