OPENING WORDS
Life has many beginnings. But never can we say, “We ended there and will begin here.” Beginnings … have a way of weaving themselves into one another. When Mollie and Justin first met, there was a beginning. On their first date, there was a beginning, and when they fell in love there was yet another, wonderful beginning. For Mollie and Justin to make this commitment today is to continue a journey together. No other human ties are more tender, no vows more sacred, than the ones they will now take. Yes, they will love one another in sickness and in health, for better or for worse — but at the same time, their love will give them the strength to seek out their own individual destinies.
We come to celebrate something that already exists — the love of two people for one another — and something that is about to become into being — a true and mutual marriage.
WELCOME
Today we thank the state of Pennsylvania for providing such a picturesque backdrop for this blessed ceremony. With one exception among us, none of us lives here. You have all traveled from afar — from Wisconsin and Minnesota, Arizona and California, from Florida, New York and Ohio, Virginia — to show your unwavering love and mutual respect for Mollie and Justin Their wedding day is a blooming of the highest order; a work of beauty whose roots are deeply embedded in the love they have received from each of you here. They have asked you to be with them because you have helped them through the difficult times, and celebrated with them their joys. Your presence is a loving testament of your support of the marriage they are about to create. And so I invite you to participate fully with your thoughts and prayers, asking God to bless Mollie and Justin in their married life.
WORDS TO THE BRIDE AND GROOM
Mollie and Jason, you are both individuals with talents and gifts. The expression of these talents and gifts is a demonstration of your love for God and for one another. The longer you live together and the more you develop as individuals, the more you will have to contribute to each other and to your world. Your wedding expands your circle of love to include all of those who have already loved you, and then it makes room for all those who are yet to become a part of your life. In marriage, two people turn to one another in search of greater fulfillment than either could achieve alone. Marriage is a step into the future, a going forth. It is risking what we are, for the sake of what we yet can be. We must give ourselves in love, but we must not give ourselves away.
Spiritually, you are forever joined, whether or not you are in on another’s physical presence. Physical separation sometimes promotes individual growth, and the growth of each of you as individuals creates a stronger, truer love and relationship. Offer what is of most value to each other — your joy, your dreams, your tenderness, and your reaching out. Even your disappointments, when faced together, can be a path to greater understanding.
Even your disappointments, when faced together, can be a path to greater understanding. Real love is not total absorption in one another. Rather, it is the union of two souls manifesting as one hope, one desire, one aspiration. Real love is looking outward in the same direction.
A WEDDING IN THE WOODS
In this place where we are gathered today, we are surrounded by Nature’s beauty. To this setting, you bring the most beautiful thing you have found. Here you declare and pledge it, promising to nurture and give the best care you are able. Remember the variety of this garden, for the beauty of your marriage will not be in its sameness, but in its diversity. Remember that this garden has been nourished with the same patience and trust that you have shown one another.
Remember these words of poet Ray Croft: I love you for knowing the foolish and frivolous parts of me, yet for laying hold of the possibilities for good in me that no one else had looked quite deep enough to find. You have found such comfort in one another that, in the words of writer Rex Cole, you have neither to weigh thoughts or measure words; you have only to pour them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them/ keep what is worth keeping/ and with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.
OFFERING OF SUPPORT BY THE FAMILY
To members of Mollie’s family and members of Justin’s family: You are a key part of this sacred celebration and commitment. Mollie and Jason are beautiful, unique and unrepeatable expressions of God. Your guidance, your support and your love have helped them become the special people they are today.
Knowing that this marriage widens the circle of life, I ask: Do you, the parents and family of Mollie, open your hearts and minds in love to Justin as he now makes the sacred commitment and vow of marriage to Mollie? If so, please respond by saying “We do.”
Answer: We do
And do you, the parents and family of Justin, open your hearts and minds in love to Mollie as she now makes the sacred commitment and vow of marriage to Jason? If so, please respond by saying “We do.”
Answer: We do
OFFERING OF SUPPORT BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Family and friends, as your hearts open even more for Justin and Mollie; do all of you vow to honestly support them in their journey together. If so, please respond by saying, “We do.”
Answer: We do
INTENTON
Mollie and Justin, you have invited us here to witness the happiness that you have found with each other. Are you now prepared to enter into this covenant of love?
Answer: We are.
