Phone: 516-241-1626 info@simpleweddings.com
• Welcome. A wedding is such a wonderful occasion, filled with hopes,
dreams, and excitement. We are here today to celebrate the love that
Bride & Groom have for each other, and to recognize and witness
their decision to journey forward in their lives as marriage partners.
If you ask most couples who have a strong and abiding love what
they like most about their partners, usually they will say that they
don't have to pretend to be anything other than what they are. They
are able to express themselves without fear of being judged or rejected.
There is room to be unique individuals.
They are free to surrender to the possibility of profound intimacy-
to be known and loved without condition.
• Whenever we attend a wedding celebration, we are given the
opportunity to reexamine our own lives. We might look at the
radiance of the couple before us and be tempted to compare their
obvious joy to the quality of our own primary relationships. The
truth is that each one of us is a powerful creator in the dance of
love and marriage. Each one of us, each moment of every day, has
the choice to rededicate ourselves to one another or to withhold our
love and caring. Love is powerful. It is simple. Yet it is very complex.
In order for love to flow between two people, four things must be happening at once.
Each person gives their love to the other and each is the receiver of the other's love.
Love requires us to be vulnerable to each other so that our love may flow back and forth
through these four doors. There are so many ways that we can choose to be in relationship to each other.
It is only through love that our spirits are lifted into a oneness that transcends all the dualities we
experience in our lives. Loving is the only experiencen that enables us to see that our separation is only a
condition of the physical and material level of being-
that our souls can soar and merge as one. It is love that gives the deepest meaning to our lives.
It is our highest calling, our greatest purpose, and our finest achievement.
• One of the great joys of the wedding day is the joining together of the
Couple's families and friends.
Bride & Groom are filled with gratitude to each and every one of you for the loving, caring, friendship, and
support that you have given them throughout their lives. Being able to share their wedding day with you,
surrounded by your love and support, is a treasured blessing. Knowing that your best wishes go forward
with Bride & Groom strengthens them as they embark upon their journey as husband and wife.
REMEMBRANCES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• Bride & Groom have asked that we take a moment to honor the
memory of those loved ones who could only be here today in spirit.
• There are many special people who are unable to be here with us
today for one reason or another. So let us call them forward in our hearts. We would especially like to remember _____________
and ____________, who were unable to make the trip.
MARRIAGE ADDRESS
• Marriage is the essence of human relationships. It challenges us to
be of one accord without abandoning the truth of our individuality.
It challenges us to recognize ourselves in one another, and to admire
and respect each other while walking side by side heading in the same direction- sometimes so close together that there will be only one set of footprints. As with all relationships, marriage is an endless presentation of choices about how we want to be with one another. Each choice presents an opportunity for more unity. Choose into that unit, Bride & Groom , every chance you get.
• Bride & Groom , your marriage will, no doubt, be filled with
surprises. Some you will welcome, while others will test the strength and flexibility of your bond. Your life together will present many opportunities to refine and deepen your love and to explore the profound depths of your being. May you be compassionate with each other, and this union with tender loving care. May your love create a safe haven for you both on the journey that lays ahead of you. Lead with your hearts and take the time to do the simple things that will nurture your love. Deeply listen to each other- to your dreams and to your frustrations.
Be helpmates. Be playful in finding ways to give your love anew to each other every day. Let your love be an inspiration to others to reach for what is good within us all. May your love be so abundant that you have plenty to share with the rest of us as well. It is your love that has brought us together here today.
May it grow deeper and sweeter with each passing year.
• Marriage is a magnificent opportunity to share one's life with
another and to enjoy the adventures inherent in this most intimate of
human relationships. Today, we gather here to rejoice with and for
Bride & Groom as they embark on this voyage of discovery. Bride & Groom from this day forward, this date, _______, will always have special meaning for you as the day you vowed to love and to cherish each other in all ways, always. Each year when you come upon your anniversary I encourage you to rededicate yourselves to the vows you make here today. Take stock of where you are in your marriage and how you are doing as marriage partners. Express your gratitude to each other for the ways that you have effectively loved and supported one another, and forgive yourselves and each other for any judgements that have come between you. Show each other that you can be trusted and counted on as a comfort when facing difficult times, and celebrate abundantly the successes and joys life brings your way. Let your love lead the way and be more important than anything else. Then, your lives together will be filled with blessings and joy.
