#R1 Christian fast (approximately 2 minutes)

​Opening: We are gathered here today under the eyes of God and to bear witness to the marriage of ___ and ___.
 

Vows: Do you ___ take ___ to be your lawfully wedded ____? Do you promise to love and sustain the bonds of marriage from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, till death do you part, according to God's holy ordinance? 

 

Rings: Just as God’s love is never ending, so is the circle of your wedding rings. So shall be your love and commitment for each other. ___ as you place the ring on ___'s finger, please repeat after me: With this ring, two become one.

Prayer: Please bow your heads in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we ask you to bless, preserve, and keep this couple. May they live faithfully together in this life, and be together with you in life everlasting. Amen.

Pronouncement: By the power vested in me by God and country, I now pronounce you ____!

Kiss: You may now seal your love with a kiss.

 

 

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#R2 Christian short (approximately 6 minutes)

Opening: We come together today to unite ___ and ___ in the bonds of holy matrimony.

Vows: As you make your vows before the Lord, seek His blessings, and promise to be true. Be blessed with many happy days ahead and ask for His guidance on days that seem blue. Honor each other as husband and wife, and walk in faith throughout the days of your life. Your journey together, entrust to the Lord above, trust in His plan with hearts full of love.

___ repeat after me, In the name of God, I, ___, take you, ___, to be my wedded ____, 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, until parted by death. That is my solemn vow.

​Prayer: Please bow your heads in prayer. Gracious God, our hearts are filled with great happiness on this wedding day of ___ and ___. They come before you, pledging their lives and their hearts to one another. Grant that they may be ever true and loving, living together in such a way as to never bring heartbreak into their marriage. Temper their hearts with kindness and help them to be sweethearts, helpmates, friend and guide, and together, may they meet the cares and problems of life more bravely. May their home truly be a place of love and harmony where your Spirit is ever present. Bless their wedding day, we pray, and walk beside them, through all their life together. Amen.

Pronouncement: By the power vested in me by God and country, I now pronounce you ____!

Kiss: You may now seal your marriage vows with a kiss.
 

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#R3 Protestant (approximately 5 minutes)

Opening: Friends, we are here to witness and celebrate the marriage of ___ and ___. Marriage is a gift from God, a holy union founded on love, trust, and mutual respect.

Charge: ___ and ___, remember to always be humble, gentle, and patient with each other. Bear with one another in love, and make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has given you.

Vows: ___, please repeat after me: I, ___, take you, ___, to be my wedded wife/husband/partner. 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, until death do us part.

Ring Exchange: The couple will now exchange rings as a symbol of their love and devotion. ___, as you place the ring, please repeat after me: I give you this ring as a sign that I choose you to be my lover, my partner, and my best friend to the end of my days.

Pronouncement: Before God and this company, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you ____!

Kiss: You may kiss!

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#R4 Presbyterian (approximately 5 minutes)

Opening: We have come together in the presence of God to witness the marriage of ___ and ___ and to surround them with our prayers. The Lord establish you in love and grant you the promise of eternal life.

Declaration of Intent: ___, do you take ___ to be your ____, and do you promise before God and these witnesses to be a faithful and true partner?

 

Charge: Marriage is a sacred covenant, a gift given by God to be a source of mutual joy and a foundation for a life of shared service. As you enter this holy union, remember the words of Ecclesiastes: A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Your shared faith, woven with God's grace, will be the strongest bond in your marriage.

Vows: Please join hands. ___, repeat after me: I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to love and sustain you in the covenant of marriage, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.

Ring Exchange: A wedding ring shows the world that your heart belongs to another. ___, as you place the ring, please repeat after me: Take this ring as a symbol of my vow to you, that I will be your faithful partner forevermore.

Prayer: Lord, bless ___ and ___. Fill their home with laughter and their hearts with patience. Guide them to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Grant them wisdom, kindness, and joy as they build their life together. Amen.

Pronouncement: By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Kiss: You may now seal your covenant with a kiss.

