(intimate wedding in my home, Riverton)
SHORT 'N SWEET
WELCOME
We come together tonight in the presence of God in this beautiful setting where the sky is our only ceiling, the earth our only floor, and the horizons our only walls to bless and celebrate. (bride and groom), you come before me tonight as two and will leave this place as one united in marriage.
INVOCATION
In recognition of the power and purpose of this sacred occasion, please join me in a word of prayer.
"Father God, we ask for your blessings on the marriage of this amazing couple. Make them rich with your peace so they may enjoy the comforts and share the experiences, insights, and lessons of life. May they grow individually and as a supportive and loving couple. May they experience Your presence, love, and guidance every day. Amen!"
MEANING OF MARRIAGE
Marriage is a sacred relationship, established by God and adorned by our Lord Jesus Christ. It should not be entered into with carelessness nor insincerity, but rather with thoughtfulness, reverence, and love.
(bride and groom), real love is something beyond the warmth and glow, beyond the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It is caring about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about your own happiness alone. Real love is not total absorption in each other. It is looking outward in the same direction. Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joy more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger so you can reach out and become more involved in life in ways you dared not risk alone. (bride and groom), this is the kind of love that you embody.
QUESTIONS
(bride and groom), you stand before me today to become joined as husband and wife. Are you both freely choosing the holy and sacred bonds of matrimony with all its rights and potentials?
We are!
(groom), do you take (bride) to be your lawfully wedded wife? Before God, do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and nurture her in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in sorrow and in joy throughout your days together?
I do!
(bride), do you take (groom) to be your lawfully wedded husband? Before God, do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and nurture him in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in sorrow and in joy throughout your days together?
I do!
RING VOWS
May I have the rings please? These wedding rings serve as a symbol of the promise you are making today. They are the outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible love which binds your hearts together. These rings are also a symbole of what God is. Each is without beginning or end and are with no point of weakness. As you give these rings to each other, my your love be as everlasting as these precious rings. In years to come, may they remind you of the overwhelming joy of this sacred and blessed occasion.
(groom), please place the ring you have chosen on your bride's finger and repeat after me:
"I choose you to be my wife, in equal love, as a mirror for my true self, as a partner on my path. I vow to walk by your side, to love you, to help you, and encourage you in all that you do. I will take time to talk with you, to listen to you, and care for you. I will share your laughter and your tears as your partner, lover, and best friend. (bride), I give you this ring as a token of my abiding love. With all that I am and all that I have, I marry you with this ring."
(bride), please place the ring you have chosen on your groom's finger and repeat after me:
"I choose you to be my husband, in equal love, as a mirrow for my true self, as a partner on my path. I vow to walk by your side, to love you, to help you, and encourage you in all that you do. I will take time to talk with you, to listen to you, and care for you. I will share your laughter and your tears as your partner, lover, and best friend. (groom), I give you this ring as a token of my abiding love. With all that I am and all that I have, I marry you with this ring."
PRONOUNCEMENT
(bride and groom), you have shared with each other words of love and commitment. You have expressed your love with the giving and receiving of rings. It is not a minister standing before you that makes your marriage real. It is the love, honesty, and sincerity with which you have said and done those things before these witnesses. Under the ordinances of God and according to the laws governing the state of Utah, it is now my honor and privilege to pronounce what your souls have known forever that you are husband and wife.
You may now kiss!