Here's the one I usually use, anyone's welcome to use it!
Dear Friends,
We are gathered here at this hour to witness and celebrate the drawing
together of two
separate lives.
We have come so that this man, _____, and this woman, ______, may be joined
in
marriage. It is not to be entered into lightly, but with certainty, mutual
respect, and with
a sense of reverence, which does not preclude beauty, humor, or joy.
As we know, no clergyman, no public official can marry you. Only you can
wed
one
another, by a mutual committment to love each other, to work toward
creating
an
atmosphere of care, consideration, and respect by a willingness to weather
the storms
that underlie human life as well as its boundless joy.
The wedding vow is much more than a contract, a mere piece of paper. It is
a
covenant,
a sacred personal vow. Matrimony symbolizes the ultimate intimacy between a
man and
a woman. This closeness not diminishing, but enhancing the individuality of
each partner.
Marriage is a union of two lives in one love, and we can derive no moral
from love, except
to love more deeply. We can expect nothing from love except that love
gives.
We cannot
choose what chances and changes may befall us, but we can shape the spirit
with which we
shall meet them.
In marriage, ______ and ______ have begun a new book of life, and they have
invited us
all here to witness the opening chapter of that book.
You stand before us today as two mature and thoughtful people who wish to
express their
emotions within the framework of a meaningful life. For your self-reliance,
courage, and
love, you deserve respect, and it is these attributes which make this a
serious, but not
solemn occasion.
I would like at this time to speak of some of the things which many of us
wish for you:
First, we wish for you, a love that makes you both better people, and that
continues to
give you joy and a zest for living.We wish for you, a home, not a place of
mere stone or
wood, but an island of sanity and serenity in a frenzied world. We hope
that
this home is
not just a place of private joy and retreat, but rather a temple wherein
the
values of your
life are generated and upheld.
We hope that your home stands as a symbol of humans living together in love
and peace.
We hope that your home encompasses the beauty of nature. That it has within
it the
elements of simplicity, exuberance, beauty, silence, color, and a
concordance with the
rhythms of life. We wish for you a home with books, poetry and music; a
home
with all
the things which represent the highest strivings of men and women. Finally,
we wish that
at the end of your lives, you will be able to say these two things to each
other:
"Because you have loved me, you have given me faith in myself, and because
I
have seen
the good in you, I have received from you a faith in humanity."
Today's celebration of human affection is therefore an outward sign of a
sacred and inward
committment which religious societies may consecrate and states may
legalize, but which
neither can create nor annul. Such a union can only be created by loving
purpose,
be maintained by abiding will, and be renewed by human feelings and
intentions. In this
spirit, these two persons stand before us.
______, do you promise ______ that you will be her husband, and do you
pledge to her
your respect and your love? ______, do you promise ______ that you will be
his wife,
and do you pledge to him your respect and your love?
**Now by the form of solemnization of marriage, by the state of California,
but most of
all by your own love, you may call yourselves by those two old and
respected
names,
husband and wife. Kiss bride**
Dear Friends,
We are gathered here at this hour to witness and celebrate the drawing
together of two
separate lives.
We have come so that this man, _____, and this woman, ______, may be joined
in
marriage. It is not to be entered into lightly, but with certainty, mutual
respect, and with
a sense of reverence, which does not preclude beauty, humor, or joy.
As we know, no clergyman, no public official can marry you. Only you can
wed
one
another, by a mutual committment to love each other, to work toward
creating
an
atmosphere of care, consideration, and respect by a willingness to weather
the storms
that underlie human life as well as its boundless joy.
The wedding vow is much more than a contract, a mere piece of paper. It is
a
covenant,
a sacred personal vow. Matrimony symbolizes the ultimate intimacy between a
man and
a woman. This closeness not diminishing, but enhancing the individuality of
each partner.
Marriage is a union of two lives in one love, and we can derive no moral
from love, except
to love more deeply. We can expect nothing from love except that love
gives.
We cannot
choose what chances and changes may befall us, but we can shape the spirit
with which we
shall meet them.
In marriage, ______ and ______ have begun a new book of life, and they have
invited us
all here to witness the opening chapter of that book.
You stand before us today as two mature and thoughtful people who wish to
express their
emotions within the framework of a meaningful life. For your self-reliance,
courage, and
love, you deserve respect, and it is these attributes which make this a
serious, but not
solemn occasion.
I would like at this time to speak of some of the things which many of us
wish for you:
First, we wish for you, a love that makes you both better people, and that
continues to
give you joy and a zest for living.We wish for you, a home, not a place of
mere stone or
wood, but an island of sanity and serenity in a frenzied world. We hope
that
this home is
not just a place of private joy and retreat, but rather a temple wherein
the
values of your
life are generated and upheld.
We hope that your home stands as a symbol of humans living together in love
and peace.
We hope that your home encompasses the beauty of nature. That it has within
it the
elements of simplicity, exuberance, beauty, silence, color, and a
concordance with the
rhythms of life. We wish for you a home with books, poetry and music; a
home
with all
the things which represent the highest strivings of men and women. Finally,
we wish that
at the end of your lives, you will be able to say these two things to each
other:
"Because you have loved me, you have given me faith in myself, and because
I
have seen
the good in you, I have received from you a faith in humanity."
