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ARTICLES
News: Romance in the Spotlight
Planning Your Wedding: From Elaborate to Elope!
Sample Ceremonies & Vows
Writing Your Own Wedding Vows
Including Children in Weddings
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Cruise Ship Weddings
Why Choose New Orleans for Destination Weddings?
New Orleans: Current Cultural Trends
New Orleans Events:
Festival season is year-round! Check out the links below for upcoming New Orleans events that might correspond with your wedding plans.
Allstate Sugar Bowl in January
Carnival Season begins January 6 and continues until Mardi Gras
Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in March
French Quarter Music Festival in April
Zurich Classic Golf Tournament in April
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April and May
New Orleans Food and Wine Experience in May
Essence Music Festival in July
Satchmo Summerfest in August
VooDoo Music Festival in October
Holiday Season's Annual Celebration in the Oaks Beginning the day after Thanksgiving throughout holiday season.
CONTACT:
Samantha McGovern
P.O. Box 24568
New Orleans, Louisiana, 70184
(504) 214-0610
info@romanceinneworleans.com
Please BOOKMARK our website so you can find us again and we can save money on pay-per-click advertising fees when you return.
Thank You!
Wedding Preparation
Check- List:
01. Wedding Location (free or fee)
02. Carriage Ride to and from Ceremony
03. Bridal Bouquet and Groom's Boutonniere
04. Music
05. Champagne or Sparkling Cider and Souvenir Glasses
06. Wedding Cake w/Plates, Napkins & Utensils
07. Professional or Snapshot Photographer
08. Restaurant Reservations
09. Hotel Reservations
10. Marriage License
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I perform standard non-denominational and civil, or specialized ceremonies. Below are a few examples and links to help you create and decide what is right for you. Your vows and ceremony should reflect your true feelings and beliefs.
Please discuss your wishes with me directly, as I am happy to help -- and feel free to copy and paste from these or any source to create your ceremony. Just email or text it to me a few days in advance of your wedding.
Also, I am aware that weddings and elopements can be formal or informal. Please let me know what you are expecting, and I will dress appropriately for your special occasion.
Simple Nondenominational Wedding Ceremony:
We have come together in the presence of God/Our Creator/Divine Spirit and these witnesses to join you, (Bride's Name), and you, (Groom's Name), in holy matrimony. This is a special time of celebration that the two of you will long remember, and because of this, we are grateful to share in your joy.
Marriage is a serious commitment meant for your welfare and enjoyment. Marriage also offers each of you the opportunity to grow together as a couple and as unique individuals.
In each of you, God/Our Creator/The Divine Spirit has planted an idea of how you would like to be treated in a loving marriage. This idea is a seed of desire that requires each of you to give to the other in constant and consistent positive behavior that reflects your desired results. Only then can these seeds, these ideas, come to fruition, manifest in reality, and deliver abundantly. If these solemn vows which you are about to make are kept faithfully, your marriage will surely prosper in all the goodness you both desire.
Please face each other and join hands.
(Groom's Name), do you have something you would like to say to (Bride's Name) before we begin?
(Bride's Name), do you have something you would like to say to (Groom's Name) before we begin?
(Bride's Name), do you take this man, (Groom's Name), to be your lawfully wedded husband, and do you promise to love, honor and respect him, and comfort him, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him for so long as you both shall live?
(Bride's Name): I do.
(Groom's Name), do you take this woman, (Bride's Name), to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you promise to love, honor, respect her, and comfort her, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her for so long as you both shall live?
(Groom's Name): I do.
Your wedding rings are symbolic of your commitment to each other and your endless love for each other.
(Bride's Name), please place your ring on (Groom's Name)'s third finger of his left hand and repeat these words:
I (Bride's Name),
give to you, (Groom's Name)
this ring as a symbol
of my commitment
to love, honor, and respect you
with all that I am
always.
