The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage

• The Seating of the Parents
• Air & Hornpipe from The Water Music Handel
• The Processional
• Canon in D Pachelbel
• The Bridal Processional
• Trumpet Voluntary Clark

(Clergy, facing the people and Bride and Groom with Bride to the right and Groom to the left)

MINISTER:
(To the congregation)

“Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people.”

“The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.”

“Into this holy union Bride and Groom now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now, or else for ever hold your peace.”

MINISTER:
(To the Bride and Groom)

“I require and charge you both, here in the presence of God, that if either of you know any reason why you may not be united in marriage lawfully, and in accordance with God’s Word, you do now confess it.”

The Declaration Of Consent

MINISTER:
(To the Bride)

“Bride, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

BRIDE:

“I will.”

MINISTER:
(To the Groom)

“Groom, will you have this Woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

GROOM:

“I will.”

MINISTER:
(To the congregation)

“Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?”

CONGREGATION:

“We will.”

The Presentation of the Bride

MINISTER:
(To the Father of the Bride)

“Who presents this woman to be married to this man?”

FATHER OF THE BRIDE:

“I do.”

The Ministry of The Word

MINISTER:
(To the congregation)

“The Lord be with you.”

CONGREGATION:

“And also with you.”

MINISTER:

“Let us pray. O gracious and ever-living God, you have created us male and female in your image: Look mercifully upon this man and this woman who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

(The people may be seated)

Scripture 1

“A Reading from Song of Solomon”

Song of Solomon 2:10-13; 8:6-7

My beloved speaks and says to me: ” Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.”

“The word of the Lord.”

CONGREGATION:

“Thanks be to God”

Psalm

Psalm 128

1. Happy are they all who fear the Lord, *
   and who follow in his ways!
2. You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
   happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
3. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
   your children like olive shoots round about your table.
4. The man who fears the Lord *
   shall thus indeed be blessed.
5. The Lord bless you from Zion, *
   and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6. May you live to see your children’s children; *
   may peace be upon Israel.

Scripture 2

“A Reading from Tobit”

Tobit 8:5b-8

Tobias said to Sarah, ” Sister, get up, and let us pray and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety.” So she got up, and they began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe. Tobias began by saying, ” Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors, and blessed is your name in all generations forever. Let the heavens and the whole creation bless you forever. You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve as a helper and support. From the two of them the human race has sprung. You said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.’ I now am taking this kinswoman of mine, not because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that she and I may find mercy and that we may grow old together.” And they both said, ” Amen, Amen.”

“The word of the Lord.”

CONGREGATION:

“Thanks be to God”

How Great Thou Art

Dedicated in loving memory to ————————

Oh Lord my God

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works

Thy hands have made

I see the stars

I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout

The universe displayed

Then sings my soul

My Saviour, God, to Thee

How great thou art

How great thou art

Then sings my soul

My Saviour, God, to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

Scripture 3

“A reading from 1st Corinthians”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

“The word of the Lord.” People: Thanks be to God

The Marriage

GROOM:
(facing Bride, takes her right hand in his)

“In the Name of God, I, Groom, take you, Bride, to be my wife, 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, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.”

BRIDE:
(Then they loose their hands and Bride, still facing Groom, takes his right hand in hers, and says)

“In the Name of God, I, Bride, take you, Groom, to be my husband, 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, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.”

(They loose their hands)

MINISTER:
(Asks God’s blessing on the rings)

“Bless, O Lord, these rings to be a sign of the vows by which this Man and this Woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” People: Amen

BRIDE:
(Places the ring on the ring finger of Groom’s hand)

“Groom’s name,” I give you this ring as a symbol of my vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

GROOM:
(Places the ring on the ring-finger of Bride’s hand)

“Brides name”, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

MINISTER:
( joins the right hands of husband and wife)

“Now that Bride and Groom have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

“Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.”

The Prayers

MINISTER:
(All standing)

“Let us pray together in the words our Savior taught us:”

(The Lord’s Prayer is then recited by the People and Clergy)

Our father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

(The Lay reader then reads several prayers, to which the People respond, saying, “Amen.” )

• Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation, and giver of all grace: Look with favor upon the world you have made, and for which your Son gave his life, and especially upon this man and this woman whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony. People: Amen
• Give them wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy. People: Amen
• Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will and their spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and one another all the days of their life. People: Amen
• Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to see each other’s forgiveness and yours. People: Amen
• Make their life together a sign of Christ’s love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair. People: Amen
• Bestow on them, if it is your will, the gift and heritage of children, and the grace to bring them up to know you, to love you, and to serve you. People: Amen
• Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others. People: Amen
• Grant that all married persons who have witnessed these vows may find their lives strengthened and their loyalties confirmed. People: Amen
• Grant that the bonds of our common humanity, by which all your children are united one to another, and the living to the dead, may be so transformed by your grace, that your will may be done on earth as it is in heaven; where, O Father, with your Son and the Holy Spirit, you live and reign in perfect unity, now ad for ever. People: Amen

The Blessing Of The Marriage

MINISTER:
(The people remain standing)

“Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantel about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.” People: Amen

MINISTER:

“I now present Mr. and Mrs. ——————- Name. You may now kiss the bride.”

The Recessional

• Bridal March Mendelssohn
• The Wedding Party
• Parents of the Bride
• Names
• Parents of the Groom
• Names
• Maid of Honor Best Man Ushers Others
• Names