UNITY CANDLE CEREMONY
• Bride & Groom , together as you light this candle
of unity, you symbolize the flame of your own individual selves joining to ignite the partnership of marriage. You also bring the warmth, strength and wisdom of your family's fire as kindling for your own. As Bride & Groom , your flames are separate, yet they feed the same fire. From this day onward, may you bask in the beauty of the light of your love, may its light shine bright and steady upon your path together and may its heat keep you warm through all the days of your lives and beyond.
• This candle you are about to light is a candle of marriage. Its fire
is magical because it represents the light of two people in love. This candle before you is a candle of commitment because it takes two people working together to keep it aflame. This candle is also a candle of unity because both must come together, a spark of themselves, to create the new light.
As you light this candle today, may the brightness of the flame shine throughout your lives. May it give you courage and reassurance in darkness, warmth and safety in the cold, and strength and joy in your bodies, minds, and spirits. May your union be forever blessed.
• Every human being possesses a special light that burns within
them. When two spirits, destined to be together, find each other,
their streams of light flow together, and a single, brighter light goes forth from their union. Bride & Groom by committing to one another today, you kindle the light within each other, and promise to do your best to always see that light within one another, to nurture and tend that flame in your partner as best as you can, especially in difficult times, when this may be hardest to do. Bride , take this candle as a symbol of your spirit, and Groom ,
take this candle as a symbol of your spirit. Now joining your individual flames together, light the center candle which symbolizes the spirit of your union and the new and greater flame of your marriage. As you do so, silently vow to tend the spirit of this union, and never forget that just as this union is made stronger by your strength as individuals, so are you as individuals made stronger by the strength of this union.
WINE CEREMONY
• Life is a series of contradictions. It is said that all things end
And yet all things continue. All things change and yet all things remain the same. Wine has been called the symbol of life. It's like the blood flowing within our bodies. By sharing this glass, the two become one, the parts become whole, two paths intertwined, each separate, yet united in love.
• This wineglass is to remind you of your love. Delicate, yet
Strong filled with love, yet with room for more. It symbolizes two people coming together to share one life, one love. Use this loving cup for miracles. Fill it with forgiveness, understanding and appreciation. Drink deeply and often. Whenever you do, remember this: Love is real. Once created, it cannot be destroyed. It is eternal.
• This glass of wine symbolizes the sum of your life experiences.
It contains within it the sweet flavors of love, joy, wonder and contentment. This same cup, at times, holds the bitter taste of sadness, pain, and despair. When you drink deeply of this cup of life, you invite the full spectrum of experiences into your life.
As you drink from this cup, you accept the commitment to draw from your marriage all that you need to wash away the bitter flavors of life and to savor the sweet flavors you may encounter on your journey together.
SAND CEREMONY
• Bride & Groom , you have just sealed your
relationship by the giving and receiving of rings and the exchange of a kiss, and this covenant is a relationship pledge between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another throughout their lives. The most beautiful example of this partnership is the marriage relationship. You have committed here today to share the rest of your lives with each other. Today, this relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand one, representing you, Bride and all that you were, all that you are and all that you will ever be, and the other representing you, Groom , and that you are, and all that you will ever be. As these two containers of sand are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be.
• Bride & Groom , today you join your separate lives
together. The two separate bottles of sand symbolize your separate lives, separate families and separate sets of friends. They represent all that you are and all that you'll ever be as an individual. They also represent your lives before today. As these two containers of sand are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be.
HANDS CEREMONY
• Bride & Groom please face each other. Hold each other's hands so you may see the gift that they are to you.
These are the hands of your best friend, strong and vibrant with love, that are holding you on your wedding day. These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams. These are the hands that will work long hours for you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief wrack your mind. These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into eyes that are filled completely with overwhelming love and desire for you.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. These are the hands that will give you support and encouragement as you chase down your dreams. As a team everything you wish for can be realized.
