New York Weddings from the Heart

An Interfaith, Non-Denominational and Intercultural Ceremony of Love

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Sample Wedding Ceremony
The Sample Ceremony below is just that, a sample. Your own Wedding Ceremony will be
a unique creation, written just for you. I will work with you to make your ceremony a deeply moving
experience for everyone involved, whether you want your wedding to be spiritual, romantic, traditional,
or light-hearted--secular, ecumenical, or multicultural. I will create, with you, a joyful,
one-of-a-kind Ceremony of Love.

WELCOME

On behalf of [Names of Couple], welcome! Thank you for being here. We are gathered here
today to celebrate an act of deep love. [Names of Couple], in their devotion, respect and love
for each other, wish to unite in the holy bond of marriage, and to dedicate themselves to each
other's happiness and well-being for the rest of their lives. We gladly bear witness to, support,
and bless this important and joyful step in their lives!

INVOCATION

Let us pray. God, open us and fill us with your presence. Elevate our spirits, lift our hearts and
minds to an awareness of this Sacred and Eternal moment, as we joyfully celebrate the marriage
of [Names of Couple]. Bless them, and all bless who are gathered here. Amen

And now we will hear a READING from the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament (Chapter 2,
verses 10-13):

My beloved speaks and says to me: Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth, and the time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

TALK

And so, [Names of Couple] have come away to this place, to be joined in marriage. A true marriage
is an act of transformation, a profound mystery of creation and rebirth as two lives are blended into one.
This is not a loss or giving up of one's self, but rather a giving over of self to something greater. In this
process you will each be challenged to discover, again and again, new depths and possibilities
in yourselves and in each other.

This wedding ceremony, and the vows you will speak to one another today, are the gateway into
this mystery. In a sense, the whole of your lives up till now has brought you here, to this moment,
and together you now give over to the creation of something wholly new and transcendent, something
that has never existed before--your unique marriage--an expression that is at the same time
public and private, precious, sacred and truly unique to the two of you. In this act you open yourselves
to an even fuller experience and expression of the vast miracle of love.

The commitment to love that forms the heart of this marriage means that you will walk through the
rest of your days with a true friend beside you, one you can laugh with and cry with, grow old with
and feel forever young with.

[Names of Couple], (raises hand in blessing) we wish you this:

May you grow ever more glorious in each other's arms.
May laughter and warmth reign supreme in your home. May you live long,
May you live well. We rejoice with you. Amen.

And so we come, [Names of Couple], to the EXCHANGE OF RINGS, by which you symbolize and
bind your love. The circle is a symbol of eternity, without beginning or end, and with no point
of weakness. As you give these rings to each other, our wish is that your love be as everlasting
as these precious rings. In the years to come, may they remind you of the overwhelming joy of this
special occasion. May you always be as happy together as you are today.

[_______], please take [______'s] ring, place it upon the ring finger of the left hand, and repeat
after me: [_______], I give you this ring, as a symbol of my abiding love. May God encircle
our union and bless us forever.

[_______], please take [_______'s] ring, place it on the ring finger of the left hand, and repeat
after me: [_______], I give you this ring, as a symbol of my abiding love. May God encircle
our union and bless us forever.

This covenant is now sealed in truth and devotion.

VOWS

[Names of Couple], if you now freely choose to be joined in marriage, please indicate this
by facing each other and joining hands. (pause while they do so) Please repeat after me the vows
that you have chosen to express your deep commitment to one another:

[_______], I take you to be my lawful wedded [spouse]. Before these witnesses, I vow to
love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all your faults and
your strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I will help you
when you need help, and will turn to you when I
need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.

[_______], I take you to be my lawful wedded [spouse]. Before these witnesses, I vow to
love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all your faults and
your strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I will help you when
you need help, and will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom
I will spend my life.

[Names of Couple], you have committed yourselves to each other through solemn
and sacred vows. You have sealed your pledge through the giving and receiving of rings.
It is my legal right as a minister, and my joy and privilege, to declare that you are now
[husband and wife][life partners].

You may kiss each other!
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