Reverend Debby: 

As we gather here with a cathedral of trees and carpeting of leaves, we shall witness a most joyous occasion.  groom and bride have asked all of you, their dear family and friends, to bear witness to their vows and commitment to journey forward in their lives together as lovers and friends in marriage.

It is through love that our spirits are lifted into a oneness that transcends all the dualities we may experience in our lives. Marriage brings us to that deeply profound love where our souls can soar and merge as one. It is this love that gives the deepest meaning to our lives. It is our highest calling, our greatest purpose, and our finest achievement.

Therefore, 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 and vows which shall unite groom and bride in marriage.

 Reverend Debby’s Marriage Charge

Reverend Debby:

groom and bride,  I would ask that you always treat yourself and each other with honor and respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together today.  Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your marriage deserves.  Just as two threads woven in opposite directions will form a most beautiful tapestry, so does the merging of your lives together make a beautiful marriage. To make your relationship work, it will take love.  This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today.  It will take trust, to know in your hearts that you truly want the best for each other.  It will take dedication, to stay open to one another - and to learn and grow together.  It will take faith, to go forward together without knowing exactly what the future brings.  And it will take commitment, to hold true to the journey you both pledge to share together.

Consent to Marriage

Reverend Debby:   

Marriage Vows and Exchange of Rings

The wedding rings are now handed to the Reverend, who will hand each ring respectively to the groom and bride.

Reverend Debby:  The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity as it has no beginning and no end. It is an outward sign of the inward and spiritual bond uniting two hearts in endless love.  You have chosen rings as symbols of your promises to each other on this day.

Will you please repeat after me:

bride, take this ring as a seal upon the marriage vows I have spoken, and as you wear it, may it be a reminder of how much I love you, not only on this precious day, but every single day of your life.

I promise to be there when you need me, to fill your days with sunshine, to comfort you and encourage you, to be your best friend everlasting and to love you all my life with all my heart, for so long as we both shall live.

He places the ring on her finger.

groom, take this ring as a seal upon the marriage vows I have spoken, and as you wear it, may it be a reminder of how much I love you, not only on this precious day, but every single day of your life.

I promise to be there when you need me, to fill your days with sunshine, to comfort you and encourage you, to be your best friend everlasting and to love you all my life with all my heart, for so long as we both shall live.

She places the ring on his finger.

Final Prayer and Pronouncement of Marriage

Reverend Debby: I’d now like to ask you all to pray with me:

Dear God,

Please bless this couple.  May their love be nurtured by You, always and forever.

May this marriage be held in Your hands and ministered unto by Your angels.

May all the world be blessed hereby.

And so it is.

Amen.

Reverend Debby:

groom and bride, on this day, in as much as you have each affirmed your love for one another,  I ask that you forever remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of each other.  From this day forward you shall be each other's home, comfort and refuge, and your marriage will only grow stronger with your love and respect for each other.

And now, in as much as you have spoken the vows and performed the rites creating a partnership of matrimony, with the authority vested in my by the State of Michigan, it is my honor and delight to now officially pronounce you husband and wife.