(Groom's Name), please place your ring on (Bride's Name) third finger of her left hand and repeat these words:
I (Groom's Name),
give to you, (Bride's Name)
this ring as a symbol
of my commitment
to love, honor, and respect you
with all that I am
always.
I pray with you now that Our Almighty and All-Loving God/Creator/Divine Spirit blesses your union as a loving sanctuary and that It guides you with Its perfect plan on your journey ahead so that you may fulfill your purposes on this Earth and thereafter. I further pray with you that you always be considerate of each other, and remember to always turn to Our Creator in times of need, and to rejoice in It in celebrations of cherished moments and gratitude. What therefore God/Our Creator hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Amen
I now with divine blessings and the authority vested in me by the Sate of Louisiana, Orleans Parish, joyfully pronounce you Husband and Wife.
You may kiss your Bride!
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Simple Civil Wedding Ceremony:
We are joyfully gathered today to witness and celebrate the joining of two lives in marriage.
(Bride's Name) and (Groom's Name) have come together with the sincere desire that the love which brought them to this union may grow and go out beyond itself into the lives of others. Thus, we ask that the promises and desires of this union be realized. May you both be granted the patience to listen, the capacity to understand, the compassion to give comfort, and the joy to laugh and to just be yourselves. Let your marriage make a home where neither person is ever lonely. Let it offer illumination and the excitement of shared discoveries. Let it be large enough to endure the difficult times. May life's challenges bring you closer together and may you always be able to turn to each other.
Please face each other and join hands.
(Groom's Name), do you have something you would like to say to (Bride's Name) before we begin?
(Bride's Name), do you have something you would like to say to (Groom's Name) before we begin?
(Groom's Name), do you take (Bride's Name) to be your wife and equal? Will you share your life openly with her and promise to love, honor and stand beside her always, in times of joy and in times of conflict? (Groom's Name): I do.
(Bride's Name), do you take (Groom's Name) to be your husband and equal? Will you share your life openly with him and promise to love, honor and stand beside him always, in times of joy and in times of conflict? (Bride's Name): I do.
A circle is the symbol of sun, the earth, the universe, of wholeness, perfection, peace and of unity. As circles, your rings have no beginning and no ending. They are symbols of the growing relationship you have come to celebrate and confirm.
(Groom's Name), as a sign of your faithfulness, place the ring on her finger and repeat after me. I take you (Bride's Name) as my wife through all of the experience life holds for us, in faith and love.
(Bride's Name), as a sign of your faithfulness, place the ring on his finger and repeat after me. I take you (Groom's Name) as my husband through all of the experience life holds for us, in faith and love.
Having heard the vows you have made to each other, and by the power vested in me by the State of Louisiana, Orleans Parish, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may now kiss your bride.
Some couples like to add the Apache Wedding Blessing:
Now you feel no rain, for each of you will be a shelter to the other.
Now you feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no loneliness, for each of you will be a companion to the other.
You are two bodies, but there is only one life before you and one home.
When evening falls, look up and you will be there for each other.
Take each other's hand and turn together
To look at the road you've traveled to reach this -- the hour of your happiness.
It stretches behind you, even as the future lies ahead.
A long and winding road, whose every turn means discovery.
Old hopes, new laughter, shared fears.
Your adventure has just begun.
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Examples of other couples' specialized wedding ceremonies. Please feel free to pick and choose elements of these ceremonies as you wish:
Wedding Ceremony with Unity Candle, Commemoration and Flower Collection at Isle
Please stand at the isle so that (Attendant's Name) can give you each a flower that the bride will collect from you and gather as her bouquet as she approaches her groom.
(Attendant's Name), please offer the flowers at this time. (Attendant's Name) gives each guest a flower.)
(Bride enters, walks up the isle with her father and collects the bouquet of individual flowers from her loved ones.)
Who gives this woman to be wed? (Father of bride says, "Her mother and I do." -- Kisses daughter and shakes the groom's hand.)
Please be seated.
We have come together in the presence of family, friends, and a generous God to join you, (Bride's Name), and you, (Groom's Name), in the bonds of holy matrimony. This is a special time of celebration that the two of you will long remember, and because of this, we are grateful to share in your joy.
May you both be granted the patience to listen,
the capacity to understand,
the compassion to give comfort,
and the joy to laugh and to just be yourselves.
Let your marriage make a home where neither person is ever lonely.
Let it offer illumination and the excitement of shared discoveries.
Let it be large enough to endure the difficult times.
May life's challenges bring you closer together and may you always be able to turn to each other.
(Pause)
At this time, (Groom's Name) would like to honor the presence of his parents, (Deceased Love Ones' Names), in spirit with the lighting of a candle.
(Friend reads scripture for the couple.)
(1 Corinthians 13) 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not jealous or boastful; 5 it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends...
Please face each other and join hands and repeat after me:
I, (Groom's Name),
take thee, (Bride's Name),
to be my lawfully wedded wife,
forsaking all others,
to have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
in richer and in poorer,
in joy and in sorrow,
to love honor, and to cherish,
so long as we both shall live.
I, (Bride's Name),
take thee, (Groom's Name),
to be my lawfully wedded husband,
forsaking all others,
to have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
in richer and in poorer,
in joy and in sorrow,
to love honor, and to cherish,
so long as we both shall live.
A circle is the symbol of sun, the earth, the universe, of wholeness, perfection, peace and of unity. As circles, your rings have no beginning and no ending. They are symbols of the growing relationship you have come to celebrate and confirm. Your wedding rings are symbolic of your commitment to each other and your endless love for each other.
(Groom's Name), please place your ring on (Bride's Name)'s third finger of her left hand and repeat these words:
I, (Groom's Name),
take you (Bride's Name),
as my wife
through all of the experience life holds for us,
in faith and love.
(Bride's Name), please place your ring on (Groom's Name)'s third finger of his left hand and repeat these words:
I, (Bride's Name),
take you (Groom's Name),
as my husband
through all of the experience life holds for us,
in faith and love.
Please bow your heads and join in prayer:
We pray with you, (Groom's Name) and (Bride's Name), that God Almighty blesses your union as a loving sanctuary, and that He guides you with His perfect plan on your journey ahead so that you may fulfill your purposes on this Earth and thereafter. We further pray with you that you always be considerate of each other, and remember to always turn to God in times of need, and to rejoice in Him in celebrations of cherished moments and gratitude. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Amen
Having heard the vows you have made to each other, with divine blessings and the authority vested in me by the Sate of Louisiana, Orleans Parish, I joyfully pronounce you Husband and Wife.
You may kiss your Bride!
I present you Mr. And Mrs....
(Groom's Name) and (Bride's Name) will be signing their marriage certificate and will join you momentarily. (Sign documents.)
After their ring exchange, this couple asked for a unity candle ceremony.
...(Bride's Name) and (Groom's Name) shall now light the Unity Candle.
From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls who are destined to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together, and a simple brighter light goes forth from their united being. In this spirit, Stephanie and Jamie, take your individual candles, and light together a third candle which signifies your marital bond.
May the light of love, and the light of understanding, and the light of respect, and the light of tolerance shine eternally for both of you.
Please join me in prayer...
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Wedding Ceremony for (Bride's Name) & (Groom's Name) (wine ceremony with no ring exchange)
The step which you are about to take is the most important into which human beings can come. It is a union of two people founded upon mutual respect and affection. Your lives will change, your responsibilities will increase, but your joy will be multiplied if you are sincere and earnest with your pledge to one another.
(Groom's Name), will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?
(Bride's Name), will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall live?
Take hands and repeat after me:
I, (Groom's Name), take you, (Bride's Name), to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.
I, (Bride's Name), take you, (Groom's Name), to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.
In as much as (Bride's Name) and (Groom's Name) have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me by the State of Louisiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may now kiss.
We Now Shall Perform the Wine Ceremony. (They perform their ritual and return to the minister.)
This Ceremony represents the two individual lives are now combined like the two wines into one single life. The drinking of the combined wine signifies the commitment you now make to live your lives as one family. May you remember this day of commitment you have sealed with drinking of the new wine joining your lives as one.
Congratulations!
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Wedding Ceremony for (Bride's Name) & (Groom's Name) (no rings)
We have come together in the presence of God and these witnesses to join you, (Bride's Name), and you, (Groom's Name), in holy matrimony. This is a special time of celebration that the two of you will long remember, and because of this, we are grateful to share in your joy.
May you both be granted the patience to listen,
the capacity to understand,
the compassion to give comfort,
and the joy to laugh and to just be yourselves.
Let your marriage make a home where neither person is ever lonely.
Let it offer illumination and the excitement of shared discoveries.
Let it be large enough to endure the difficult times.
May life's challenges bring you closer together,
and may you always be able to turn to each other.
(Groom's Name), do you have anything you would like to say to (Bride's Name) before we begin?
(Bride's Name), do you have anything you would like to say to (Groom's Name) before we begin?
Please face each other and join hands and repeat after me:
I, (Groom's Name),
take you, (Bride's Name),
to be my lawfully wedded wife,
through all of the experience life holds for us,
in faith and love,
forsaking all others,
to have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
in richer and in poorer,
in joy and in sorrow,
to love, honor, and to cherish,
so long as we both shall live.
I, (Bride's Name),
take you, (Groom's Name),
to be my lawfully wedded husband,
through all of the experience life holds for us,
in faith and love,
forsaking all others,
to have and to hold,
in sickness and in health,
in richer and in poorer,
in joy and in sorrow,
to love, honor, and to cherish,
so long as we both shall live.
I pray with you now that God Almighty blesses your union as a loving sanctuary, and that He guides you with His perfect plan on your journey ahead so that you may fulfill your purposes on this Earth and thereafter. I further pray with you that you always be considerate of each other, and remember to always turn to God in times of need, and to rejoice in Him in celebrations of cherished moments and gratitude. "What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Amen
Having heard the vows you have made to each other, with divine blessings and the authority vested in me by the Sate of Louisiana, Orleans Parish, I joyfully pronounce you Husband and Wife.
You may kiss your Bride!
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Very Basic Civil
We are joyfully gathered today to witness and celebrate the joining of two lives in marriage.
(Groom's Name), will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?
(Bride's Name), will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall live?
Take hands and repeat after me:
I, (Groom's Name), take you, (Bride's Name), to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.
I, (Bride's Name), take you, (Groom's Name), to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.
Do you have a ring for the bride? Please place the ring on the bride's finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed.
Is there a ring for the groom? Please place the ring on the groom's finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed.
Let these rings be given and received as a token of your affection, sincerity and fidelity to one another.
Having heard the vows you have made to each other, and by the power vested in me by the State of Louisiana, Orleans Parish, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may now kiss your bride.
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Wedding Ceremony for (Bride's Name) and (Groom's Name) (with hand binding ceremony)
We have come together in the presence Our Creator to join you, (Bride's Name), and you, (Groom's Name), in holy matrimony. This is a special time of celebration that the two of you will long remember, and because of this, we are grateful to share in your joy.
Remember that this wedding is only a symbol, a celebration, a public recognition. This service is not magic. It will not create a relationship that does not already exist. It is your marriage and not something created by the state or by religion - it is yours to define, yours to make real, your lives. Nothing I can say can make it anything more than what already exists in your hearts.
It is a time for tying a knot in the rope of your lives and saying, "We will not slip backwards from there, but go forward together." It is a time for one thing of which you are certain - your love for one another and your desire for that love to last forever.
(Bride's Name), is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?
(Bride's Name) Yes, it is true.
(Bride's Name), please join hands with (Groom's Name) and listen to that which I am about to say:
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. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage, Let the powers of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience each with the other, For storms will come, but 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 powers that be are with you, Now and always....
All things in Nature are circular. Night becomes day, day becomes night and night becomes day again. The moon waxes and wanes and waxes again. There is Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and then the Spring returns. As the seasons cycle, there is the cycle of Life, Death, and rebirth. These are part of the Great Mysteries of Life.
(Exchanging of Rings and Vows)
A ring is an unbroken circle, a symbol of unity, of unending love, representative of this greater circle of life of which we all are spiritually a part of.
(Bride's Name), do you carry with you this symbol of love and the circle of life? (Bride's Name) Yes, I do.
Please place the ring on (Groom's Name)'s left hand and repeat after me:
You cannot possess me, for I belong to myself. But while we both wish it, I give to you that which is mine to give. You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand. I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night and the eyes into which I smile in the morning. This is the vow I pledge to you, this is the union of equals.
(Groom's Name), do you have with you a symbol of love and of the greater circle of life? (Groom's Name) Yes, I do.
Please place the ring on (Bride's Name)'s left hand and repeat after me:
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back, and you for mine. I shall not slander you, nor you me. I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel, we shall do so in private, and tell no strangers our grievances. This is the vow I make to you. This is the union of equals.
(The Binding of the Hands)
(Bride's Name), take (Groom's Name)'s hands into your own, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride and Groom should be facing each other, his upturned hands resting in hers.)
These are the hands, strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
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 tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his eternal love for you.
(Groom's Name), please hold (Bride's Name)'s hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride should now place her upturned hands in the Groom's hands.)
These are the hands that are smooth, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick and console you when you are grieving.
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 hold you in joy and excitement and hope.
These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together, everything you wish for can be realized.
Just as the rings are a symbol, likewise, this cord is a symbol of the lives you have chosen to lead together. It has been woven to symbolize the intertwining of your lives. Up until this moment you have been separated in thought, word and action. As this cord binds your hands together, so your lives become intertwined. As the right hand is to the left hand, may you be forever one, sharing in all things, in love and loyalty, for all time to come. As of today you will be handfasted for a year and one day, after which time you will renew these vows, your commitment and your promise to each other.
(Bride's Name) and (Groom's Name), as your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars you love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow.
(Bride's Name) and (Groom's Name), today you have made a lifelong and eternal commitment to each other. Honor that commitment, honor each other, and for eternity you will find love and happiness in one another.
Having joined in this sacred union, I may now pronounce you as Husband and Wife.
You may now kiss one another.
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BLENDED CHRISTIAN/HINDU CEREMONY
Minister opens the service with a prayer:
Let us pray. Dear Lord in the new testament you say that wherever two or more of us are joined in your Name that you would be there also.
We humbly pray that you would join us now, as (Groom's Name) & (Bride's Name) stand before you today in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Please be with them, bless them, and let this holy union continue to endure and progress in the love they have for each other. Amen.
Bible Reading from Corinthians:
Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous or boastful.
Love wants not for itself.
Love is not puffed up, nor does it behave wrongly.
Love does not insist on its own way.
Love is not irritable.
Love is not rude.
Love thinks No evil.
Love does not rejoice in wrong, but rejoices in the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, endures all things, and love never fails.
Minister:
Gracious God, before whom we stand, look with favor upon this couple, who desire to make their vows before you. We are thankful to their families, which have reared them to adulthood. We learn how to love by being loved by others. Learning to love and learning to live together is one of lifes greatest challenges. This is the goal of a married life.
In remembrance of his beloved father, (Groom's Name) will now light a white candle in his honor and read an inspired passage as well as a prayer from one of his father's favorite spiritual guides known as "The Mother".
Groom:
Effort Gives Joy In Daily Life.
