#11 Buddhist

 

Opening: We have come together to witness the spiritual and worldly union of two very special souls. Marriage is one of the most exceptional and elevating undertakings in life and I am so glad to see these two individuals have found themselves in this beautiful, lasting commitment. The Buddha taught us about Dharma and Sangha which encompasses both embracing the truth and living a righteous life and marriage is a beautiful way to embrace those teachings in this life.

Reading: Buddha said… Do not deceive, do not despise each other anywhere. Do not be angry nor bear secret resentments; for as a mother will risk her life and watches over her child, so boundless be your love to all, so tender, kind and mild. Cherish good will right and left, early and late, and without hindrance, without stint, be free of hate and envy, while standing and walking and sitting down, whatever you have in mind, the rule of life that is always best Is to be loving-kind.
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Vows: ______ and _____, please join hands.
Do you both pledge to help each other to grow your hearts and your minds while staying true to the teachings and wisdom of Buddha? Do you both aim to live a life of tranquility, patience, tolerance, and compassion?
Couple says Couple: we do!

The path of life is never static and comes with its own ups and downs. As a couple, you must weather the storms and always persevere with each other in a spirit of tolerance and patience. Do you promise to look at the many aspects of each situation and never give in to negative thinking and assumption with regards to each other?
Couple Response: We do!

Do you pledge to let your love grow and radiate to all those around you including loved ones and those that cross your path on this journey of life? Being self-absorbed and not sharing love and kindness is against the Buddhist way of life, do you promise to uphold the practice of compassion in your married life?
Couple: we do!

Every individual is but a mystery to himself or herself. We are all living beings shrouded in this mystery. Do you pledge to walk this path together, discovering each other and the meaning of life while maintaining a sense of curiosity and wonderment?
Couple: we do!

Do you promise to remember that all is transient and temporary and that you must refrain from attachment to material gains and instead hold true to each other as is the Buddha nature?
Couple: we do!

Declaration: _______________ and _______________, you have come here today and in the presence of witnesses, have declared your love for one another.

By the power vested in me and by the wishes of this beautiful couple, I now pronounce you married!

Kiss: If you wish, you may now share a kiss!

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#12 Pagan fast

 

Opening: We ask the Gods, the spirit that connects all, to be present with us today and bless the marriage of ___ and ___.

Advice: Above you are the stars, below you are the stones. As time passes, remember… Like a star should your love be constant, Like the earth should your love be firm. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience with each other, For storms will come, and they will go quickly. Be free in giving of affection and of warmth. Have no fear, and let not the ways or words of the Unenlightened give you unease. For the Old Gods are with you, now and always

Vows: Do you ___ vow to honor these blessings as an unconditional, loving partner for life? Do you vow to hold ___ hand as you start this journey? And to stay side by side as you navigate the physical world in sickness and in health, in good fortune and bad luck, in glee and despair? ___ says "I do"

Pronounce: By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you (Husband & Wife / Wife & Wife/ Husband & Husband / Partners / Married)!

Kiss: Let’s begin the adventure of marriage with a kiss.

 

#13 Pagan short

 

Opening: Today we gather to celebrate and realize the sacred bond of two radiant beings _________ and _________. They will join their forces together as one as they enter into this most intimate covenant. Through their marriage, they will find protection and sanctuary as they journey through this beautiful life.

Blessing: We call upon the divine elements - earth, water, air, and fire - to bring to this union the same harmony that they share. We know that coexistence is the key to a mutual, loving partnership. It is through these four elements we understand how one has the power to make another stronger.
Today we ask the elements to bestow their blessings on  ___ and ___:
From Air, we ask for lightheartedness, curiosity, playfulness, and peace.
From Fire, we ask for courage, passion, radiance, and warmth.
From Water, we ask for stillness, strength, creativity, and flow.
From Earth, we ask for humility, friendship, gratitude, and growth.

Vows: Do you promise to share one anther's pain and do all you can to relieve them of it? Partners say "We do".
Do you promise to help each other carry your burdens, to allow your souls to flourish in this union? Partners say "We do".
Do you promise to stay positive, to look for the silver linings in life, and to revel in each other’s joy? Partners say "We do".
Do you promise to be supportive of each other’s aspirations? Partners say "We do".
Do you promise to let the heat of anger and frustration fortify the resilience of your partnership? Partners say "We do".
Do you promise to view each other as equals and to act in accordance with this equality? Partners say "We do".

Pronounce: By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you (Husband & Wife / Wife & Wife/ Husband & Husband / Partners / Married)!

Kiss: You may now seal the vows you made, before the spirit that flows though all, the elements and man, with a kiss.

Thanks: We thank the spirits of the earth, gods and goddesses, ancestors and our guests for joining us here today. We give our love and thanks to the East, to the South, to the West, and to the North. Thank you for blessing this day and union, and we wish you farewell

 

#14 Pagan Handfasting long

*You will need a 8-9ft cord or ribbon or 6 separate ones.

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Opening: Today we gather our family and friends to celebrate and realize the sacred bond of two radiant beings _________ and _________. They will join their forces together as one as they enter into this most intimate covenant. Through their marriage, they will find protection and sanctuary as they journey through this beautiful life.

(Minister walks a circle around all those gathered while ringing a bell.)
Spirits of Air, I call to thee to join us, and ask for your guidance.
Spirits of Fire, I call to thee to join us, and ask for your protection.
Spirits of Water, I call to thee to join us, and ask for your wisdom.
Spirits of Earth, I call to thee to join us, and ask for your blessing and care.

We mark today as the moment you forever embrace not only one another but everything that has risen up out of your union. Your partnership, steadfast and humble, has nurtured love from the ground up. From this day forward, you will continue on your paths, seeking goodness and light in every direction, strengthened evermore by the goodness and light in one another.

With this partnership, bound by law and sealed with a kiss, the world calls upon you to protect one another. To cherish every moment. To find humility when it is needed. To support, uplift, and encourage the heaviest of hearts and the wildest of dreams. This marriage is your gift to bestow upon the world around you. When you leave today, you will both have the power to demonstrate the divine magic that is a lasting love.

Elemental Blessing: Thank you all for coming today to support ____ and ____ with your presence and loving energy. We ask the divine elements - earth, water, air, and fire - to bring to this union the same harmony that they share. We know that coexistence is the key to a mutual, loving partnership. It is through these four elements we understand how one has the power to make another stronger.

Today we ask the elements to share with ____ and ____ some of their most magnificent features:
From Air, we ask for lightheartedness, curiosity, playfulness, and peace.
From Fire, we ask for courage, passion, radiance, and warmth.
From Water, we ask for stillness, strength, creativity, and flow.
From Earth, we ask for humility, friendship, gratitude, and growth.

​Hand-Fasting: We cannot deny _________ and _________ their passage into marriage any longer. We ask that each of you holds in your hearts a blessing for this couple as they now say their vows. ___, ___ please grasp each-others elbows.

I now ask you both:
Do you both seek to enter into this ceremony where you will make the commitment to each other to live together as marriage partners?
Couple: We do.

You are holding hands today during this ceremony to symbolize your physical joining in a spiritual covenant. Remember that marriage itself is active engagement. You will, at some point, have to get your hands dirty working at it. With that in mind, remember that: These are the hands that will passionately love 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 racks your mind. 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 encourage you to chase your dreams. Together, everything you wish for can be realized.

Today we will use this cord to symbolize the binding or promises.
Will you be faithful partners for life?
Couple: We will.
Will you be each other’s constant friends and one true love?
Couple: We will.
And so the binding is made. (Minister wraps the cord around the clasped arms.)
Do you promise to love each-other without reservation?
Couple: We do.
Do you promise to love each-other without reservation?
Couple: We do.
Will both of you stand by one another in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want?
Couple: We do.
And so the binding is made. (Minister wraps the cord around the clasped arms.)
Will you stand together in times of joy and sorrow?
Couple: We will.
Will the two of you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?
Couple: We will.
And so the binding is made. (Minister wraps the cord around the clasped arms.)

Do you promise you will always be open and honest with each-other, for as long as you both shall live?
Couple: We do.
Will the two of you dream together to create new realities and hopes for this marriage?
Couple: We will.
And so the binding is made. (Minister wraps the cord around the clasped arms.)
Will you honor each-other above all else?
Couple: We will.
Will you both seek to cherish and strengthen that honor?
Couple: We will
And so the binding is made. (Minister wraps the cord around the clasped arms.)

​Charged with power to forge the link; magic cord your love to bind, promises pledged, vows to keep, two souls joined and fates entwined. Blessed be. (minister ties off cord)

Vows: ___ please repeat after me. I swear by peace and love to stand, heart to heart and hand to hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear me now, confirming this my Sacred Vow. ___, you are blood of my blood, bone of my bone. I give you my body, that we might be one. I give you my spirit, until our life is done.

Blessing: May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace. May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase. May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past. May your hands be forever clasped in friendship and your hearts joined forever in love. Your lives are very special, and the Gods have touched you in many ways. May their blessings rest upon you and fill all your coming days.

Pronounce: By the power vested in me and the divine forces of nature that flows though all, I now pronounce you lawfully and spiritually wed. You are joined now beyond love and into the heavens.