 

 

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#R5 Methodist (approximately 5 minutes)

Opening: Dearly beloved, we are gathered to unite ___ and ___ in Christian marriage. This is a sacred union, a reflection of Christ's love for the church, and is not to be entered into lightly but reverently and deliberately.

Declaration of Intent: ___, will you have ____ to be your lawfully wedded ____? Will you love them, comfort them, honor and keep them, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to them as long as you both shall live?

Vows: ___, please repeat after me: In the name of God, I, ___, take you, ___, to be my ____. 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, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.

Ring Exchange: By placing these rings, you promise to not just to love each other, but to honor each other. ___, as you place the ring, please repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed, now and for all of our adventures ahead.

Pronouncement: Now that ___ and ___ have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, I pronounce that they are husband and wife.

Kiss: You may seal your promises with a kiss.

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#R6 Catholic Inspired (approximately 9 minutes)

Opening: We are gathered together in the sight of God to join these two in Holy Matrimony. The bond of marriage is a sacred covenant, a lifelong commitment to love and faithfulness.
 

Opening Prayer: Let us begin our celebration of this sacrament with prayer. Lord, bless our gathering here today. Pour out your grace upon ___ and ___ as they pledge their lives to one another. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading: In the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians he says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated. Love never fails." This is the love you are called to today.

And in the Holy Gospel according to John. Jesus said to his disciples, "This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." May this selfless love be the foundation of your life together.

Declaration of Intent: ___ and ___, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?
Couple: We have.
Will you honor each other as husband and wife for the rest of your lives?
Couple: We will.

 

Charge: ___ and ___, you are about to enter into a sacred covenant. Remember that God must be the cornerstone of the home you build. As you live out your vows, may you always seek to see the face of Christ in one another, offering forgiveness, compassion, and unwavering support through all the days of your life.

Vows: Please face one another and join hands. ___, please repeat after me: I, ___, take you, ___, to be my ____. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I vow to cherish you and honor you all my days. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

Ring Exchange: _____ and _____ have chosen rings to exchange with each other as a symbol of their unending love.

___, as you place the ring, please repeat after me: This ring is my gift to you, as a sign that from this day forward, you shall be surrounded by my love.

Prayer: Let us pray. Gracious God, we ask you to bless ___ and ___. May their hearts be filled with your grace and their home with your peace. May they always be true to this sacred covenant. Amen.

Pronouncement: By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Kiss: You may now seal your vows with a kiss.

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#R7 Jewish Inspired (approximately 8 minutes)

Prayer: It’s a Hebrew tradition that to begin weddings, we say a prayer to ask God’s blessing upon _________ and _________. Let us all bow our heads.

Blessed are you, O Lord, King of the Universe, who created happiness and joy, bridegroom and bride, gladness, jubilation, dancing, and delight, love and brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Quickly, O Lord our God, may the sound of mirth and joy be heard in the streets of Judah and Jerusalem, and right here in (city), the voice of bridegroom and bride, jubilant voices of bridegrooms from their canopies and youths from the feasts of song. Blessed are you, O Lord, who makes the bridegroom rejoice with the bride. Amen

 

Intro: The tradition of marriage goes back to the beginning of creation, when God created the first man and the first woman, and he married them together on that, the sixth day, when he created them, which is why we gather here together here on a Friday - to commemorate the first marriage - anointed by God. The covenant that these two enter into is a sacred one dating back to creation itself, and it is done here under the canopy, in the presence of God and of we as witnesses to the vows they make today. Today, you two bring your own unique story into this ancient and holy tradition. You stand together in this sacred space, symbolizing the home you will build together, a home founded on faith, open to love, and blessed by community.

Vows: The vows you make today are sacred, and they are made on a foundation of faith and trust. You make them to each other, but you also make them to God to lift you up and pour blessings upon you. This is more than a promise; it is the creation of a new soul, a new entity made from the two of you, bound together in love.

____, ____, in the site of these witnesses and before Almighty God, are you ready to pledge yourselves to one another?
_________: I am.
_________: I am.
 

Ring Exchange: And now, as a symbol of this eternal bond, you will exchange rings. The ring is a circle, without beginning or end, representing a love that is infinite and everlasting.