An aim gives a meaning, a purpose to life, and this purpose implies an effort; and it is in effort that one finds joy. It is the effort which gives joy; a human being who does not know how to make an effort will never find joy. It is only in effort, in whatever domain it be, material effort, moral effort, intellectual effort which creates in the being certain vibrations which enable you to get connected with universal vibrations; and it is this which gives joy.
O, Lord of the universe, we implore thee, give us the strength and the beauty, the harmonious perfection, needed to be thy divine instruments upon earth. Amen.
Wine Ceremony:
Minister:
You may now pour one another a glass of wine.
The years of our lives are a cup of wine poured out for us to drink. The grapes when they are pressed with effort give forth good juices for the wine. Under the winepress of time, our lives give forth labor, honor and love. Many days you will sit at the same table and eat and drink together. Drink now and may the cup of your lives be sweet and full to running over with joy from your efforts in daily life.
The Bride and Groom touch their glasses and drink a sip of wine.
Minister:
The Union of husband and wife is one of the heart, mind, and body and is intended by God for their mutual joy, for the help and comfort given to one another in the times of prosperity and adversity. The union grows as the couple becomes one in more and more ways on a growing basis as their love for one another expands. (Groom Name) & (Bride Name), you are mature people who have established individual patterns of living. Life is given to us as individuals, and the first lesson we must learn is how to live together with each other as a married couple. You have found not only a need for companionship, but the satisfaction of that need in each other's company. It is this love, based upon a responsible understanding that will aid you in creating out of your two lives, a marriage and a happiness you will share together. Stand fast in hope and confidence, believing in yourself and believing in each other.
The poet Kahlil Gibran once wrote (from "The Prophet"):
"Love one another, but not make a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread, but not eat from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together,
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow."
Minister to Groom:
(Groom's Name), when you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. That is impossible. It is even a lie to pretend it is possible. And yet that is exactly what most of us demand. We insist on permanence, on duration, on continuity. The only continuity possible in life as in love is in growth, in effort, in fluidity, and in freedom, as dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in creating the same pattern.
Minister to Bride:
(Bride's Name), the only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not even in hoping. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back nostalgically to what it was, nor forward in dread or anticipation to what it might be. It is loving in the present relationship, accepting it as it is now. Relationships must be like islands, which one must accept for what they are here and now with their limits, islands surrounded and interrupted by the sea, continually visited and abandoned by the tide. One must accept the security of the ebb and flow of intimacy.
Minister:
(Groom's Name) and (Bride's Name) in presenting yourselves here today to be joined in marriage, you perform an act of faith. This faith can grow and develop and last, but only if you both decide to make it so. A lasting and growing love is not guaranteed by any ritual.
If you would have the foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for one another, not just at this moment, but for all the days to come, then treasure the hopes and dreams that you bring here today. Establish that your love will never be blotted out by the common nor obscured by the ordinary in life. Faults will surface where now you find comfort, and admiration can be shattered by the routine of daily life.
Dedication, love, and joy can grow only when you nourish them together. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, having faith in your shared destiny just as strongly as you have faith in yourselves and in one another today. Only with this spirit can you forge a union that will strengthen and endure all the days of your lives.
Hindu Wedding Tradition:
Minister:
(Groom's Name) & (Bride's Name), I ask that each of you take one of the separate lit candles, and that together you lite the center candle in unity. (Bride and Groom light center candle). As is the Hindu tradition, this flame is symbolic of the god of fire, Agni who is a witness to the marriage and a purification of the wedding itself. The wedding ceremony is named "agni-sakshi.". It is believed that the wedding gets stability and longevity from being done in front of Agni.
Minister:
We have come together to wed (Bride's Name), daughter of (Bride's Parents' Names), to (Groom's Name), son of (Groom's Parents' Names). Today they build together the foundation of their marriage upon the earth, in the presence of the sacred fire and the radiant sun.
Please turn and face each other before the flame and exchange your garlands. (Bride garlands groom. Groom garlands bride.)
