Wedding Vows - Short Ceremony

By Rev. Anonymous

Friends, I welcome all of you as we are assembled. Minister in the presence of God to unite _______ and _______ in marriage. Marriage is to be a permanent relationship of one man and one woman freely and totally committed to each other as companions for life. Who gives this woman to be married? I do (or) We do Minister The home is built upon love, which virtue is best portrayed in the thirteenth chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends;...So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love". -- PAUSE -- Marriage is a companionship which involves mutual commitment and responsibility. You will share alike in the responsibilities and the joys of life. When companions share a sorrow the sorrow is halved, and when they share a joy the joy is doubled.. Before we go any further - knowing both of you as well as I do and based on my 28 years in law enforcement, I am going to give you your rights..... Groom, Bride....You have the right to remain silent. If you choose not to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You are entitled to attorneys and to have them present before this ceremony continues. Knowing these rights, do you both wish to proceed? Very well - please join right hands and take the following vows: Minister to Groom _____ - Groom _____, will you take Bride _____ to be your wife; will you commit yourself to her happiness and her self-fulfillment as a person, and will you promise to love, honor, trust, and serve her in sickness and in health, in adversity and prosperity, and to be true and loyal to her, so long as you both shall live? Groom _____ - I will Minister to Bride _____ - Bride _____, will you take Groom _____ to be your husband; will you commit yourself to his happiness and his self-fulfillment as a person, and do you promise to love, honor, trust, and serve him in sickness and in health, in adversity and prosperity, and to be true and loyal to him, so long as you both shall live? Bride _____ - I will Bride _____ will hand her bouquet to the maid of honor when the ceremony starts. The engagement ring will be transferred to the right hand prior to the processional. Minister will receive the ring from the groomsman and proceed. Minister - The wedding ring is a symbol of marriage in at least two ways: the purity of gold symbolizes the purity of your love for each other, and the unending circle symbolizes the unending vows which you are taking, which may be broken honorably in the sight of God only by death. In this case, there is a third way.....having seen the diamond on these rings, I must add that like diamonds, their marriage is forever!!! As a token of your vows, you will give and receive the rings. Groom _____, you will give the ring and repeat after me......Bride _____, I pledge my love and life to you and your children and believe our marriage will be full of love and humor. Bride _____, you will give the ring and repeat after me...... Minister to audience - Since they have made these commitments before God and these friends and family, by the authority of God and the laws of this state, I declare that Groom _____ and Bride _____ are husband and wife. Minister to Groom _____ and Bride _____ - Groom _____ and Bride _____ you are no longer two independent persons, but one. What therefore God has joined together, let no one separate. Minister - Will everyone please join me now in the Lord's Prayer Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. In closing, I would now like to make a few personal comments. Groom _____ and Bride _____ have entered into this marriage with open eyes. They both are aware of how hard it is to keep a relationship together in these complex times. Knowing Groom _____ and Bride _____ as well as I do, I am confident that the maturity and humor they both bring into this marriage shall sustain them through good times and bad. Let's all root for a lot of good times!!! Groom _____......I guess it's time - you may now kiss your bride. I have the pleasure to present for the first time.... Mr. and Mrs. Groom and Bride ______.  ********************    The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.   As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar.