Ceremony Elements and Themes!
Below are the Rose and Unity Candle Ceremonies. Other elements you can add into your service are; Wine, Family Unity, Family Rose Ceremonies and Christian Hand Fasting. There are so many ideas; so many different elements that can be added in, what are your ideas?
Rose Ceremony
Your gift to each other today has been your wedding rings - which shall always be an outward demonstration of your vows of love and respect; and a public showing of your commitment to each other.
As husband and wife, your first gift to each other will be a single rose.
In the past, the rose was considered a symbol of love, and a single rose always meant one thing..."I love you." So it is fitting that for your first gift - as husband and wife - it would be a single rose.
Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife.
(Bride and Groom pass a single rose to each other)
Groom and Bride I would ask that where ever you make your home in the future that you both pick one very special location for roses; so that on each anniversary of this truly wonderful occasion you both may take a rose to that spot both as a recommitment to your marriage - and a recommitment that THIS will be a marriage based upon love.
In every marriage there are times where it is difficult to find the right words.
It can be difficult some time to say the words "I am sorry" or "I forgive you"; "I need you" or "I am hurting". If this should happen, if you simply can not find these words, leave a rose at that spot which both of you have selected - for that rose than says what matters most of all and should overpower all other things and all other words.
That rose says the words: "I still love you."
The other should accept this rose for the words, which cannot be, found, and remember the love and hope that you both share today.
Groom and Bride if there is anything you remember of today, it is that it was love that brought you here today, it is only love which can make it a glorious union, and it is by love which your marriage shall endure."
The Journey
Like a journey along a road, marriage has its ups and downs, its rough thorny parts and its smooth parts
These roses have a similar message, as you examine the branch it can be seen that the other part is smooth and shiny, and that at irregular intervals, a spike or a bump appears. AS we travel along the smooth surface and circumnavigate the bumps we arrive at the beautiful petals of the rose which reminds us all of the beauty, the elegance of life. (Groom’s name) and (Bride’s name) I offer you each a rose as a symbol of the journey you begin today
(Minister hands each a rose)
Give each other a rose at very regular intervals in your future life, so as to remind you and each other that the journey is truly worth it. At the end, the glory, the beauty and the elegance is well worth the bumps and spikes along the way.
As a token of your journey and to fully experience the excitement and the spirit of giving each other a rose, I now offer you this opportunity.
A Gift (2)
Officiant holds a vase with two long-stemmed red roses...
Officiant: In the elegant language of flowers, red roses are a symbol of love, and the giving of a single red rose is a clear and unmistakable way of saying the words "I love you." For this reason it is fitting that the first gift you exchange as husband and wife be the gift of a single red rose.
Groom takes one of the roses and presents it to the Bride, saying...
(Bride's name), take this rose as a symbol of my love. It began as a tiny bud and blossomed, just as my love has blossomed and grown for you.
Bride takes the other rose and presents it to the Groom, saying...
(Groom's name), take this rose as a symbol of my love. Once closed so tightly, it opened to the warmth of the sun, just as my heart has opened to the warmth of your kindness.
Officiant: (Groom's name) and (Bride's name), in remembrance of this day, I would ask as a reaffirmation of your love and of the vows you have spoken here today that you give each other a single red rose each year on your anniversary.
In every marriage there are times when it is difficult to find the right words, and the ones we love the most are the ones we can most easily hurt. There are times when it may be difficult to say "I'm sorry" or "I forgive you" or "I need you" or "I'm hurting." So I would also ask that wherever you may make your home, that you choose a special spot. And at those times when words fail, that you leave a red rose at that spot you have both selected -- a rose that will say what matters more than all other words..."I still love you."
Unity Candle
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Today you have decided to share the rest of your lives with each other.
This beautiful union is now symbolized by the lighting of the Unity Candle.
The candle you are about to light is a candle of Marriage.
The individual candles represent all that you are and all that you have been until this moment
It is a candle of Unity because both candles must come together to create the new light.
Its fire is miraculous because it represents the light of two people in love.
This candle is also a candle of Commitment because it takes two people working together to keep it ablaze.
Love is like a flame; it has the heat of passion, it is constantly changing, its radiance is there for all to see and together you must protect it from being extinguished.
BRIDE and GROOM please light the center candle to symbolize the union of your lives.
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Sand Ceremony
________ and ______ may your love always be as constant as the never-ending waves, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Just as the waters touch and nourish the many shores of the earth, may your love be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Just as there will never be a morning without the ocean’s flow, there will never be a day without your love for each other. You have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings. This beautiful union is symbolized through the combining of these two individual shells of sand. The first shell represents you ______, in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other shell represents you ______, in all that you were, all that you are and all that you will ever be. Each one holds its own unique beauty, strength, and character. They can stand on their own and be whole, without need of anything else. However when these two are blended together they create an entirely new and extraordinarily more intricate entity. Each grain of sand brings to the mixture a lasting beauty that forever enriches the combination. Please pour the sand into this common container to symbolize the union of your two lives. This container of sand now represents your new life together, although you are two separate people your lives are now entwined as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be a molding of two individual personalities, bonded together forming one heart, one love. The life that each of you experienced now, individually, will hereafter be inseparably united, for the two shall become one.
Family Sand Ceremony
We are all members of one family, God’s family. Today as ______ and ______ have sealed their commitment to each other with the exchange of rings they too make a commitment to their children. We recognize the significant role that ______, ______ , _______ and ______ play in this marriage celebrated today. They will now join ______ and ______ in this commitment to each other by contributing a part of each individual person into one blended family. Today, this relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these _____ individual shells/containers of sand, each representing a member of the family in all that they were, all that that are, and all that they will ever be. As each individual’s sand is poured into the family’s one united common container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as one. Please pour the sand into this common container to symbolize the blending of your lives. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will become the bond with your family.
Wine Ceremony
The years of life are as a cup of wine poured out for you to drink. This “Cup of Life” contains within it a wine with certain properties that are sweet and symbolic of happiness, joy, hope, peace, love and delight. This same wine also holds some bitter properties that are symbolic of disappointment, sorrow, grief, despair, and life’s trials and tribulations. Together the sweet and the bitter represent “Life’s Journey” and all of the experiences that are a natural part of it. Those who drink deeply from the “Cup of Life” with an open heart and willing spirit, invite the full range of challenges and experiences into their being.
This “Cup of Life” is symbolic of the pledges you have made to one another to share together the fullness of life. As you drink from this cup, you acknowledge to one another that your lives, until this moment separate, have become one. Drink now, and may the cup of your lives be sweet and full to running over."
CGroom pours wine into a glass, then takes a drink..He then hands the glass to his bride, and she too takes a drink.
Chaplain: As you have shared this cup of wine, so may you share your lives. May all the sweetness that it holds for you be the sweeter because you taste it together. May you find life’s joys heightened, it’s bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by God’s blessings upon you.
Christian Hand fasting
Hand fasting truly is a very beautiful element in anyone's wedding.
A cord, or braided ribbon is used. The 3 part braided ribbon represents Bride's life, Groom's life, and now their have been blended into their new life together.
Hand fasting comes at the end of your ceremony and goes like this:
(Bride and Groom hold hands) Chaplain will take the cord/ribbon and tie the hands gently together. As I do, I will say, "As this knot is tied, so are your lives now bound. Woven into this cord/ribbon imbedded into its very fibers, are all the hopes of your friends and family, and of yourselves, for your new life together. With the fashioning of the knot, do I tie all the desires, dreams, love and happiness wished/prayed for here in this place for your lives, long as you both shall live.
The braided ribbon can be colors from your wedding, Remember to have a place of honor ready to keep this cord or ribbon ready to display.
Best Wishes,
Chaplain Debby
Hand Fasting #2
We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to the words which shall unite __________ and _________ in marriage
Bride's [name], please face [Groom's name], and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.
These are the hands of your best friend, young and 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 work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.
These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within you.
These are the hands that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your new family
These are that 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 wracks 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 overwhelming love and desire 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.
These are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young 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 each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurt, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it is time to let go
These are the hands that will massage tension from you neck and back in the evenings after you’ve both had a long hard day.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times
These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, or console you when you are grieving.
They 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, each time she tells you that you are to have another child, which together you have created a new life.
These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.
Repeat after me: I, __(Groom)___________, take you, __(Bride)___________, 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)________, take you, _(Groom)__________, 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.
__________ and __________, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, I now declare you to be Husband and Wife.
Congratulations, you may kiss your bride.
Have you set your date? Send e-mail or use the phone, but hurry, let’s talk before your date is taken! chaplain_debby@hotmail.com (714) 561-3554