Minister:
A circle is the symbol of the sun and the earth and the universe. It is a symbol of holiness and of perfection and of peace. This ring of flowers is the symbol of unity, in which your lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. I ask that you hold hands and then walk around the flame of Agni 4 times.
As part of the tradition, (Groom's Name) and (Bride's Name) you will please say "Om Svaha!" at the start of each turn.
Minister says:
(With the first turn) we pray for happiness in the union of the couple.
(With the second turn) we pray for the long life of the couple.
(With the third turn) we pray for the healthy life of the couple.
(With the fourth turn) we pray for the happiness and health of the couple.
Minister then says:
Now is the time to confirm the marriage with the hindu traditional seven final steps. I ask that each of you, (Groom's Name) and (Bride's Name), to concentrate upon these seven vows as you take the seven steps: (Bride and groom hold hands and begin to take seven steps.)
Minister reads one sentence for each step:
1. May the couple be blessed with an abundance of food.
2. May the couple be strong and complement one another with mutual respect.
3. May the couple be blessed with prosperity.
4. May the couple be eternally happy.
5. May the couple be blessed with children.
6. May the couple support each other and live in harmony.
7. May (Groom's Name) and (Bride's Name) always be the best of friends.
Christian Tradition:
The minister then prays a prayer of blessing over the ceremony as well as the rings.
Minister:
Gracious God, bless this couple, that the intentions of this moment, symbolized by this visible act, shall be fulfilled through the days of their lives. Strengthen their relationship and brighten it with a generous measure of happiness. Help them make their home a place where they love children and welcome friends. Spare them from interference by those who, through wanting to help, may intrude in what are the proper responsibilities of husband and wife, father and mother, and children. Make them good neighbors, doing for others what they would have others do for them. Teach us all to love each other as we love ourselves. Amen.
The Minister asks for the rings for God's blessing on them as follows: Bless, O Lord, these rings, to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other in the sacrament of holy matrimony. Amen.
Minister:
I charge that you each remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals and that you each respect the thoughts and ideas of one another. And most all, be able to forgive each other, and not hold grudges against one another, and I charge that you live each day in love with each other, always being there to give love, comfort, and refuge to each in good times and bad. Amen.
Minister instructs groom to place the Bride's ring on her finger and says:"repeat after me".
Groom:
I, (Groom's Name), take you, (Bride's Name), as my friend and love, beside me and apart from me, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and tranquillity, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find us. (Bride's Name), with this ring, I thee wed.
Minister instructs bride to place the Groom's ring on his finger and says: "repeat after me".
Bride:
I, (Bride's Name), take you, (Groom's Name), as my friend and love, beside me and apart from me, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and tranquillity, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find us. (Groom's Name), with this ring, I thee wed.
Minister:
May this day shine eternally in your lives.
May it add brilliance to every achievement and cast a divine light over any misfortune.
May you care for each other in all sadness.
May you give cheer to each other.
May you give vitality to each other in all undertakings.
May all that is virtuous, beautiful and honest, remain with you always.
Minister final prayer: O Lord who art the Spirit of Love for the human race, send thy blessings upon these thy servants, whom we bless in the name of love. Enable them faithfully to perform this covenant that they have made. May their hearts be united in the bonds of each other's joys, consoled of each othes sorrows, helpers to each other in all the vicissitudes of life. God, may they experience your presence as they pledge their lives, one to another, and celebrate this new beginning. Grant that they may faithfully discharge the duties that belong to the condition into which they have entered, and that, as good companions, they may walk the road together from this day forward. Amen.
Minister Finale:
(Groom's Name) & (Bride's Name), before God, and with the powers vested in me by the state of Louisiana, Orleans Parish, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder.
Minister married couple blessing:
May the Lord bless you & keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His continence unto you, and give you peace, now & forever.
AMEN.
You now may kiss the bride.
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