Tuesday, April 17, 2012

WEDDING VOWS


WEDDING VOWS


VOW 1





I, Groom, make these vows to you, Bride, in the presence of God and these family and friends.

Today I give myself to you and you alone, in marriage
I promise to live with you and laugh with you
To stand by your side and sleep in your arms
To encourage and inspire you
To comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle
I promise to love you, Bride, 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 always hold you in highest regard
These vows I make to you today, for all the days of our life.




I, Bride, make these vows to you, Groom, in the presence of God and these family and friends.

Today I give myself to you and you alone, in marriage
I promise to live with you and laugh with you
To stand by your side and sleep in your arms
To encourage and inspire you
To comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle
I promise to love you, Groom, 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 always hold you in highest regard
These vows I make to you today, for all the days of our life.

VOW 2


Minister: (Groom’s Name), will you have (Bride’s Name), to be your wedded wife/spouse/partner, to live together in the covenant of faith, hope, and love according to the intention of God for your lives? Will you listen to her deepest thoughts, be tender hearted and kind/wise in your daily care of her, and stand faithfully at her side in sickness and in health? Choosing her above all others, will you undertake to care for her well-being of mind and body and spirit, as long as you both shall live?

Response: I will.

Minister: (Bride’s Name), will you have (Groom’s Name), to be your wedded husband/spouse/partner, to live together in the covenant of faith, hope, and love according to the intention of God for your lives? Will you listen to his deepest thoughts, be tender hearted and kind/wise in your daily care of him, and stand faithfully at his side in sickness and in health? Choosing him above all others, will you undertake to care for him well-being of mind and body and spirit, as long as you both shall live?

Response: I will.

--Adapted from a Baptist ceremony


VOW 3


In the name of God,
I, (Groom’s Name), take you, (Bride’s Name), to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day onward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.

In the name of God,
I, (Bride’s Name), take you, (Groom’s Name), to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day onward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.

--Methodist ceremony

VOW 4



Groom:

These words are a sign from my heart
that I desire to live with you, love you, cherish you, honour you and protect you
from this day forward as my wife and that you may remember
forever that I have chosen you above all others.




Bride:

These words are a sign from my heart
that I desire to live with you, love you, cherish you, honour you and protect you
from this day forward as my husband, and that you may remember
forever that I have chosen you above all others.


VOW 5


Ministert to Groom:

(Groom’s Name) will you have (Bride’s Name) to be your wife, will
you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in
health, remaining faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
The groom replies: "I will."

Minister to the bride:

(Bride’s Name) will you have (Groom’s Name) to be your husband,
will you love him, comfort him. honor and keep him in sickness and
in health, remaining faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
The bride replies: "I will."

Minister to the Groom: "Repeat after me:"

I take you (Bride’s Name) to be my wife, To have and to hold from
this day forward, For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
To love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.

Minister to the bride: "Repeat after me:"

I take you (Groom’s Name) to be my husband, To have and to hold
from this day forward, For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
To love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.


VOW 6


I call upon these people here present to witness that I,
(Groom’s Name) take you (Bride’s Name) as my legally married wife.

I call upon these people here present to witness that I,
(Bride’s Name) take you (Groom’s Name) to be my legally
married husband.

VOW 7




I call upon these people here present to witness that I (Groom’s Name)
 take you (Bride’s Name), as my lawfully wedded wife, to share with you
a relationship of love and of tenderness and laughter.  I will stand by you
through all our tomorrows, respecting you as a person, your individuality,
your needs, your changes, and enjoy your love throughout our lives.

I call upon these people here present to witness that I (Bride’s Name) take
you (Groom’s Name), as my lawfully wedded husband, to share with you
a relationship of love and of tenderness and laughter.  I will stand by you
through all our tomorrows, respecting you as a person, your individuality,
your needs, your changes, and enjoy your love throughout our lives.


VOW 8


Before those dear to us gathered here today I take you (Bride’s Name) for
my legally wedded wife. I vow to love, cherish and support you with my
life through all our tomorrows.


Before those dear to us gathered here today I take you (Groom’s Name)
for my legally wedded husband. I vow to love, cherish and support you
with my life through all our tomorrows.


VOW 9


Groom: Today we cross an invisible line.

Bride: We leave behind our yesterdays and start our lives anew.

Groom: The past is over.  We will concern ourselves only with the future.

Bride: It is a new day, a new commitment, a new life.

Groom: The vows we take today will change us forever.

Bride: I take them gladly.

Groom: I take them gladly, too.

Bride: (Groom’s Name), I promise to love you, to protect you, and to be
faithful to you for all the days of my life. I will soothe your hurts and
share your delights. I will do all in my power to make you as happy as I
am today.

Groom: (Bride’s Name), I promise to love you and honor you and to
always be honest with you. I will be faithful to you for all the days of my
life. I will believe only the best about you and look always for your good
qualities.  I will do all in my power to make you as happy as I am today.

Bride: Today is the beginning of the rest of my life. I choose to spend
today, and all of my tomorrows, with you.

Groom: Today is the beginning of the rest of my life. I choose to spend it,
and all of my tomorrows, with you.

Groom: I love you, (Bride’s Name).

Bride: I love you, (Groom’s Name).
Groom: I want you for my wife, that we may share our lives with each other.

Bride: I want you for my husband, that our love may be sanctified by
this ceremony.

Groom: I promise to put you first in my life, knowing that our love is my
most precious possession.

Bride: I promise to put you first in my life, believing that all other
achievements pale beside a happy marriage.

Groom: I will share with you my joys, my sorrows, my hopes and my
dreams.

Bride: I will bring to you my accomplishments and my failures.

Groom: I will be faithful to you always.

Bride: And I will be faithful to you.

Groom: From this day forward, I will walk beside you. 
When we are apart, my thoughts will be with you.

Bride: From this day forward, we stand together. 
Whatever happens to either of us will be confronted by both.

Groom: I gladly make these promises. I am proud to be your husband.

Bride: I gladly make these promises. I am proud to be your wife.

Groom: Our vows are ended; our marriage has begun.

Bride: Let us go with joy into our new life together.

Groom: This is a day of rejoicing.

Bride: We rejoice in the goodness of love.

Groom: Because I love you, I promise to respect your wishes and  opinions.

Bride: Because I love you, I promise to put our marriage above all else.

Groom: I will share with you my material goods, my thoughts, and my feelings.

Bride: I will share with you my material goods, my thoughts, and my feelings.

Groom: I promise to do all that I can to keep our relationship special to both of us.

Bride: I will cherish our time together. I will try to keep our home peaceful and          harmonious.

Groom: I will encourage you to grow and to become all that you are
capable of becoming.

Bride: I will urge you to meet whatever challenges you may face.

Groom: I promise to be faithful to you in thought, word, and act.

Bride: I promise to be faithful to you in thought, word, and act. 
This is a day of rejoicing.

Groom: We rejoice in the goodness of love.

VOW 10


Groom: Today is a new beginning. It is the start of a new way of life.

Bride: We don't know what challenges lie ahead.  We know only that we
will face them together.

Groom: Because of you, I am a better person than I once was.

Bride: I promise always to see the good in you.

Groom: I will try to be worthy of your love and trust.

Bride: Because of you, I am a better person than I once was.

Groom: I promise always to see the good in you.

Bride: I will try to be worthy of your love and trust.

Groom: Before God and these witnesses, I vow to be loyal to you in every
way, to comfort you, to cherish you, and always to love you.

Bride: Before God and these witnesses, I vow to be loyal to you in every
way, to comfort you, to cherish you, and always to love you.

Groom: Today is a new beginning.

Bride: Our new life together has begun.

Groom: Love is more than an emotion. It is a way of life.

Bride: Love is more than a feeling. It is a channel through which all
feelings flow.

