WEDDING CEREMONY Order of Service

WEDDING CEREMONY

 

ORDER OF SERVICE

Chosen entry music

Welcome and entry of the Bride.

Family and friends stand as Bride enters.

When Bride and Groom are standing before the Minister, the congregation sits down.

The Minister welcomes the congregation and continues:

Minister:    

I would like to welcome you here today.   My name is ……………………. and I am authorised by law to perform marriages.

We have come together today in the presence of God for the joining together of Groom and Bride and to share their joy.

LEGAL DECLARATIONS

Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter.

Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.

Minister to the father (or person giving Bride away):

Who gives Bride in marriage?

Response by the father:  I DO

MINISTER’S INTRODUCTION

1.         Our Lord Jesus Christ said of marriage that “From the beginning of creation God made them male and female.           For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one: (Matthew 19:5-6):

So they are no longer two, but one. What therefore God

has joined together, let no one separate.”

2.         “The Bible teaches that marriage is a lifelong union

symbolising God’s unending love and faithfulness and the

union between Christ and His church.

3.         The Bible also teaches that the husband must love his wife as Christ loves the church, and that the wife must give due honour to her husband.

4.         Marriage should be honoured by all, and is not to be

entered into lightly or selfishly, but with reverent and

serious consideration for the purpose and plan God has

for a successful marriage.

5.         Marriage, and all it entails, is a gift from God for the

blessing of humankind and for the expression of love and affection, which He has given us, and that children may be born and grow in security and love.

6.         It is a lifelong commitment, in which a man and

woman are called to give themselves to each other, and

from their union will grow a  deepening knowledge and

love for each other. They are to cleave to each other, to

share companionship, faithfulness and life, both in

pBrideperity and adversity. The mutual commitment of a

man and a woman to each other, in a bond of love, causes

marriage to be a strong and secure covenant, to which

God and this congregation are witnesses today.”

READINGS/POEMS (by chosen family member or friend)

Suggested:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (see attached)

5 minute message

MINISTER’S CHARGE TO THE CONGREGATION:

I would like to encourage you all to support Groom and Bride in your prayers. They believe God has led them to be married and so we must do everything in our power to see that this union remains solid, strong, happy and prosperous.

PRAYER – would you join me in prayer?

“Heavenly Father, we pray for Groom and Bride as they make this covenant together today. We ask, that you cause them to come into union together so that they may be one in your sight. Help them to complete each other, and fulfil each other in every area. Bless them with your peace and security, in the knowledge of your care and love for them. Protect them and guard them from evil and bless them with a long and satisfying life together. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Minister:    

Groom, will you give yourself to Bride to be her husband, will you live together according to God’ s Word and give her the honour due her as your wife and, forsaking all others, love, comfort, encourage, cherish and protect her, as long as you both shall live?

Groom:        “I will”

Minister:    

Bride will you take Groom to be your husband, will you live together according to God’s Word? Will you give him the honour due him as your husband and, forsaking all others, love, comfort, encourage and protect him, as long as you both shall live?

Bride:           “I will”

BRIDE & GROOM WILL NOW MAKE THEIR VOWS TO EACH OTHER.  

INDIVIDUALLY CHOSEN MARRIAGE VOWS

(can be memorized, read or prompted)

I Groom/ in the presence of God/ and this congregation/take you Bride/ to be my wife/; to have and to hold/from this day forward./  My commitment is to you/to love and to cherish you/in every situation and challenge of life/as long as we both shall live./This is my faithful vow and promise,/I solemnly declare.”

I Bride/in the presence of God/and this congregation/take you Groom/to be my husband/to have and to hold/from this day forward/My commitment is to you/,to love and to cherish you/in every situation and challenge of life,/as long as we both shall live/.This is my faithful vow and promise,/I solemnly declare.”

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

The minister receives the wedding rings.

Prayer:

I ask, Lord, in the name of Jesus, that these rings may be a token and constant sign of the pledge of love and faithfulness which these two people are making to each other today.  Amen.