• Bride & Groom , please face each
and hold each other's hands. God, bless these hands that you
see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching for your perfection. May Bride & Groom see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter and guide. We ask this in your name, Amen.
VOWS
• I Bride take thee, Groom to be my wedded husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. I Groom take thee, Bride to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.
• I, Bride , choose you Groom in the presence of
Our friends and families, to be my wife/husband and partner
From this time forward, to love you, to be a comfort and safe haven you your life, to hold you close, to listen deeply when you speak, to nourish you with my strength, to weigh the effects of the words I speak and the things I do, to never take you for granted, and to always give thanks for your presence in my life.
• Please turn to your bride and repeat after me:
Bride , I take you to be my wife:
To love you with all my heart, to share with you all my soul,
To grow with you through all my days, as long as we both shall live.
Groom , I take you to be my husband:
To love you with all my heart, to share with you all my soul, to grow with you through all my days, as long as we both shall live.
• Please turn to your bride and repeat after me. From this day
Onward, I choose you Bride to be my wife. To live together and laugh together, to work by your side and dream in your arms, to fill your heart and feed your soul, to always seek out the best in you, to play with you whenever I can, as we grow old, always loving you with all my heart, until the end of our forever.
From this day onward, I choose you Groom to be my husband. To live together and laugh together, to work by your side and dream in your arms, to fill your heart and feed your soul, to always seek out the best in you, to play with you whenever I can, as we grow old, always loving you with all my heart, until the end of our forever.
RING CEREMONY
• Though we have heard the vows, which have been shared by
Bride & Groom , words, once spoken, are
carried away on the wind. Therefore, the wedding ring is a visible symbol of the promises that have been made. As you place the ring on (her) finger, please repeat after me: With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours. It is a symbol of my eternal love, my everlasting friendship, and the promise of all my tomorrows.
As you place the ring on (his) finger, please repeat after me:
With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours. It is a symbol of my eternal love, my everlasting friendship, and the promise of all my tomorrows.
May these wedding rings be a reminder to Bride & Groom of the commitment they have made today and be a testimony to all the world of their devotion in marriage.
• These rings represent the vows and promises you've
Willingly exchanged. They reflect the commitment those words inspire and all your hopes and dreams for the future. As you place the ring on (her) finger, please repeat after me:
With this ring, I marry you, with my loving heart. With my willing body and with my eternal soul.
As you place the ring on (his) finger, please repeat after me:
With this ring, I marry you, with my loving heart. With my willing body and with my eternal soul.
May the vows and promises you have made today be as ever present in your hearts as these rings are on your fingers.
• Bride , this ring is a symbol of the strength and beauty of our
Love. May it belong to your hand as my heart belongs to you, separate yet close, simple yet miraculous.
Groom , this ring is a symbol of the strength and beauty of our love. May it belong to your hand as my heart belongs to you, separate yet close, simple yet miraculous.
PRONOUNCEMENT
• Now that Bride & Groom have joined themselves to each
Other by solemn vows, and by the giving and receiving of rings, I do now, by virtue of the authority vested in me, pronounce that they are husband and wife.
• Now, because you have chosen one another and pledged to
Love each other for all the days of your lives, before God
And before this loving community of family and friends, it gives me great joy to pronounce you husband and wife.
• In my presence and in the presence of your family and
Friends, you have exchanged vows and made promises. You have opened your hearts to one another, declared your love and friendship, and have united yourself with the exchanging of rings. Therefore, by the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.
BENEDICTION
• Remember that your love is the basis for this marriage,
Desire nothing else, fear nothing else and allow your love to blossom into what love was meant to be. Allow for spaces in your time together, giving each other room to grow. Love one another, allow that love to be a source of strength, which feed your soul. None of us knows what the future will bring, the important thing is to live today to the fullest and face tomorrow with the certainty that you can accept and handle what it brings.
• May you endlessly delight one another. May you love and
Fulfill each other always. Go in peace. Live in joy. Thanks be to God.
• Bride & Groom may the road rise to meet you. May the
Wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields, and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.