Additional Wedding Rituals

Rose Ceremony between

Bride and Groom

Your gift to each other for your wedding 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. The rose has always been considered a symbol of love and a single rose has always meant only one thing…it meant the words…”I love you.”  So it is appropriate that for your first gift as husband and wife…that gift should be a single rose. Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife.  In some ways it seems like you have not done anything at all. Just a moment ago you were holding one small rose, and now you are holding another small rose.  In some ways, a marriage ceremony is like this.  In some ways, tomorrow is going to seem no different than yesterday.  But in fact today, just now, you both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life…one I hope you always remember…the gift of true and abiding love within the devotion of marriage. Joe and Jane, I would ask wherever you make your home that you both pick one very special location 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 on love. 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.”    If this should happen, and if you simply cannot find these words, leave a rose at that spot which both of you have selected…for that rose says what matters most of all and should overpower all things and 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. Jane and Joe, if there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, may it be that it is love which brought you here this day, it is love which will make yours a glorious union, and it is by love that your marriage shall endure.

Rose Ceremony for Parents

Marriage is a coming together of two lives and a celebration of the love of two people. But it is more. The love that Jane and Joe feel for one another is the flowering of a seed their parents planted in their hearts years ago. As they embrace one another in their love, so do they embrace the families which have been brought together on this happy occasion. As a sign of their love for their families, they would like to offer these symbols of eternal love, these roses, to their mothers/parents. These Roses are a promise that no matter how far apart you may be, that you are always in their thoughts/prayers and in their hearts.

Hand Blessing Ceremony

Today, you hold each other’s hearts in the palms of your hands. These are the most precious gifts that you will ever give to one another.  Please join your four hands as you pledge them to each other and to your marriage. These are hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love, that are being held by yours on this, your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever. These hands that you now hold are very hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future and as you share your innermost secrets and dreams together. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you whenever fear or grief threaten to overwhelm you. 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 tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will hold your family together as well. These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it the most. These are the hands that will lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you. And lastly, these are the hands that, even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

May God, bless these hands that you see before you this day that they always be held by one another.  Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in this, their wondrous love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, and may Jane and Joe see their four hands together acting as healer, protector, shelter and guide.   Amen.
Or...

May these hands be blessed that we see before us this day. May they always be held by one another. May they have the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. May they remain tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. May these hands continue building a relationship founded in love, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching for perfection. May Jane and Joe see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter and guide.

Wine & Love Letter Box

Jane and Joe, you have chosen as a couple to share in a Love Letter & Wine Box ceremony.  This box contains a  bottle of wine, two glasses, and a love letter from each to the other.  The letters describe the good qualities you find in one another, the reasons you fell in love, and your reasons for choosing to marry. These letters are sealed in individual envelopes and neither of you has seen what the other has written.  I suggest that you keep this box in a place of honor prominently displayed in your home as a constant reminder of your commitment to one another.  And if there should ever come a time when you hit a bumpy road in your marriage, sit down together, open this box, and share the bottle of wine, then separate and read the letters you wrote to one another on the day you were united in marriage.  The romantic sentiments, the declarations of love, and the clear thoughts will remind you why you chose each other as marriage partners.  This is the perfect ritual to bring back the feelings of your wedding day and your intentions to love and cherish each other in good times and bas for as long as you both shall live. The hope is, however, that you will never have a reason to open this box. And if this is the case, you are to open it and share the wine and letters on your 5th wedding anniversary!  Jane and Joe...you may now seal your box.

Love Knot

Jane and Joe  have chosen as a couple to share in a unique and special ritual to symbolize their joining today. The tying of the knot will forever remind them of the day they tied their lives together. The Fisherman's Knot…or true lovers knot, forms one of the most durable bonds. The binding consists of two interlocking, overhand knots that create a symmetrical figure eight. The simple knot strengthens under pressure and becomes sturdier when it gets wet."

You will start tying the knot and after you have both tied your knots...

Joe will say…As these two strands intertwine.

Jane will follow…So we join, your life and mine.

You will pull your knots together.  As they kiss...so will you!

Handfasting Ceremony

Jane and Joe have chosen to include Handfasting into their wedding ceremony today. Handfasting is an ancient Celtic wedding ritual in which the couple's hands are tied together with a ceremonial cord symbolizing their unity and commitment to one another and their marriage. HandFasting is a declaration of intent, where the bride and groom clearly state that they are marrying of their own free will. Joe and Jane…know now before you go further, that since your lives have crossed in this life, you have formed eternal and sacred bonds. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real the ideals that give meaning to this ceremony and to the institution of marriage. With full awareness, know that you are not only declaring your intent to be handFasted before your friends and family, but you speak that intent also to God. The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth. Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?  You will answer…yes.

Jane and Joe…look into each others eyes.

(Hold hands – Bride’s left hand, Groom’s right hand)
Will you honor and respect one another, and seek to never break that honor?

(We will) The first cord is draped over the couple'shands.

Will you share each other's pain and seek to ease it?

(We will)  Second cord is draped over the hands.

Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?

(We will)  Third cord is draped over the couple's hands.
Will you share each other's laughter, and look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other? (We will)
Fourth cord is draped over the couple's hands.  [Tie cords together]
Joe and Jane, as your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. The knots of this binding are not formed by these cords but, rather by the vows you have made. For always you hold in your own hands the fate of this union. Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars your love should be a constant source of light,

and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow.

Family Gift Ceremony

Marriage is often viewed as the union of two people.  In reality, however, it is much broader.  As we give thanks for the love that brings Joe and Jane together, so too, do we recognize the importance of families and the additional love and responsibility that family brings to this marriage.  As part of the family blending of this marriage we recognize _____,_____ and _____ and the significant role they play in this union celebrated today.  Joe and Jane present these gifts to their children as a symbol of family commitment and love made visible through this union.  Joe and Jane...please repeat after me._____,_____ and _____, in the giving of these gifts we pledge to you our continuing love as we surround you now with our arms of support and protection.  Give kids a hug.  These gifts will always remain as a symbol of your family unity and  love.  It is written that "a cord of many strands is not easily broken."  May this ceremony forever remind you of the strength of your family bond and the enduring love that this family shares.