EITHER THE FOLLOWING OR INDIVIDUALLY CHOSEN RING VOWS

Groom places the ring on Bride’s ring finger, and holding it there repeats after the Minister:

Bride: with this ring/I marry you/;it is a token of my love for you/It is a sign of my faithfulness/and my pledge to you/with all that I am and all that I have/I honour you.

Bride says:

Groom I receive this ring/,in token of our marriage./May God enable us/ to continue in love together.”

Bride places ring on His finger saying:

Groom: with this ring/, I marry you;/ it is a token of my love for you. It is a sign of my faithfulness/ and my pledge to you,/ with all that I am/ and all that I have/, I honour you.

Groom says:

            Bride I receive this ring,/in token of our marriage. May God enable us/to continue in love together.

PRONOUNCEMENT

Minister to the congregation:

Before God and in the presence of us all, by solemn consent and promise, by the giving and receiving of rings and by the joining of hands Groom and Bride have now accepted each other in marriage.

LEGAL DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE

As a representative of Jesus Christ, the local church and the Commonwealth of Australia, it gives me great joy, in the presence of God, to pronounce you husband and wife in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You are now husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Communion (OPTIONAL)

The first act that Groom and Bride have chosen to do together after their marriage is to take holy communion together.

Reading from 1 Corinthians 11 v 23-26

‘For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you:  The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said ‘This is my body, which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me.  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.’

BLESSING OF THE UNION

Numbers 6:24-26

“May the Lord bless you, and keep you.  May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.  May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace”. 

SIGNING OF THE REGISTER – chosen music

PRESENTATION OF COUPLE WITH THEIR CHOSEN NAME, i.e. Mr and Mrs ………..

Exit to chosen music.

Couple are congratulated by parents then others.

Photograph – all to gather together for communal photograph

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RING VOW CHOICES

Any of these vows can be interchanged with the giving and receiving wording, as desired

VOW 1

I give you this ring as a symbol of the promise of faithfulness and love that I am making to you today.

I receive this ring as a sign of your promise of love and faithfulness to me.

VOW 2

Said by Groom as he gives ring to Bride:

“(Bride’s Name) I give you this ring as my personal gift and promise, of love, trust and pride that you are my wife.”

Said by the Bride as she accepts the ring:

“(Groom’s Name) I thank you for this beautiful ring, I accept it as a symbol that we are one with each other. This ring will remind me of you and I will wear it with love for all of my life.”

Said by Bride as she gives ring to Groom:

“(Groom’s Name) I give you this ring as my personal gift and promise, of love, trust and pride that you are my wife.”

Said by the Groom as he accepts the ring:

“(Bride’s Name) I thank you for this beautiful ring, I accept it as a symbol that we are one with each other. This ring will remind me of you and I will wear it with love for all of my life.”

VOW 3

I give you this ring as a sign of my love.

As the sign from my heart

that I desire to live with you

from this day forward as my wife, and that you may

remember forever that I have chosen you above all others,

I give you this ring as a sign of my love.

As the sign from my heart

that I desire to live with you

from this day forward as my husband, and that you may

remember forever that I have chosen you above all others,

VOW 4

I give you this ring, my dear sweetheart, so you and the whole world will

know how much I will always I love you.

As a symbol of how endlessly happy you make me

and of how crazy I am about you.

VOW 5

This ring is my precious gift to you,

as a measure of my love and as a sign that from this day forward you

are surrounded by my love.

It is a symbol that I have chosen you to be my beloved,

and that I offer myself as your husband

today, tomorrow, and always.

This ring is my precious gift to you,

as a measure of my love and as a sign that from this day forward you

are surrounded by my love.

It is a symbol that I have chosen you to be my beloved,

and that I offer myself as your wife

today, tomorrow, and always.

VOW 6

I give you this ring as the symbol that

I have cast my lot with yours, that I am bound to you always,

through my love, with my soul, and all my heart.

VOW 7

This ring is a token of my endless and abiding love, because it is you,

(Bride’s Name), whom I love, and it is you whom I am choosing always

to encircle with my love.