Groom: When I offer you my love, I offer all that is important in my life.

Bride: When I offer you my love, I let all of my deepest feelings flow
toward you.

Groom: Marriage is more than a ceremony. This service lasts less than an
hour but marriage is a lifetime of living together.

Bride: Marriage is more than a promise.
It is a promise kept; it is words translated into action.

Groom: As we begin living our promises, I pledge to you my love and
loyalty. I will share with you all that is important to me. I will encourage
peace and happiness between us.

Bride: As we begin living our promises, I pledge to you my love and
loyalty. I will share with you all that is important to me. I will encourage
peace and happiness between us.


VOW 11


Bride: I, (Bride’s Name), take you, (Groom’s Name), to be my husband.
I promise to be true to you always, in sickness and in health, in poverty or
wealth, in my thoughts and in my speaking.  I will be your dearest friend,
your lover, and the mother of your children.  With these vows, I commit
myself to you.

Groom: I, (Groom’s Name), take you, (Bride’s Name), to be my wife.  I
promise to be true to you always, in sickness and in health, in poverty or
wealth, in my thoughts and in my speaking.  I will be your dearest friend,
your lover, and the father of your children.  With these vows, I
commit myself to you.

 


VOW 12


Minister:  Marriage is an act of faith. It requires great trust to pledge ones
self to a lifetime with another person. Today (Groom’s Name) and
(Bride’s Name) demonstrate their faith and trust by pledging their love to
each other.

(Groom’s Name), what promises do you make to (Bride’s Name)?

Groom: (Bride’s Name), I affirm you now as my life partner. I promise to
stay with you in times of celebration and in times of mourning. I promise
to love you, honor you, and be faithful to you. I accept you, without
reservation, as my wife.

Minister: (Bride’s Name), what promises do you make to
(Groom’s Name)?

Bride: (Groom’s Name), I affirm you now as my life partner. I promise to
stay with you in times of celebration and in times of mourning. I promise
to love you, honor you, and be faithful to you. I accept you, without
reservation, as my husband.

Minister: By the promises they've made, (Groom’s Name) and (Bride’s
Name) have demonstrated their belief in love, in marriage, and in each
other.  They ask now for the blessing of all who have witnessed their
vows.  If you believe in their love and approve their marriage, please
applaud.

VOW 13


Groom: I promise to live in such a way that I will never bring dishonor
or heartache into our marriage.

Bride: I promise to keep our home a sanctuary of love, contentment
and compassionate understanding.

Groom: I pledge to you my patience, my honesty, and my faith in the
rightness of our love.

Bride: I pledge to you my patience, my honesty, and my faith in the
rightness of our love.

Groom: To the best of my ability, I will be your friend, your helpmate,
your counselor and your sweetheart.

Bride: To the best of my ability, I will be your friend, your helpmate,
your counselor and your sweetheart.

Groom: I love you and I want to be your husband.

Bride: I love you and I want to be your wife.

 



VOW 14


Groom: Love thrives on honesty. I promise always to be truthful with you.

Bride: Love is nourished by thoughtfulness. I promise that my actions will
reflect my high regard for you.

Groom: I believe that the power of love can change lives. 
My life is changed because I love you.

Bride: Love can bring joy, hope and strength. 
Our love has brought all of those to me.

Groom: I promise that the home we are founding today will have love at
its core.  I will do all that I can to nourish and enrich our love for each
other.

Bride: I promise that the home we are founding today will have love at its
core.  I will do all that I can to nourish and enrich our love for each other.


VOW 15


Bride: I love you for looking at me and seeing only the best.

Groom: I love you for listening to me and hearing only the good.
I will strive to become what you think I am.

Bride: In our times together, I promise to see you always through the eyes
of love.

Groom: In our times together, I promise to see you always through the
eyes of love.

 

VOW 16


Bride: I never meant to love so much. I meant to keep my emotions under control because I didn't want to be vulnerable.

Groom: I never meant to love so much.  I intended to be rational and calm.

Bride: I thought I could care, but within boundaries.

Groom: I thought I could love, but with limitations.

Bride: I meant to let you be one part of my life; instead you have become more important than life itself.

Groom: I meant to keep our love in its own compartment; instead it has overflowed the boundaries into everything I say and do and feel.

Bride: I meant to be cautious.

Groom: I meant to stay uncommitted.

Bride: Now, because I do care so much, I am vulnerable. And I do not mind.

Groom: I joyfully accept the commitments of marriage.

Bride: From this day forward, I promise to love you willingly and completely, withholding nothing.

Groom: From this day forward, I promise to love you willingly and
completely, withholding nothing.

Bride: I never meant to love so much, but it has happened.  And I am glad.

Groom: It has happened. And I am glad.

 


VOW 17


Groom: I take you, (Bride’s Name), to be my wife.
I join with you to share all that is to come.

Bride: I take you, (Groom’s Name), to be my husband.
I join with you to share all that is to come.

Groom: I will be faithful to you as long as God gives us life together. 
Each rising sun will find you by my side.

Bride: I will be faithful to you as long as God gives us life together. 
Each rising sun will find you by my side.

Groom: I will treasure our new life above all else.

Bride: I will treasure our new life above all else. 
All that I am, and all that I ever hope to be, is yours.

Groom: All that I am, and all that I ever hope to be, is yours.


VOW 18 (Episcopal Vows)


Groom:

In the name of God, I, (name), take you, (name), to be my wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better or worse, for richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death.
This is my solemn vow.

Bride:
In the name of God, I, (name), take you, (name), to be my husband,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better or worse, for richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death.





VOW 19 (I Love you)


I love you.
I pledge to grow in my Love for you.
I pledge to nurture our Love for it is
loving you that nurtures my soul.
I pledge to share our Love together as One.
I love you because you are the only one for me.
To know you is to know Love
- and through you, know True Love.
I love you because you are the One who completes me.
I can not know union without you
- for it is by joining you that I learn
about Love's union and where it comes from.
I love you because it is my soul mission in Life to learn our Love.
I do not so much seek to heal you,
but to embrace our Love that fills our Life as a way of healing each other.
I see your Love for me in your eyes and I see what freedom is,
what True Love is.
I promise to support your growth and share the fullness of myself.
I promise to honor you by being open to all the expressions of your inner self.
I promise to allow our Love we share become our Prayer we live.
Above all, I promise to be true to you and true to myself
so that we may grow in our Love that joins us as one.
If the Eagle is the symbol of freedom born out of True Love,
then I am one wing and you are equally the other.
Let us fly together in harmony and may
gentle winds carry us all the way to Heaven.


VOW 20


I prayed to God for a companion who could understand me and accept me as I am and for a special friend who would share laughter and tears - and he sent you.

Grooms Vows:
 [Brides name], I promise to love you with all my heart, mind and strength. I promise to be faithful, now and forever. I also promise to respect your children and treat them as if they were my own. I gladly accept the obligations that go along with this pledge. I care for your children and want them to be a part of my life.

I prayed to God for a companion who could understand me and accept me as I am and for a special friend who would share laughter and tears - and he sent you.

Brides Vows:
With continued love, friendship, trust and communication, I [Brides name] take you today in committing my life to yours. [Grooms name] when you need me I will be there and when your strength fails you, may mine always be there for you. Side by side, step by step, may our great journey together begin, here now from this day forward.




VOW 21


My beloved, romance may fade, but true love endures.
I choose to truly love you, with kindness, faithfulness, and respect,
through every circumstance that life may bring.
Because you are the treasure of my heart,
it will be my joy to support, encourage, comfort, and defend you
as we together face the coming days of sorrow and joy,
sickness and health, poverty and wealth.
When I have been wronged, I will forgive.
When I do wrong, I will confess with contrition.
When conflict dims our days, I will exercise the patience of true love
and seek the light of wise counsel.

