Traditional Wedding Vows 

 

Dearly Beloved:

 

We are gathered together here in the presence of this company, to join together this man and woman in holy matrimony.  The Bible teaches us that marriage is a holy institution; established by heaven in the Divine Wisdom and the Kindness of God, who said,  "It is not good for man to live alone;  I will make a helpmate for him."

 

And again He said,  "They two shall be as one."

 

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, honored and sanctioned the wedding of Cana of Galilee with His presence, and it was here that He wrought His first miracle, bringing cheer and joy to the host and his guests.  In creation, Adam, the man was first formed, then the woman, Eve, says the Scripture, that the woman might be for the man, setting forth the humility, modesty and gentleness that should characterize her kind.

 

Yet, man, in being made last of all of God's creatures, was set forth as the best and most excellent of all of God's creative works.  So Eve, the woman, being made after Adam and out of him, has the honor set upon her as being the glory of man.  As the man is the head, she is the crown, a crown to her husband.  The man was dust refined, but the woman was  dust doubly refined – one step further from the earth.

 

But in being created from man or out of man, she was not out of head to dominate, or be over him, nor out of his feet to be under him, but out of his side to be equal with him, from beneath his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved.

 

Who giveth this woman?                                    Family or Father, “We do.”

 

TO THE GROOM:

 

You may now take the right hand of the Bride.

 

(Bride)____________________________, wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance, in the Holy state of Matrimony?  Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?

 

ANSWER:  "I will."

 

 

TO THE BRIDE:

 

(Groom)____________________________, wilt thou have this man to be thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance, in the Holy state of matrimony?  Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?

 

ANSWER:  "I will."

 

THEN THE GROOM SHALL REPEAT AFTER THE PASTOR:

 

"I, (Groom)______________________________, take thee, (Bride)______________________________, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live, according to God's Holy ordinance, and thereto I give you my life."

 

THEN THE BRIDE SHALL REPEAT AFTER THE PASTOR:

 

"I, (Bride)______________________________, take thee, (Groom)______________________________, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forth,  for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live, according to God's Holy ordinance, and thereto I give you my life."

 

THE RING CEREMONY:

 

When God made a covenant with Noah, He set His rainbow in the cloud as a reminder of that covenant, and said,  "I will look upon it that I may remember it was an everlasting covenant."

 

So from this we learn that it is well for us, when entering into solemn agreements, to set aside some token as a reminder. You have, therefore, chosen these rings as a token of your marriage covenant.  They are made of gold (platinum, white gold, etc.), a type of material that is not easily tarnished or destroyed, fittingly representing the ties that bind husband and wife together.

 

The ring, an endless circle, until broken by some outside force, is a symbol of the unbroken marriage union, which God has ordained shall continue until broken only by death.

 

TO THE GROOM:

 

(Groom) ____________, take this ring and place it upon (Bride’s)__________, finger and let it be the seal of your mutual love and fidelity, and a memorial of this sacred service. You will repeat after me:

 

"With this ring, I thee wed and with all my love and honor I thee endow, in the Name of the Father, and of the  Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

 

TO THE BRIDE:

 

(Bride)____________, take this ring and place it upon (Groom’s)_____________, finger, and let it be the seal of your mutual love and fidelity, and a memorial of this sacred service. You will repeat after me:

 

"With this ring, I thee wed and with all my love and honor I thee endow, in the Name of the Father, and of the  Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

 

Meditation Concerning Marriage:

 

A wedding is the celebration of the highest we know in love, with pledging of two lives to common goals.

 

The words, "I love you," first spoken shyly in months gone by are now spoken in full commitment of yourselves to each other.  This love you share is God's gift.  We love because He first loved us.

 

St. Paul writes:  "Love is patient and kind and envies no one.  Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude, never selfish, not quick to offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs, does not gloat over other men's sins, but delights in truth.  There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope and its endurance.  Love will never come to an end.  To be loved is to know happiness and contentment, to give love is to know the joy of sharing oneself...for it is through the miracle of love that we discover the fullness of life."

 

THE MINISTER'S CHARGE:

 

Now let me speak to your hearts.

 

I charge you both as you hope for happiness in your marriage, to be true to these vows you have made to each other. With your marriage, from this day, you begin anew, with larger responsibilities.

 

 

TO THE GROOM:

 

(Groom)______________________________, guard well this your bride who now commits herself into your keeping, and strive so to live in the Lord that no word or deed of yours shall cloud her brow with grief, or dim her eyes with tears.

 

 

TO THE BRIDE:

 

(Bride)______________________________, it will be your part to strive to retain by your virtues the heart you have won by your graces.

 

And to you both, I would say, let not your voices loose the tender tones of affection, nor your eyes forget the tender ray with which they shine on this day.  And greatest of all...let God be enthroned above all else at all times. 

 

And now having heard you make these pledges of your affection, and take these vows of fidelity, I do by virtue of the authority vested in me, as a minister of the Gospel and in accordance to the laws of God and the State of California, I pronounce you husband and wife, no longer two, but now one, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.

 

Dismissal With Blessing and The Peace

 

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.  Amen

 

You may now kiss your bride.