___, as you place the ring on ___'s finger, please repeat after me: With this ring, I am consecrated to you, according to the tradition of Moses and Israel.

Reading: Now that we’ve sealed the covenant between these two... a reading of the seven blessings.
Blessed are you, O lord our God, King of the Universe who has created all things for Your glory. Blessed art You, O lord our God, King of the Universe, creator of man. Blessed art You, O lord our God, King of the Universe who made man in his image, after his likeness. O Lord, make these two young people greatly rejoice even as you rejoiced in your creation in the Garden of Eden of old. Blessed are You, O Lord, who makes this groom and bride rejoice this day. Blessed art You, O lord our God, King of the Universe, who has created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight, love, brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Soon may there be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem and of (place), the voice of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the jubilant voice of the bridegrooms from the canopies, and of youths from their feasts of song. Blessed art you, O Lord who makes the bridegroom to rejoice with the bride.

Blessing: And now, a I would like to give you the blessing of Aron... May the Lord bless you and keep you. May God’s countenance be upon you, be gracious to you, as we wish you peace, Mazel Tov! Amen

Pronouncement: I now pronounce you husband/wife/partner and husband/wife/partner.

Kiss: You may now kiss!

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#R8 Hindu Inspired (approximately 12 minutes)

(You will need 2 garlands, sindoor, and a wind proof lantern)

Opening: We gather to celebrate the union of ___ and ___, a marriage inspired by the sacred traditions of Hinduism. Today, you begin a lifelong journey together, guided by the principles of Dharma (righteousness), Artha (prosperity), Kama (love), and Moksha (liberation) Your marriage is a sacred partnership. It is not just a social contract, but a spiritual union of two souls.  At the center of our space burns a lantern, representing the sacred fire, Agni. In this tradition, Agni is the divine witness to your marriage, a purifying presence that will hear your vows and bless your union.

 

Exchange of Garlands: We begin with a joyful symbol of acceptance. ___ and ___, please exchange these garlands. As you place them around each other's necks, you symbolically welcome one another into your lives with respect, honor, and an open heart.

Declaration of Intent: ___, do you choose ___, freely and joyfully, to be your partner in life?
 

Vows: Before you take the seven steps, please face one another and make your vows. Please repeat after me:
I, ____, take you, ____, to be my partner for life.
I promise to walk beside you in righteousness and love.
I vow to honor you as an individual and cherish you as my own soul.
From this day forward, my journey is your journey.

The Seven Steps: The heart of a Hindu wedding is the seven sacred steps taken together. Each step represents a sacred vow and a blessing for your future. You will now take these seven steps around this lantern, this sacred fire, and in its presence, your marriage will be solemnized.

(As officiant reads, you will take a small, slow step together.)
Let this be your first step together. May you provide for and nourish each other.
Let this be your second step. May you find strength and health in one another.
Let this be your third step. May you grow in prosperity and spiritual wealth.
Let this be your fourth step. May you find everlasting happiness and harmony.
Let this be your fifth step. May you be blessed with a loving family.
Let this be your sixth step. May you enjoy all seasons of life together.
Let this be your final step. May you be lifelong friends and perfect partners.

Ring Exchange: You now exchange rings, a universal symbol of the eternal bond you have just sealed with your seven steps.

___, as you place the ring, please say to ___: With this ring, I join my life to yours.
 

Applying Sindoor: ___ and ___, you will now take part in the ritual of applying Sindoor. This vibrant vermilion powder is an ancient and sacred symbol of marital commitment. ___, as you place a small amount of Sindoor in ___'s hair parting, you honor them as your lifelong partner, a visible sign of the powerful bond you have created here today.

Pronouncement: In the presence of this sacred fire and these witnesses, having taken the seven sacred steps and exchanged your vows, you have entered into the holy covenant of marriage. It is with great joy that I pronounce you married!

Final Blessing: May your lives be long and filled with shared purpose. May your home be a place of joy, and may your love for each other continue to grow with each passing season.

Kiss: To celebrate this beautiful union, you may share your first kiss as a married couple!

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