PRAYER
Let us pray: Dear Lord, we accept Your Divine Blessing upon this service and upon this marriage. May Mollie and Justin always be aware of Your endless blessings of peace, freedom and abundance in their lives. May their hearts, their minds, and all that concerns them be filled with an awareness of Your Love. And may Your presence of Light and Life be their everlasting strength. Amen.
HANDS CEREMONY
As an alternative to the candlelight ceremony — and a deliberate attempt to avoid testing the fates, given that we are in the middle of the woods ~ Mollie and Justin have chosen to incorporate a “hands ceremony” as part of their vows. In the “hands ceremony’, the bride and groom view the hands of one another as gift. Mollie. … (Mollie takes Justin’s hands, palms side up.)
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours as you promise to love each other forever. These are the hands that will work together with you as you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will help you to transform your fear and grief into strength … and joy. These are the hands that, even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness, with just a touch.
J. … (Justin takes Mollie’s hands palms side up.)
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours as you promise to love each other forever. These are the hands that will work together with you as you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will help you to transform your fear and grief into strength … and joy. These are the hands that, even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness, with just a touch.
Blessing after: Family members and friends, please join me in the blessing listed in your program: “Our prayer for you today is that both of you will use these hands to build a marriage where ail your dreams come true.”
Vows
To J.: Do you take Mollie to be your lawiul wedded wife, to love her and cherish her; honor, nurture and sustain her, through times of darkness as well as light, henceforth and forever more? Do you promise that times of trouble will not deter you, or tempt you to forsake this love? Do you commit before God to honor this vow unto all your days?
J.: I do.
To M.: Do you take Justin to be your lawiul wedded husband, to love him and cherish him; honor, nurture and sustain him, through times of darkness as well as light, henceforth and forever more? Do you promise that times of trouble will not deter you, or tempt you to forsake this love? Do you commit before God to honor this vow unto all your days?
M.: I do.
THE RING CEREMONY: BLESSING OF RINGS
The circle is the symbol of the sun, the earth and the universe. It is a symbol of holiness and peace. These rings are circles symbolizing the unity of your two lives, which are now joined in one “unbroken circle.” Wherever you go, you will always return to one another.
A family circle brought you two into being and helped to develop and sustain you. A circle of friends brought you two together. Now you are creating your own circle of family — not separate from your previous ties but rather a link in a continuous network of support and love.
You are using circles today (your rings) to express your commitment. These
rings are symbols of eternity, without beginning or end.
PRAYER OVER RINGS
M., please repeat after me: I offer you this ring / with great love and a deep sense of commitment to you. / Do you accept this ring / as a symbol of my love and commitment / and in so doing / do you accept me as your wife?
J.: I do.
M.: With this ring / I give you my heart / I have no greater gift to give. Justin, please repeat after me: I offer you this ring / with great love and a deep sense of commitment to you. / Do you accept this ring / as a symbol of my love and commitment / and in so doing / do you accept me as your husband?
M.: I do.
J.: With this ring / I give you my heart. / I have no greater gift to give.
MARRIAGE PRAYER:
Family members and friends, to show our unconditional love and steadfast support for Mollie and Justin in their life together, please turn to your program and join in the Marriage Prayer:
We will support you with our love and prayers throughout your life together, and will continually rejoice with you, just as we do this day.
THE WEDDING BLESSING:
Mollie, Justin: May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience and understanding. May you always be there spiritually for one another — not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you know your fuliness. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another.
May you not dwell upon each other’s faults, but, rather, rise together on wings of acceptance, and recognize the divinity within one another.
May you always be there to listen, to comfort, to be sensitive to one another’s needs, and to share total honesty and trust.
BLESSING OF MARRIAGE IN PRAYER: (CONGREGATION)
Friends and family, please join me in blessing this marriage in prayer by reading the words in your program:
Precious spirit, witness to and sealer of every true marriage, we acknowledge your abundant blessings for this couple. We know you are with them in all things. May they always be open and receptive to your guidance. Amen.
May God keep you in love with one another, and may the peace of the Christ abide in you and all who share your lives.
PRONOUNCEMENT:
Life has many beginnings. Your wedding day marks the beginning of married life and is also a glorious continuation of a loving journey that began many months ago. I believe in the power of your agreement this day, the look of love in your eyes and the seriousness with which you make this commitment. And so, by the authority vested in me by the State of Pennsylvania, it is my honor and my privilege to pronounce you husband and wife. (To Justin): You may kiss the bride.
Friends, family members, let us now celebrate the marriage of Justin and Mollie.