Most of all, I will rejoice and thank the Lord
for completing me with the gift of you.
And through His infinite grace, I know that no matter what may come,
I will remain by your side with enduring devotion and fidelity
for as long as He allows us to share this earthly life.
This is my solemn vow because, in you, I have found the one my soul loves.
May the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit guide us
and bless us each day from this moment forward

 VOW 22


I, [Groom's name], take you [Bride's name], to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep
So help me God

I, [Bride's name], take you [Groom's name], to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today,
tomorrow, and forever
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep
So help me God

In unison:
Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you,
For where you go I will go,
and where you stay I will stay
Your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried.




SERVICE OF RENEWAL OF MARRIAGE VOWS


SERVICE OF RENEWAL
 OF MARRIAGE VOWS



Groom Name

&

Bride Name


date

time

at

place


ORDER OF SERVICE


Welcome family and friends.

Family and friends stand as bride enters.

When couple are standing before the Minister, the family and friends are seated.

Minister:    

I would like to welcome you here today. I am Pastor ……… of Riverview Church in Perth.

We have come together today in the presence of God to witness and to celebrate a Renewal of the Vows that Groom and Bride have already made to one another in …………………….(place), on ……………… (date) and to share in their joy.

Before we go ahead with the renewal, I would like to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you have already entered.

When you are married in Australia, the law declares that this union is between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.


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.
6.        It is a lifelong commitment, in which a man and
bride 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
prosperity and adversity. The mutual commitment of a
man and a bride to each other, in a bond of love, causes
marriage to be a strong and secure covenant.
READING

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, it never gives up
Love is kind, it cares more for others than for self
It does not envy, doesn’t want what it doesn’t have
It does not boast
It is not proud
It is not rude, doesn’t force itself on others
It is not self-seeking, isn’t always ‘me first’
It is not easily angered, doesn’t fly off the handle
Love is not touchy, or fretful or resentful
It keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil
But rejoices with the truth
It always protects
It always trusts
Always looks for the best, is ever ready to believe the best of every person
Always hopes and perseveres
It never looks back
Love never fails


MINISTER’S CHARGE TO THE CONGREGATION:

I would like to encourage you all to support bride and groom 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 renewal of their covenant together today. We thank you that you have caused 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, Do you affirm that you have given yourself to Bride to be her husband, that you will 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 do”

Minister:    

Bride: Do you affirm that you have given yourself to Groom to be his wife, that you 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”

Minister:

GROOM AND BRIDE WILL NOW RENEW THEIR VOWS

I groom/ in the presence of God/ and these family and friends/affirm that you are my wife/; 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 a renewal of my faithful vows and promise.”

I bride/ in the presence of God/ and these family and friends/affirm that you are my husband/; 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 a renewal of my faithful vows and promise.”

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

The minister receives the wedding rings if being used.

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 have already made and are reminding themselves of today.  Amen.

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

Bride /as you receive this ring afresh from me today, look on it as a renewed sign of my faithfulness/and my pledge to you/with all that I am and all that I have/I declare again today that I honour you.

Bride says:

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

Bride places ring on his finger saying:

Groom /as you receive this ring afresh from me today, look on it as a renewed sign of my faithfulness/and my pledge to you/with all that I am and all that I have/I declare again today that I honour you.

Groom says:

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


PRONOUNCEMENT

Minister to family and friends:

Before God and in the presence of us all, by solemn consent and promise, Groom and Bride have now rededicated themselves to each other in marriage.

It gives me great joy, in the presence of God, to affirm you as husband and wife in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You may kiss your bride.”

Groom and Bride have decided that the first thing they would like to do after their Renewal of Vows is to take communion as a symbol of their remembrance and acceptance of the work of Jesus and of their invitation of God’s presence into their marriage.  

GROOM AND BRIDE WILL TAKE COMMUNION

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”. 

THE PRESENTATION OF Mr & Mrs ……………………….