CIVIL CEREMONY #8
INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE
Who will give _(Bride)_ to be married to _(Groom)_ ? / Father responds: I do. / Her Mother and I do.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ stand before you today to exchange their marriage vows. None among you has shown any just cause why they may not be married, nor have they, themselves, declared any impediment. If there are any present who know of any reason why these may not be lawfully joined in marriage, let him now declare it or else forever hold his peace.
_(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ are honoured to have you as their guests and are pleased that you have come to share these happy and sacred moments with them.
REMARKS TO THE COUPLE
_(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ , the moment to which you have looked forward has now come. As a company of family and friends, we have at your parents’ invitation, assembled in this place to witness the public exchange of your vows of commitment to each other.
DECLARATION
_(Bride)_ and _(Groom)_ stand before you today to exchange their marriage vows. None among you has shown any just cause why they may not be married, nor have they themselves declared any impediment. If anyone here present, can show just cause why you may not lawfully be married, I charge you now to declare it. For the marriage covenant must be made in a spirit of honesty and openness.
TO GUESTS
“It is often said that it is love that makes the world go round. However, without doubt, it is friendship which keeps our spinning existence on an even keel. True friendship provides so many of the essentials for a happy life—it is the foundation on which to build an enduring relationship, it is the mortar which bonds us together in harmony, and it is the calm, warm protection we sometimes need when the world outside seems cold and chaotic. True friendship holds a mirror to our foibles and failings, without destroying our sense of worthiness. True friendship nurtures our hopes, supports us in our disappointments, and encourages us to grow to our best potential. (Bride) and (Groom) came together as friends. Today, they pledge to each other not only their love, but also the strength, warmth and, most importantly, the fun of true friendship.” Friendship”, by Judy Bielicki
COUNSEL TO COUPLE
In that you have stated your willingness to receive each other as partners for marriage, will you now hear counsel concerning marriage and love?
This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience;
it looks for a way of being constructive.
It is not possessive;
it is neither anxious to impress
nor does it cherish inflated ideas of itself and its own importance.
Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage.
It is not touchy.
It does not compile statistics of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people.
On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.
Love knows no limit to its endurance,
no end to its trust,
no fading of its hope;
it can outlast anything.
It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.
(I Corinthians 13:4-8)
GUIDANCE
_(Groom)_ and _(Bride)_ , your marriage joins you for life in a relationship so intimate that it profoundly affects your whole being. It offers you the promise of a love that is true and mature. Such a love requires that you commit your lives to one another freely and without reserve, for the sake of a deeper and wider life together. You will be seeking to become one in mind and heart and body.
In a few moments you will seek publicly to acknowledge your purpose to be joined in marriage and you will declare your mutual commitment to each other and these goals. I, therefore, challenge you to think often and seriously of the loving intentions you possess this day. May they ever be clear to you, a vision, a hope, a driving force in your lives together. May they keep you from the lust of earthly power, the longing for personal success or the unreasonable desire for possessions that can so thoroughly destroy your union. May you intend always to be open, honest, loving, and communicative with one another in all facets of your life together. And may love prevail in all of your relationships.
_(Bride)_ , would you please give your bouquet to your maid of honor; face each other and join your hands?
VOWS
_(Groom)_ , will you please repeat after me your vows to _(Bride)_ ?
Knowing in my heart
that you will be
my constant friend,
my faithful partner in life,
and my one true love.
I promise to love you
without reservation,
honour and respect you,
provide for your needs
as best I can,
protect you from harm,
comfort you in times of distress,
grow with you
in mind and spirit,
always be open
and honest with you,
and cherish you
for as long as we both shall live…
_(Bride)_ , will you please repeat after me your vows to _(Groom)_ ?
Knowing in my heart
that you will be
my constant friend,
my faithful partner in life,
and my one true love.
I promise to love you
without reservation,
honour and respect you,
provide for your needs
as best I can,
protect you from harm,
comfort you in times of distress,
grow with you
in mind and spirit,
always be open
and honest with you,
and cherish you
for as long as we both shall live…
RINGS
May I have the ring(s) please?
_(Groom)_ , as you place your ring on _(Bride)_ ‘s ring finger, will you please repeat after me your commitment to _(Bride)_ .
As a sign and pledge of my love, faith and loyalty,
I give you this ring.
May it constantly remind you
of the love that I have for you,
and of the solemn vows we exchanged today.
_(Bride)_ , your response please…
I receive your ring, (Groom) ,
and declare my intention
to wear it for the rest of my days.
DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
For as much as you, (Groom) and you, _(Bride)_ have exchanged marriage vows in the presence of these witnesses, and have sealed those vows by the exchange of rings, now, therefore, by the powers vested in me by the Province of Ontario, I declare you to be husband and wife.
You may KISS your bride.
BLESSING
As you walk down life’s path together, may the love that you treasure bind you together in a faithfulness that is lasting, and may your relationship continue to deepen and sweeten through the years.
SIGNING OF THE REGISTER
PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM
It is my privilege and pleasure to present to you the newly married couple, Mr. and Mrs. ———- .
RECESSIONAL
Return to Civil Ceremonies page
Copyright protected under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 Canada License.