MARRIAGE CEREMONY

Prayer

Marriage Ceremony:

Marriage is God’s first and best institution.  In the Garden

of Eden, before the forbidden tree had given its terrible fruit and the devil had touched the world, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone.  So he made a help-mate suitable for him and created the rite of marriage. 

God created marriage out of wisdom and goodness and

designed it to bring happiness for men and women and to be the foundation of home life.  It was honored by Jesus at the marriage at Cana in Galilee and was declared by the

apostle Paul to be honorable in all things.  So God ordained

that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

If you,______________ and ______________ have freely and deliberately chosen each other as partners and know of no just cause why you should not be married, please join your right hands.

Groom’s vow:

_____________, in taking the woman you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded wife, before God and the witnesses present, you must promise to love her, to honor her, to cherish her, and leaving all others, cleave only unto her, and be to her a true and faithful husband, so long as you both shall live.  Do you promise?

Answer:  I do.

Bride’s vow:

_____________, in taking the man you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded husband, before God and the witnesses present, you must promise to love him, to honor him, to cherish him, and leaving all others, cleave only unto him, and be to him a true and faithful wife, so long as you both shall live.  Do you promise?

Answer:  I do.

Ring ceremony:

Now as a ceaseless reminder of this marriage ceremony and of the vows you have taken, repeat after me.

Groom:

 “With this ring, I thee wed, promising you love, and all my worldly goods, with you I share, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Bride:

“With this ring, I thee wed, promising you love, and all my worldly goods, with you I share, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Closing Prayer

Declaration:

For as much, then, as _________, and ___________, have joined together according to the teachings of the scripture and the laws of this state, I as an officer of the law and a minister of the gospel declare that they are husband and wife.  “What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

Closing word:

Now may the grace of the Lord  Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit abide with you forever.  

YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE.