Welcome ladies and gentleman please be seated…
Tonight is a very special night, as Ashley and John stand
before us
and will be taking their
first steps on a new journey together in life as man and wife.
They have asked all of you to be present here today
to celebrate this moment in time with them.
Each of you have played a significant role in their lives
and they couldn’t have gotten this far in life if it were not
for influences that each of you have
played in their individual lives.
At this time, they would like to remember and honor the
memories
of both their fathers who could not be here with us in the flesh
but are here in spirit watching over this union today
as they sit with
the angles and our Lord and Savior
watching from
above.
May their
love reach down to you both
and touch your hearts forever.
CANDLE LIGHTING BY THE MOTHERS:
At this time, Will the mothers of the bride and groom
please light the candles.We light these candles today
in remembrance of
Richard Thomas and
Tyrone Pierce
Ashley and John you have come here
today
to pledge your love before God
and before your families
and your friends.
In becoming husband and wife you give yourselves to each
other for life.
You promise to be true and faithful, to support and cherish
each other
until death, so that your years together will be the living out
in love
the pledge you now make.
May your love for
each other reflect the enduring love of Christ.
As
you face the future together, keep in mind that the sacrament
of marriage
unites you with Christ, and brings you, through the years,
the grace and blessing of God our Father in heaven.
Marriage is from God: he alone can give you the happiness
which goes beyond human expectation, and which grows
deeper through the difficulties and struggles of life.
Put your trust in God as you set out
together in life.
May he bestow his blessings on you both,
and may your home be
filled by his grace and love
as you make your journey down this new path together.
In this you will leave to your children a
heritage more lasting
than temporal wealth. The Christian home makes Christ and
his
Church present in the world of everyday life.
May all who enter your home
find there the presence of the Lord:
for he has said: "Where two or more are gathered in my name,
there am I in the midst of them also."
Opening
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing this day for this
couple
who now stands before us on this
their wedding day.
Bless them
Father, and this union.
Father, Make their home, a home that is full
of laughter, and joy
as they now join together to create this new family
together.
Bless these your children Lord, and send your angels to continually
watch over them.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost we pray – Amen.
Marriage is a promise that is made in the hearts of two
people who truly love one another.
It’s more than just the signatures on a
document and words being said that make it legal.
It’s the spirit of love that goes far beyond that piece of paper called a
marriage license.
It’s the love
that you share with your soul mate and your partner.
For marriage is a gift given to us from
God, blessed by God and created by God.
It’s a gift that keeps on giving if you both give to
it.
When we promise to love one another for a life time, it’s a
promise that is sealed in Heaven
and
recorded into the book of life. A true marriage can
stand the test of time
and weather any storm that comes
along.
For at the end of the storm, there is
always a beautiful rainbow to remind us of God’s promise and blessings. Those blessings that he will share with
us if we truly believe in him and in his word, That even after death we will be
reunited in spirit and live together thru eternity as husband and wife.
That being said, are
you both ready to accept this life long challenge to live and to love together
as husband and wife
WE ARE
Who
gives this woman to this man in marriage? WE DO
Who gives this man to
this woman in marriage? WE DO
Family and friends do you also give you
support and love to this couple? WE DO
COUPLE LIGHTS THIER UNITY CANDLE:
At this time, will you
both now take your individual candles and light them
from the flames of the
candles before you.
The unity candle represents the trinity in a
marriage.
The Father who is the head of our house hold, and husband
and wife.
As you see, you are two seperate flames, two individual
lives.
When we light the unity candle, we are inviting our father
into our home so that
we are no longer 2 seperate lives, but one life
together being guided by our
fathers light and love as a family and his
church here on earth.
Will you now light the center candle.
Having lit
the candle, I ask that you blow out your individual candles now.
For as of
this moment, you are no longer seperate lives, but united in spirit.
Guided
by the light of Heaven above.
Let us pray:
Father, we give you honor and
glory in this ceremony as you've shown us
that we are all a part of your
church here on earth. You've shown us the
compassion and love by your
death and resurection on the cross. Abide
in the hearts of those present
here today and touch them as only you can
This we pray in your name
amen.
At this time, will
you both turn and face each other and hold hands.
As I
read to you the Blessing of the Hands as written by a mother for her daughter on
her wedding day.
Ashley, and
John
These are the hands
of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you that are holding
yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today tomorrow and
forever.
These are the hands
that will work along side yours as together you build your
future.
These are the hands
that will love you and cherish you through the years and with the slightest
touch comfort you like no other.
These are the hands
that will hold you when fear or grief fill you mind. 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 give you strength when you are weak, encouragement when you can’t go
on and love when you need it the most.
Yes these are the
hands that even when wrinkled and aged with time will still be reaching for
yours still giving you the same unspoken tenderness that they are right now with
just a simple touch. For these are
the hands of love. May you never
forget the feeling from these hands.
Let us pray,
Heavenly father watch over this couple,
give them the love that comes souly from you
and your spirit and remind
them Lord that thru you
all things are possible in your
name we pray amen.
John, repeat after
me sir
Ashley, I thank God
for bringing you into my life
I choose you this day
to be my wife
My love and my best
friend
I commit myself to
you
Openly exclusively
and eternally
I promise you my
unconditional love
I give you my
unwavering trust
And I will share my
life with you
All the days of my
life
And Ashley will you
repeat after me please
John I accept you
as the one
God has chosen for
me
I join with you
now
To share all that
life may bring us
I will be yours
Through weakness and
strength
Through sorrow and
joy
Through failure and
in triumph
I give my love to you
and you alone
With all my heart and
soul Now and forever more.
VOWS:
John, once again
sir, repeat after me.
I John take you
Ashley to be my wife
To have and to hold
from this day forward
For better or for
worse
For richer or for
poorer
In sickness and in
health
To love and to
cherish
From this day
forward
Until death do us
part
And Ashley repeat after me please:
I Ashley take you
John to be my husband
To have and to hold
from this day forward
For better or for
worse
For richer or for
poorer
In sickness and in
health
To love and to
cherish
From this day
forward
Until death do us
part.
Today is the
beginning of an exciting new life for the two of you.
God blessed your desires when he brought
you together.
He knew exactly what
you both needed to make you complete and whole.
Commit
yourselves now before God and those present to ever accept
each other as the one God has chosen for
you.
RINGS:
May we have the rings
please
The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love
for love is freely given and freely received.
It’s origins date back to the time of kings
and Queens
as the ring was the seal of authority on any document.
Today’s rings are a token of the seal and covenant
that
you both have just made to one another before god
and these witnesses this evening.
May these rings always be a loving reminder
of the ties
that now bind your hearts together
forever as husband and wife.
John, repeat after
me please
Ashley as I place
this ring on your finger
May it always remind
you of my love
And my it always
remind me
Of the precious
treasure I have in you
Wear this ring with
joy
For your love has
made me complete
Ashley
John, as I place
this ring on your finger
May it always remind
you of my love
And my it always
remind me
Of the precious
treasure I have in you
Wear this ring with
joy
For your love has
made me complete
At this time, will
you now move to the table at the side of the alter.
You both have just sealed your relationship, by the giving
of your rings,
and through your promises
and vows to love one another.
This covenant is a relationship pledge between two people
who truly agree that they will commit themselves to one another
through out their lives as one. It’s the start of a partnership for
life.
To demonstrate the uniqueness of your love for one another
we celebrate with you both your new relationship through
the pouring of
these two individual containers of sand
on
the table before you now.
One container representing you Ashley
and all that you
were, all that you are and all that you will ever be,
and the other
represents you John
all that you were, all that
you are and all that you will ever be as well.
AS these two containers of sand are poured into the third
container,
the individual
containers of sand will no longer exist, but will be joined together as
one.
Just as your lives have been joined
here today, no longer will you be separate
individuals.
And just as these grains of sand can never be separated
and poured back into the individual containers
so to will your marriage
be always blended by your love
for after today, you can never return to the
same person
you were before we started. For there will always be
one
little spec of sand in your heart to remind you of today
and the
love you both share with one another.
At this time, will you both carefully pour your sand one
into the other’s stream
thus blending and
mixing your lives together forever.
May this container always serve as a reminder of that
special love
you hold in your hearts for one another.
And the special words each of you have spoken here today.
John, and Ashley,
you have both heard the words of love
and of marriage
you’ve exchanged your
rings, and blended your lives together as one,
one in heart, one in body and one
in soul.
At this time, I want you both to look around the room
and savor this moment together.
These are the faces of your loved ones,
and your family and of your friends
who have come to celebrate this day with
you.
Today, you both start on a new journey in life
It will
be filled with ups and downs, good days and bad,
but you’ll be walking that
path hand and hand
arm in arm and never alone again.
Cherrish this
moment together
as I say these words to you both now
By the power vested in me
through the church and the
state of
I now pronounce you
as Husband and Wife
Sir you may now kiss
your bride with passion
Ladies and
Gentlemen:
I give to you for the
very first time
MR AND MRS
Ashley and John Pierce