This ring is a token of my endless and abiding love, because it is you,

(Groom’s Name), whom I love, and it is you whom I am choosing always

to encircle with my love.

VOW 8

I give you this ring as a symbol of our marriage.

Wear it in health.

Wear it in joy.

Wear it in peace.

Wear it in bliss.

Wear this ring in health because you have healed me.

Wear it in joy because you have made my heart glad.

Wear it in peace because you have brought me serenity.

Wear it in bliss because you have brought me true grace

VOW 9

Darling, I ask you to receive this ring as a symbol of my love and as a

constant reminder that I have chosen you above all others to be the one to

share my life.  Let it always remind you of my promise.

VOW 10

May this ring be the sign, always, that we love one another.

May it be the symbol, always, that we have chosen to serve one another

in perfect freedom.

May it be the public demonstration that our love is complete and never ending.

VOW 11

(Bride’s Name), I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all

that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.

(Groom’s Name), I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all

that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.

VOW 12

In the Church of Scotland ceremony, the couple do not speak at

the exchanging of rings. Rather, as the couple places the rings on their

fingers and then hold hands, the Minister says:

“By this sign you take each other, to have and to hold, from this day

forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in

health; to love and to cherish, till death do you part.”

VOW 13

Having made these promises to you, I take you today to be my lawful

wife whatever life may hold for us, and as a symbol of this love and

trust I give you this ring.

Having made these promises to you, I take you today to be my lawful

husband whatever life may hold for us, and as a symbol of this love and

trust I give you this ring.

VOW 14

I give you this ring as a symbol of my love forever for you.

VOW 15

I give you this ring as a sign of my promise and a token of my love.

VOW 16

I give you this ring as a token of my love and as evidence of the vow we

have made. Wear it as a symbol of all that we share together.

I give you [or accept} this ring as a token of my love and as evidence of

the vow we have made. Wear it (or I will wear it) as a symbol of all that

we share together.

VOW 17

With this ring I marry you, and promise my faithful love.

VOW 18

This ring is a token of my faithfulness and love and a symbol that all I

have I share with you. Let this ring symbolize our one life together.

I accept this ring as a symbol of our one life together.

Success

The Seven Deadly Roadblocks to Success by Chris Widener When traveling down the road it is always good to beware of roadblocks! You don't want to crash and burn do you? The same is true in our journey toward success. We need to beware of those things that will keep us from our destination! What are the most common? Here they are:

1. Fear. Fear is one of the worst enemies of success. When fear wraps its tentacles around you and keeps you in bondage, you will never be able to reach for your dreams. We must confront our fears, see them for what they are, toss them to the side, and pursue our dreams with relentless passion. Conquering fear and stepping forward to reach new lands and new ideas is what makes success possible. What are you afraid of today? What fear must you conquer to be able to achieve your dream? When you realize what it is, take an action that is diametrically opposed to that which you fear. This will confront and conquer the fear by giving you the first step in the right direction.

2. Lethargy. Quite frankly, what keeps most people from success is that they simply don't have the energy, or make the energy, to do what it takes to move to the next level. They get to a point that is comfortable and then they settle in for a nice, lifelong nap! Don't get lethargic; get going! Force yourself to wake up from the slumber and move!

3. Lack of perseverance. Oftentimes the race is lost because the race is not finished. Success is often just around the sharpest corner or the steepest hill. Persevere. Keep going. One more hill. One more corner! In real estate they say the three most important things are "location, location, location." In success the three most important things are "perseverance, perseverance, perseverance."

4. Pessimism. The saying is that you can achieve what you believe. Ask yourself what kinds of beliefs you hold. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? If you don't believe that you can achieve then you won't. Your pessimism will prove yourself right every time. You will find that you subconsciously undermine yourself. Develop your optimism. Look for ways to believe that you can achieve success.