Kiss: You may now seal this blessed binding with a kiss!

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#15 Druid Ceremony (short)

Opening Words: We stand in the heart of the living world, where roots weave deep into ancient stone, where wind carries the breath of the wild, and where sunlight blesses all it touches. Here, amid the unspoken wisdom of the earth, you come to pledge your hearts. No temple made by hands could hold the sanctity of this moment, for nature herself is your witness, your guide, and your altar.

Honoring the Directions & Elements: To the East, where dawn breaks and new beginnings stir, we ask for clarity and vision.
To the South, home of fire’s passion and summer’s warmth, we ask for courage and joy.
To the West, where rivers meet the sea and emotions flow deep, we ask for love’s tenderness.
To the North, keeper of mountains and steadfast stone, we ask for strength and endurance.
And to the Spirit Above and Below, sky and soil, starlight and root, we ask your blessing on this union.

Declaration of Intent: Do you walk into this marriage freely, with reverence for the earth and awe for the mystery that binds life? Do you vow to grow together, like twin saplings sharing sunlight, rooted yet reaching?
(Couple replies: "We do.")

Vows: (Couple faces each other, holding hands):
I take you as my companion, my heart’s echo.
I vow to honor your spirit as the oak honors the sky,
to shelter you in storms, to celebrate you in sun.
I will be your haven, your wild river, your steady ground.
So long as breath fills our lungs and stars grace the night.

Blessing of the Elements: May air bring you whispers of wisdom when the path is unclear.
May fire ignite your passion through all seasons of life.
May water teach you the grace of flowing together.
May earth ground you in patience, resilience, and abundance.
And may the spirit of life itself, the green pulse in every leaf, remind you that love is the oldest magic.

Pronouncement (Officiant places hands lightly over the couple’s joined hands): By the ancient rhythms of this land, by the cycles of moon and sun, and by the quiet power of life that surrounds us, I declare you bound in heart, spirit, and purpose. You are now partners on the great journey. Let the wind carry your joy, and the trees hold your promises. Go forth wild and wed!

Closing Invitation: Now, an offering to the sky, the earth, and all that is sacred between you, seal your vows with a kiss.

 

# 16 Druid Ceremony (long)

We stand where earth meets sky, where roots embrace stone, and rivers sing to the stars. Here, in this wild sanctuary, ___ and ___, your love is witnessed by ancient oaks, whispering winds, and the patient soil. May the spirit of this land breathe life into your union.

Cleansing Ritual: (Light sage. Circle the couple.)
May this sacred smoke cleanse paths walked before today,
Washing solitary shadows from your spirits,
Making space for new light to grow between you.
Let only clarity for this shared journey remain.
(Chant as smoke rises:)

Wind carry, Fire bless, Spirits renew.

Love Story: ___ and ___, sacred ground is made by sacred choice. Your separate journeys converge here: like two streams becoming one river. Today, you plant seeds for a forest that will outlast seasons.

Vow Exchange: (Couple faces each other, holds hands.)
Repeat after me:
'I, ___, take you, ___, as my eternal heartmate.
I vow to root with you in trust,
To grow with you through all seasons,
To shelter you like ancient oaks,
And love you with the constancy of the stars.'
(Each partner repeats)

Ring Exchange: (Pass rings through smoke)
May these circles hold stone's endurance and river's flow: eternal and unbroken.
Both Partners:
(Placing rings repeat after)
With this ring, I anchor my vow:
Rooted in trust, growing in love, eternal as the sky.

Pronouncement: (Officiant places hands over joined hands.)
By ancient stone and living grove,
By river's memory and wind's song,
By vows sworn before earth and sky,
I proclaim your eternal bond forged!
Your union stands beyond time:
Unbreakable as bedrock,
Enduring as the stars.

Earth Ritual & Closing: (Couple pours water onto soil)
As water returns to earth, so your love nourishes all creation.
For roots that brought you here, thanks.
For ground shared today, blessing.
For seeds of tomorrow, hope.
(Hand couple shared cup)

Raise this cup to...
All that was: The first glance, the quiet yearnings, the love that chose you both.
All that is: This moment, this hand in yours, this sacred union.
All that will be: Forests yet unwalked, stars yet unnamed, and love's eternal dawn.
Look into each other’s eyes and drink
To roots deepened, to rivers still flowing, to love everlasting.
(They drink.)

Final Benediction: Go now, hand in hand under sun and moon.
When storms gather, remember the oak's deep roots.
When deserts loom, remember the river's endless flow.
You walk with earth's blessing.
Your love is the wild that endures.