Contemporary-not very religious w/unity candle
Sample 21

We are gathered here today to celebrate a day of thanksgiving, gladness, joy and one of life’s greatest miracles.  The power of love that exists between two people, who love each other so much that, they are willing to commit their lives together as one in spirit.  Love is a miraculous gift that has been given to us, and a wedding is a celebration of that gift.  So we are gathered here to share and to rejoice with ____ and _____, and to vow our unconditional love and support to them as they begin a new and magical journey together as husband and wife.

I would like to take a moment to recognize the family members of _____ and _____ and to thank them for their love, support and devotion, as they grew from adolescence and into the two beautiful individuals who are here before us on this special day.  We thank you for teaching them values and being there and showing them the beauty and joy of loving another.  This is also a time to celebrate all of those who have touched your lives, but are not able to be with us in person today, but are here in spirit.  We are a part of everyone who has ever loved us, let us remember them with a moment of silent reflection.

Devotion, joy and love can grow, only if you nurture them together. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, believing in your shared future just as strongly as you believe in yourselves and in each other today. Only in this spirit, can you create a partnership that will strengthen and sustain you all the days of your lives.

May your lives always be blessed with love and truth. Let us pray.

Spiritual Prayer

O God, we gather to celebrate your gift of love, and its presence among us. We rejoice that these two people have chosen to commit themselves to a life of loving faithfulness to one another. We praise you, O God, for the ways you have touched our lives with a variety of loving relationships, and we give thanks for ____ and ____ and for the magical love and friendship you have put in their hearts. Renew within us an affectionate and loving spirit. Enrich our lives with the gracious gift of your love so that we may embrace others with that same love. May our participation in this celebration of love and commitment, give to us a new joy and responsiveness to the relationships that we cherish. We pray these things, Amen.
 

Presentation of the Bride

Who gives/presents _____ to be the wedded wife of _____?

 
1st Reading: “Love’s Philosophy,” Percy Shelly

-          The fountains mingle with the river and the rivers with the oceans,
The winds of Heaven mix forever with a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single; all things by law divine;
In one spirit meet and mingle, why not I with thine?
-          See the mountains kiss high Heaven, and the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven if it disdained its brother,
And the sunlight clasps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this sweet work worth if thou kiss not me?

 
Words on Friendship and Love

We have come together from near and far to celebrate your lives as individuals and to bestow our blessings upon you as you begin a magical journey together as husband and wife. We have come together to witness the creation of a brand new family, and to share in the joy of that moment with you.  Your marriage will develop a true friendship between you and that friendship must be strong and able to withstand the tests of time.  Remember that when you are a true friend to someone you want to spend time with them; you want to share with them; care for them when they are sick spiritually or physically; you want to learn new things with them;

you want to change with them; you want to grow in truth with them; and you want to experience all that life has to offer with them.  Through this process you will wind-up on the same page together, and that is the secret to having peace and happiness in your lives. Take responsibility for making the other one to feel safe, and give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness, and kindness that your relationship deserves.  Never allow anything to be more important than the one you have chosen to spend your life together with.

 

Seek love and never take it for granted.  Love is believing, sharing, caring and dreaming together.  Love is honesty, friendship, companionship, and selflessness.  Love is the desire to be intimate physically, psychologically, and emotionally.  Love is devotion, celebration, understanding, forgiveness and sacrifice.  Love is strong, yet can be fragile. Love is gentleness, kindness, and patience. Love is trusting, protecting, inspiring, and supporting. Love is the only true way to know God.

Let us share now in the words of Gibran!

 
2nd Reading: “The Prophet,” Kahlil Gibran

Love one another, but make not 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 eat not 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, but not to near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

 
Vows

I love you.
You are my best friend.
Today I give myself to you in marriage.   
I promise to encourage and inspire you,
to laugh with you, and to comfort you in
times of sorrow and struggle.
I promise to love you in good times and in
bad, when life seems easy and when it
seems hard, when our love is simple,
and when it is an effort.  
I promise to cherish you, and to always
hold you in highest regard.
These things I give to you today,
and all the days of our life.


 Exchange of Rings

This ring represents my thanksgiving. It shows the World that I will always love you, cherish you and honor you, for all the days of my life.  _________ with this ring, I thee wed.

 
__________and ________ are going to light their Unity Candle, a symbol of their marriage relationship. The candles from which they light it have been lit by their mothers to represent their lives to this moment.

The lights, representing the faith, wisdom, and love they have received from their parents, are distinct, each burning alone. [Name] and [Name] will light the center candle to symbolize the union of their lives. As this one light burns undivided, so shall their love be one.

From now on, your thoughts shall be for each other rather than for your individual selves. Your joys and sorrows shall be shared alike. May the radiance of this one light be a testimony of your unity. May these candles burn brightly as symbols of your commitment to each other, and as a tribute to your parents' lasting and loving marriages.

 
Pronouncement of Marriage

Because,  _____ and _____ you have showered our hearts with expressions of your love, and promised each other the joy of all your days, before God and this company,

it gives me great honor and pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife.

 
Kiss

You may now kiss the bride.

 
Closing Blessing

May you be blessed every step of your journey by the great God of Peace and Light,
May his angels be with you, keep you and guide you,
May the sun shine upon you, give warmth to your spirits and light your way,
And may your everyday be filled with peace, love, happiness and joy!
 
Introduction

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. _____ _____!