Today's celebration of human affection is therefore an outward sign of a
sacred and inward
committment which religious societies may consecrate and states may
legalize, but which
neither can create nor annul. Such a union can only be created by loving
purpose,
be maintained by abiding will, and be renewed by human feelings and
intentions. In this
spirit, these two persons stand before us.
______, do you promise ______ that you will be her husband, and do you
pledge to her
your respect and your love? ______, do you promise ______ that you will be
his wife,
and do you pledge to him your respect and your love?
**Now by the form of solemnization of marriage, by the state of California,
but most of
all by your own love, you may call yourselves by those two old and
respected
names,
husband and wife. Kiss bride**
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Re: Wedding Sermons....Anyone wanna share?
Thu, September 27, 2007 - 4:45 PMOut of curiosity, how many have you done? -
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Re: Wedding Sermons....Anyone wanna share?
Mon, December 3, 2007 - 12:45 PM75-100? I dunno, alot! -
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Re: Wedding Sermons....Anyone wanna share?
Mon, February 4, 2008 - 6:24 PMDamn, that is a lot. My first was on the Playa in 02. I've only done six. As personal favors for close friends.
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Re: Wedding Sermons....Anyone wanna share?
Sat, February 2, 2008 - 7:14 PMI've done one, and I read the vows of the bride and groom.
Left to my own devices, this is my sermon:
To Groom: "Do you?"
Groom: "Yes."
To Bride: "Do you?"
Bride: "Yes."
Me: "Good. You're married. Kiss her!"
I highly doubt i'll ever give this lengthy speech, but I basically just go by whatever the bride wants. I can make it as short or as long as possible, quotes, religion, atheism, whatever.
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Re: Wedding Sermons....Anyone wanna share?
Thu, February 28, 2008 - 12:46 PMDone a variation of this on the playa a few times.
On behalf of Bride and Groom, I would like to welcome you to this little space on the playa to participate in a very special moment.
Bride and Groom, today you are surrounded by your family and friends and some complete strangers, and that shirtcocker over there, as they gather to witness your marriage and share in the joy of this happy occasion.
We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. And true love is the greatest thing in the world, except for cough drops. Everybody knows that.
The universe gifts us with more blessings than we can ever understand.
It is one of the grand ironies of being human: Such big brains, and so little comprehension of the gift of every moment.
But sometimes the universe makes it very easy for us. Sometimes we have experiences that transcend the circumstances of our daily lives and help us feel the gift of existence itself.
... like when the sun sets so beautifully that the world starts and ends in that moment.
... or like when two beautiful, loving souls find one another, let their love blossom, and form a union of their lives.
This love is a gift from the universe. It is a gift to the universe.
On behalf of the universe, I want to say Thank You. May your love burn forever.
Albert Einstein said: “Strange is our situation here upon Earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. However, there is one thing that we do know, that we are here for the sake of others. Above all, for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy.”
Marriage. It ranks right up there with birth and death as one of the three biggies in life. But it’s the only one that we’ll celebrate with a conscious awareness, and the only one where you get to drink. Very few of you remember your arrival, and even fewer of you will attend your own funeral. Pick a society, any society: The one thing they all have in common? Marriage. It’s like a cultural handrail. It links us to the past, and guides us to the future.
This is the point in the ceremony when there is usually talk about the wedding bands being a perfect circle, having no beginning and no end. But we all know that these rings do have a beginning. Rock is dug up from the earth. Metal is liquefied in a furnace at a thousand degrees. Hot metal is poured into a mold, cooled, and then painstakingly polished. Something beautiful is made from raw elements.
Love is like that. It’s hot, dirty work. It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings. It’s the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all.
With that in mind, may I have the rings?
Vows: I ask you to share this world with me, to explore it together
Be my partner, and I will be yours.
Groom, place the ring on Bride’s finger and repeat after me:
With this ring / I thee wed / and pledge my life with yours.
Bride, place the ring on Groom’s finger and repeat after me:
With this ring / I thee wed / and pledge my life with yours.
By the authority vested in me by the State of Nevada, as an Ordained Minister, it is my pleasure to pronounce you, spouses for life.
You may now kiss each other.
Families and friends, it is with great pleasure I introduce you to Mrs. & Mr. -
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Re: Wedding Sermons....Anyone wanna share?
Sat, March 1, 2008 - 2:08 PMWow, that's incredible. Thank you! -
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Re: Wedding Sermons....Anyone wanna share?
Tue, March 11, 2008 - 3:02 PMYeah, that is really good.....I think I'll use it next time...
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Re: Wedding Sermons....Anyone wanna share?
Mon, March 10, 2008 - 3:41 PMI like this *quite* a bit! I have no power given by the state of Ohio to pronounce anybody female-spouse-and-male-spouse, but I do enjoy a good wedding sermon now and then, and this is the best one I've run across in, like, ever.
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