welcome to the wedding of
Partner A + Partner B
Processional
• Guests are seated
• Grandparents walk down the aisle and take their seats
• Groom’s parents walk down the aisle and take their seats
• Bride’s parents walk down the aisle and take their seats
• Officiant, groom and groomsmen enter
• Bridesmaids enter
• Bride enters and walks down the aisle
Invocation
(Officiant) "Welcome, loved ones. We are gathered here today in the sight of God and these
witnesses to join together PARTNER A and PARTNER B in holy matrimony. In the years
they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and
now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife.
Declaration of Intent
" PARTNER A and PARTNER B , you have come together this day so that the Lord may seal
and strengthen your love in the presence of this minister of His word and this community of family
and friends and so, in the presence of this gathering, I ask you to state your intentions:
Have you both come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in
marriage? If so, answer by saying 'I have'."
[Couple responds in unison with “I do” or “I have”]
Reading
(Officiant) "True marriage is more than joining the bonds of marriage of two persons; it is the union of
two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of
each new day. Marriage is love. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other,
to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share moments of quiet and peace, when the
day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and a home of warmth and
understanding.
Now, a reading from the Apostle Paul, Corinthians Chapter 13, verses 4 through 7:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but
rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Let us
pray for this man and woman as they make their marriage vows.
Father, as PARTNER A and PARTNER B pledge themselves to each other, help them and
bless them that their love may be pure, and their vows may be true. Through Jesus Christ our
Lord, Amen."
Vows
(Officiant) "Do you PARTNER A , take PARTNER B to be your lawfully wedded husband,
promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever
challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?"
(Bride) “I, PARTNER A take thee, PARTNER B to be my wedded husband, 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, till death do us part. This is my solemn vow.”
(Officiant) Do you PARTNER B , take PARTNER A to be your wife, to have and to hold from
this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"
(Groom) "I PARTNER B , accept you PARTNER A , as my companion and my wife. I promise
to care for you, honor you, and cherish you, for as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow."
Ring Exchange
(Bride)"I PARTNER A , give you PARTNER B this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and
commitment to you. With this ring, I thee wed."
[ PARTNER A places ring on PARTNER B finger]
(Groom) "I PARTNER B , give you PARTNER A this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and
commitment to you. With this ring, I thee wed."
[ PARTNER B places ring on PARTNER A finger]
Prayer
(Officiant) "May Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, always be at the center of the new lives you are
now starting to build together, that you may know the ways of true love and kindness. May the Lord
bless you both all the days of your lives and fill you with His joy. Amen."
Pronouncement
(Officiant) “By the power vested in me by the state of STATE , I now pronounce you
husband and wife! You may kiss the bride!”
Closing
(Officiant) “Thank you all for joining in this joyous occasion for PARTNER A and
PARTNER B ! They now invite you to join them for the reception. Thank you all!”
