Rose and Lei Ceremonies

The Red Rose Exchange  The Bride and Groom give each other a red Rose as their first gift as husband and wife. Two roses are all that is necessary. ______ and ______ your gift to each other for your wedding today has been your wedding rings - which shall always be an outward demonstration of your vows of love and respect; and a public showing of your commitment to each other. You now have the most honorable title that may exist between a man and a woman - the title of "husband" and "wife." In the elegant language of flowers, red roses are a symbol of love; the giving of a single red rose is a clear and unmistakable way of saying the words "I love you." For this reason it is fitting that the first gift you exchange as husband and wife would be the gift of a single red rose. Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife. You both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life - one I hope you always remember - the gift of true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage. In every marriage there are times when it is difficult to find the right words, and the ones we love the most are the ones we can most easily hurt. There are times when it may be difficult to say "I'm sorry" or "I forgive you" or "I need you" or "I'm hurting." ______ and ______I would ask that wherever you may make your home, that you choose a special location. And at those times when words fail, that you leave a red rose at that spot you have both selected -- a rose that will say what matters more than all other words..."I still love you; The other should accept this rose for the words that cannot be found, and remember the love and hope that you both have shared today.   The Rose Exchange (Short Version) In the elegant language of flowers, red roses are a symbol of love, the giving of a single red rose is a clear and unmistakable way of saying the words "I love you." For this reason it is fitting that the first gift you exchange as husband and wife would be the gift of a single red rose. Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife. You both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life - one I hope you always remember - the gift of true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage. ______ and ______ I would ask that wherever you may make your home, that you choose a special location. And at those times when words fail, that you leave a red rose at that spot you have both selected -- a rose that will say what matters more than all other words..."I still love you; The other should accept this rose for the words that cannot be found, and remember the love and hope that you both have shared today.   Hawaiian Lei Exchange In Hawaii, in the memory of the islands and their wedding ceremonies, the Lei has been a traditional MAKANA - a gift exchanged between bride and groom. LEI ALOHA – Necklaces of Love – are offered and accepted open-heartedly as they give of their beauty.   The lei is a symbol of love, it is also a symbol of things fragile and temporary. A lei will last for only a day or two and then it is gone. Our lives are like the lei within the span of eternity. We are here in this life for only a brief moment, therefore live with tender consideration for each; love one another; and your marriage will last. May the leis you now offer each other be recognized for the intensity of your love for one another. The Bride and Groom are given the opportunity to speak a few simple Hawaiian phrases:   "Groom, please repeat after me, in Hawaiian": "Lei no, au ko, aloha" – "Please wear my love, like a beautiful Lei" "Please place the Lei around the neck of your beloved and give her a kiss on each cheek." "Bride, please repeat after me, in Hawaiian": "Lei no, au ko, aloha" – "Please wear my love, like a beautiful Lei" "Please place the Lei around the neck of your beloved and give him a kiss on each cheek." As your Aloha for one another, may these leis embrace your thoughts, your senses and your hearts.   White Rose Ceremony (May be used as exchange of vows) Groom (as he hands his bride a long-stemmed white rose): "_____, take this rose as a symbol of my love. It began as a tiny bud and blossomed, just as my love has grown and blossomed for you" Bride (as she places the rose into a bud vase filled with water): "I take this rose, as a symbol of your love, and I place it into water, a symbol of life. For, just as this rose cannot survive without water, I cannot survive without you."   Groom: "In remembrance of this day, I will give you a white rose each year on our anniversary, as a reaffirmation of my love and the vows spoken here today"   Bride: "And I will refill this vase with water each year, ready to receive your gift, in reaffirmation of the new life you have given me and the vows spoken here today".   Groom (as he and his bride join hands around the rose-filled vase): "And so, this rose will be a symbolic memory of my commitment to you this hour; I vow to be a faithful husband to you, to comfort you, honor you, and respect you and cherish you all the days of my life."   Bride (as they continue to hold the vase together): "And I commit myself to you, to be a faithful wife, to comfort you, honor you, respect you, and cherish you all the days of my life".   The Family Rose Ceremony (Outdoor alternative to the unity candle ceremony) It is only out of families that new families emerge. Today the roses that were placed here from both of your mothers symbolize your separate lives and your two individual families. ______ and ______, you come to this moment from these two families, and the new emerges from the old… the present from the past. I ask that each of you take one of the roses and together place them in the center vase. The center vase with the roses signify that your two lives are now joined as one, and represents the joining together of your two families as one. From now on your thoughts shall be for each other rather than for your individual selves. Your joys and sorrows shall be shared alike. Today a new family makes its beginning.   Mother's Rose Presentation Marriage is a coming together of two lives and a celebration of the love of two people. But it is more. The love that ______ and ______ feel for one another is the flowering of a seed their parents planted in their hearts years ago. As they embrace one another in their love, so do they embrace the families which have been brought together on this happy occasion. As a sign of their love for their families, ______ and ______ would like to offer these symbols of eternal love, these roses, to their mothers, ______ and ______.     ______ and ______ want you to know that your efforts were not in vain and that your love is very much appreciated, they thank you for everything you've instilled in them. These Roses are a promise that no matter how far apart you are that you are not forgotten and a reminder that you are always in their hearts and prayers.    Mothers Hawaiian Lei Presentation: Marriage is a coming together of two lives and a celebration of the ALOHA (love) of two people. But it is more. The love that ______ and ______ feel for one another is the flowering of a seed their parents planted in their hearts years ago. As they embrace one another in their love, so do they embrace the families that have been brought together on this happy occasion. As a sign of their love for their families, ______ and ______ would like to offer these symbols of eternal ALOHA, these Lei's, to their mothers, ______ and ______. Couple presents the Lei's to each mother saying, "Please wear our love like a beautiful Lei". Placing the Lei around their neck and kissing them on each cheek. LEI ALOHA – Necklaces of Love – are offered and accepted open-heartedly as they give of their beauty. _______ and ______ may these Lei's embrace your thoughts, your senses and your hearts. These Lei's are a promise that no matter how far apart you that you are not forgotten and a reminder that you are always in their hearts and prayers. ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive and affordable online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, a beginning course on  Wicca, as well as a beginning course on  Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is a free and lifetime ordination, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. We also make available many free wedding ceremonies for your use, as well as funeral ceremonies and other types of ceremonies.   The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program where you can earn the coveted title of Chaplain. 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