 wedding ceremonies portland oregon, vancouver washington, portland wedding ceremony, oregon wedding ceremony samples
Oregon Wedding Officiant
Washington Wedding Officiant
Another Great Wedding!
Rev. Maureen Haley and friends revmaureenpdx@aol.com 503-888-9876
1. Nonreligious Wedding Ceremony Sample 2. Religious Wedding Ceremony Sample 3. Wedding Articles
These are intended to be partial examples only. The possibilities are endless, and we will help you find the right words to say what's in your hearts during the celebration of your marriage.
1. Nonreligious Wedding Ceremony Sample
We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, to give recognition to the value and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to the words which will unite ______ in marriage.
Let this be a day of gladness, thanksgiving, possibility, and great good fortune for ______, who are coming together to demonstrate the wonder of love through their wedding celebration.
We who are witnessing your marriage, hope that despite the stresses inevitable in any life, your love and respect for each other, and your trust and understanding of each other, will increase your contentment and increase your joy in living.
Marriage is a very special place, the sheltered environment in which we can learn and grow as individuals, with the support, love and companionship of that other very special person who has made the commitment and promise to share life's journey.
We are here today, not only to witness your commitment to each other, ______, but also to wish you every happiness in your future life as a couple. Within its framework of commitment and loyalty, marriage enables the establishment of a home, where through trust, patience and respect, the love and affection that you have for each other may continue to develop and deepen in the years to come.
We have come here today to be with ______ as they take the next step in their journey together. In one sense they are not beginning a new life, but are continuing and strengthening the bond that is already there. For ______, the spirit of marriage is already alive in their hearts and minds.
Exchange of Vows - see Wedding Vow Samples page
Exchange of Rings
Will you (Bride) take this ring from (Groom), as a token of his love for you and will you wear it as an expression of your love for him?
I will.
Will you (Groom) take this ring from (Bride), as a token of her love for you and will you wear it as an expression of your love for her?
I will.
Blessing of Marriage
It is my hope that from this day forward the two of you will take with you into your married life all the joy, good wishes and blessings that your friends and families are extending to you on this happy day.
(sample of blessing, many wedding blessing options available)
May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries
And the breeze blow new strength into your being,
And all the days of your life may you walk
Gently through the world and know its beauty.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you ____, husband and wife. You may kiss your bride!
2. Religious Wedding Ceremony Sample (partial example)
Marriage is an ancient and honorable relationship, urged by the very nature of our being. The hunger for permanent partnership is a calling from God, an opportunity to explore the mysteries of life together at a profound level. ____, throughout your courtship you've learned that the heart is a mystery. Not a puzzle that can't be solved, but a mystery in the religious sense. In the words of writer Thomas Moore, the heart is unfathomable, beyond manipulation, showing traces of the finger of God at work.
____, you come here today with hearts full of love, ready to deepen and expand your relationship through commitment, a formal declaration of your love as you enter the holy state of matrimony. When such a true bond already exists between a man and a woman, it is proper that an outer acknowledgement be made. We are to here witness to the entry into the closer relationship of husband and wife of these two beloved friends who are already one in spirit.
Marriage is not only the expression of love between two people it is also profound evidence of another one of life's greatest mysteries, the weaving together of many different strands of soul. It is also a sacrament, a sacred symbolic act, and therefore is not to be entered into lightly. Marriage is more than a one time ceremony. It is an ongoing commitment which deepens over time, a way of sharing love to the very depths one's heart can hold. True marriage is more than the joining in the bonds of matrimony of two persons. It is being in right relationship with self, the beloved, the world and God.
____, you are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of your beloved and by the same token something of the happiness of your entire loving community. This is a blessed privilege and spiritual responsibility.
You are adding to your life not only the affection and response that your heart desires, not only the happy companionship of hours together, but a deep trust as well. You are agreeing not only to work out your own salvation but to help another as well. You are agreeing to be a light and tower of strength to each other. You are agreeing to carry a part of each other's responsibilities. You are entering into an act of pure faith in which you must give yourself to the utmost.
WEDDING VOWS
____, do you take ____ to be your wedded wife, to love her to protect her, to provide for her and to be unto her a dutiful husband?
I Do.
____, do you take ____ to be your wedded husband, to love , to inspire him with courage and true thoughts, and always be unto him a dutiful wife?
I Do.
The circle is the perfect form with no beginning and no end. These rings represent the endless spiritual love that links you soul to soul of which Jesus said, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made the male and female, and said, for this cause, shall a man leave his mother and
father and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?... What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Matt. 19:4-6
Repeat after me: (groom then bride)
____, you are the love I cherish in my heart. I give you this ring as a sign of my endless love and faithfulness.
(Reading or Blessing)
____, with the blessings of those here present and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who performs every true marriage, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may seal your vows with a kiss.
It is my great pleasure to introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. ____.
3. Wedding Articles
What Is a Wedding Officiant Anyway?
by Maureen Haley, © 2007
You’re not alone if you aren’t clear about what and who a marriage officiant or wedding officiant is. Let’s start with marriage. Marriage is a civil contract, as well as a commitment of one loving heart to another. The legal record of marriages is held by the county or the state where you marry. The marriage ceremony itself may be performed by (1) a government authority or (2) a religious authority, and must be witnessed by two other people.
What is an officiant? Your wedding officiant is a person who is legally able to perform your marriage and report that marriage to the state for recording. Your wedding officiant is the person who witnesses that you are freely saying “I do” in the presence of two other witnesses.
There are variations from state to state, regarding who is authorized to perform a marriage ceremony. If you have concerns about it, just check with the county where you will purchase your marriage license. Your wedding officiant may come from a variety of governmental offices such as a judge, a justice of the peace, a notary or a county clerk, depending on the state. Or your officiant may come from innumerable religious organizations. They may be called minister, priest, rabbi, imam, shaman, pastor, priestess, medicine man or any other title that is given by their authorizing congregation. In this great nation, we are free to worship as we see fit, so the possibilities are greater than one may imagine.
Some religious officiants want to perform ceremonies with religious content and others are willing to honor the couple’s wishes for less religion. Since many couples today, do not participate in any organized religion, many wedding ministers, frequently perform wedding ceremonies with no religious content. The ceremony is a very personalized expression of the unique love between the couple and includes and recognizes the community of loving family and friends who are there to witness and support the couple’s commitment to each other.
Wedding ceremonies are about the deep and abiding love between two people and are meant to be enjoyed by the community of the merging friends and families. It’s all about LOVE!
Rev. Maureen Haley is a wedding minister marrying happy couples in the greater Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington area. Her website is http://www.portlandministers.com and she is available for weddings, memorial services, life celebrations, funerals, etc.
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Rev. Maureen Haley and friends, Oregon Wedding Minister Officiants
MAIL: PO Box 80422, Portland, Oregon 97280
9860 SW Hall Blvd., Suite E, Portland OR 97223, by apt. only
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