5. Not taking responsibility. I am the chaplain for the local police department. The other day I went with an officer as he took two prisoners to court. Time after time the prisoners made excuses as to why they hadn't yet done what the judge had ordered (she didn't buy it, by the way). After dropping the prisoners off, I said to the officer that unsuccessful people and prisoners have the same bad habit—they won't accept responsibility for their lives. You are responsible. When you accept that, you are on the road to success.

6. Picking the wrong people to hang out with. We can easily become products of our environment. This is why it is essential to hang around people who will spur you on, not hold you back! What about the people you have surrounded yourself with? Are they quality people who will encourage you and strengthen you in your quest for success? If not, move on!

7. No vision. Those who succeed always see their success months and years before they live it. They have the ability to look ahead, see the future, imagine the good that can and will come from their lives, families and work. To not have vision is a tremendous roadblock. Sit down and work on seeing the future—and make it good!

Discipline

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.

All disciplines affect each other. Mistakenly the man says, "This is the only area where I let down." Not true. Every letdown affects the rest. Not to think so is naive.

Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure.

Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles.

The best time to set up a new discipline is when the idea is strong.

One discipline always leads to another discipline.

Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.

You don't have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next 90 days, let alone in the next 12 months or the next 3 years.

The least lack of discipline starts to erode our self-esteem.

Accepting Responsibility — A Story of Bill Russell by Jim Rohn Most people dread accepting responsibility. That’s just a fact of life, and we can see it in operation every day. Yes, we can see avoidance of responsibility all the time in both our personal and professional lives. And here’s something else we can see just as often: we can see that most people aren’t as successful as they wish they were. Do you see there is a connection between these two very common phenomena? It’s in your best interest to take responsibility for everything you do. But that’s only the beginning. Many times it’s even best to take responsibility for the mistakes of others, especially when you’re in a managerial or leadership role. During the years when professional basketball was just beginning to become really popular, Bill Russell, who played center for the Boston Celtics, was one of the greatest players in the pro league. He was especially known for his rebounding and defensive skills.

But like a lot of very tall centers, Russell was never much of a free throw shooter. His free throw percentage was quite a bit below average in fact. But this low percentage didn't really give a clear picture of Russell's ability as an athlete. And in one game he gave a very convincing demonstration of this.

It was the final game of a championship series between Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers. With about twelve seconds left to play, the Lakers were behind by one point and Boston had the ball. It was obvious that the Lakers would have to foul one of Boston’s players in order to get the ball back, and they chose to foul Bill Russell.

This was a perfectly logical choice since statistically Russell was the worst free throw shooter on the court at that moment. If he missed the shot, the Lakers would probably get the ball back and they’d still have enough time to try to win the game. But if Russell made his first free throw, the Lakers’ chances would be seriously diminished. And if he made both shots, the game would essentially be over.

Bill Russell had a very peculiar style of shooting free throws. Today, no self-respecting basketball player anywhere in America would attempt it. Aside from the question of whether it’s an effective way to shoot a basket, it just looked too ridiculous. Whenever he had to shoot a free throw, the six-foot-eleven Russell would start off holding the ball in both hands about waist high, then he’d squat down and as he straightened up he’d let go of the ball. It looked like he was trying to throw a bucket of dirt over a wall.

But regardless of how he looked, as soon as Bill Russell was fouled, he knew the Celtics were going to win the game. He was absolutely certain of it because, in a situation like this, statistics and percentages mean nothing. There was a much more important factor at work, something that no one has found a way to express in numbers and decimal points.

Simply put, Bill Russell was a player who wanted to take responsibility for the success or failure of his team. He wanted the weight on his shoulders in a situation like this. No possibility for excuses. No possibility of blaming anyone else if the game was lost. No second guessing. Bill Russell wanted the ball in his own hands and nobody else’s. And, like magic, even if he’d missed every free throw he’d ever shot in his life before this, he knew he was going to make this one. And that is exactly what happened.

That is what virtually always happens when a man or woman accepts responsibility eagerly and with confidence. I’ve always felt that accepting responsibility is one of the highest forms of human maturity. A willingness to be accountable, to put yourself on the line, is really the defining characteristic of adulthood.