The Important Part continued...

Vows:

(To Groom) Please repeat after me:

I love you.

You are my best friend

Today I give myself to you in marriage.  

I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you,

and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle.

I promise to love you in good times and inbad,

when life seems easy and when it seems hard,

when our love is simple, and when it is an effort.

I promise to cherish you, and to alwayshold you in highest regard.

These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life.

(To Bride) Please repeat after me:

I love you.

You are my best friend.

Today I give myself to you in marriage.

I promise to encourage and inspire you,to laugh with you,

and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle.

I promise to love you in good times and inbad,

when life seems easy and when it seems hard,

when our love is simple, and when it is an effort.

I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in highest regard.

These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life.

Exchange of Rings:

Officiant: May I have the rings please?

Rings are an ancient symbol, blessed and simple. Round like the sun, round like the eye, and round like arms that embrace. May these rings symbolize that your love, like the sun, illuminates and warms the others heart, like the eye, you must see clearly even amid the adversity of life, and like arms that embrace as grace upon the world. May they also remind you that love given comes back around again and again.

_____, (Groom/Bride) take this ring and place it on _____(Bride/Groom) finger and repeat after me. I,_____, (Groom/Bride) take you, to be my wife/husband, in equal love, as a partner and companion, to have and to hold, to honor and to cherish, in joy and in sorrow, from this day forward. (Bride), please face (Groom), and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.

Hand Ceremony:

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 that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your child 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  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 overwhelm you.

These are the hands, then when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, giving you the same

unspoken trust and support.

(Groom), please hold (Bride’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 promises to love 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 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 love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

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.

Bless these hands that you see before you this day. 

May they always be held by one another.

Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment.

Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their  love.

Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in grace, rich in caring, and devoted to reaching for perfection.

May (Groom) and (Bride) see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter and guide.
           

Hand in hand you enter marriage, hand in hand you step out in faith..  Also remember that you don't walk this path alone. Don't be afraid to reach out to others when together you face difficulty. Other hands are there: friends, family, and God.. To accept an outreached hand is not an admission of failure, but an act of faith.

            Inasmuch as you have consented together in this ceremony to live in wedlock and have sealed your vows in the presence of this company and by the giving of these rings, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are Husband and Wife.
Congratulations, you may kiss the bride!