Traditional ceremony

Celebrant: We are gathered here today in the face of this company, [to join together (Groom) and (Bride) in matrimony; which is an honourable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly/who will be making a pledge to each other, to be true, faithful, loving and devoted to one another]. [Into this estate these two persons present come now to be joined/These two people now wish to be united, to share their life, to share their joy]. If any one can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Parents: We do.
The bride is given away.
Celebrant to Groom: (Groom), do you take (Bride) for your lawful wedded wife, to be joined in matrimony? Will you love, honour, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?
Groom: I do.
Celebrant to Bride: (Bride), do you take (Groom) for your lawful wedded husband, to be joined in matrimony? Will you love, honour, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?
Bride: I do.
Music: “As Steals the Dawn” by Handel, sung by soprano and countertenor.
Celebrant to the groom who repeats the marriage vows: I (Groom) take thee (Bride) to be my wedded 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, honour, and cherish, 'til death do us part, and thereto I plight thee my troth.
Celebrant to the bride who repeats the marriage vows: I (Bride) take thee (Groom) to be my wedded 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, honour, and cherish, 'til death do us part, and thereto I plight thee my troth.
The Celebrant introduces the ring ceremony - the ring being handed to the Celebrant by the best man or from a ring-bearer.
Celebrant, speaking of bride's ring: May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may live joyously together, and continue in love all their lives.
Groom, placing ring on bride's finger: With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment.
Celebrant, speaking of bride's ring: May this ring be blessed so she who gives it and he who wears it may live joyously together, and continue in love all their lives.
Bride, placing ring on groom's finger: With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment.
Celebrant: “This reading is from the Song of Solomon.”

“You have ravished my heart,
My beloved, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
How fair is your love,
My beloved, my spouse!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
A garden enclosed
Is my beloved, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
A fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And streams from Lebanon.”

Celebrant: May this couple be prepared to continue to give, be able to forgive and experience more and more joy with each passing day, with each passing year. (Groom) and (Bride) are now beginning their married life together. May they receive loving assistance from their family, the constant support of friends, and a long life with good health and everlasting love. In so much as (Groom) and (Bride) have consented to live forever together in marriage, and have proclaimed their vows to do so before this company as witnesses, having given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and having declared the same by the giving and receiving of a ring, I now pronounce that they are husband and wife.
Celebrant to the couple: You may now seal this marriage with your first kiss as husband and wife.
Celebrant: Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the new couple Mr and Mrs [Groom's Name].
The signing of the register now takes place.
Music: “Laudamus te” from Vivaldi's “Gloria”.

Please note that the required minimum legal wording has not been included in the above.

Vietnamese-themed ceremony

The procession headed by respected and happily married family couple, the groom's parents, the groom, and family members occurs before the ceremony starts.
Celebrant: “Family of the bride, family of the groom, friends of the bride and groom, I welcome you here today to celebrate and to witness the joining together of B (bride) and G (groom), who wish to make public vows to declare their intention to be united in marriage, to be true and loving to each other. Not only will these two be joined to each other in marriage, but their families will also be joined and connected through this wedding.
“This is an important ceremony, symbolising the continuity of marriage and its importance in the community, encompassing the special sense of connection with the past through the ancestors of both bride and groom, of connection with the present through the living relatives and the bride and groom themselves, and to the future in the promise of children born to the couple being married here today.
“Mr and Mrs B (parents of the bride), I ask you to present your daughter so that she may greet her bridegroom and the guests assembled here.”
Mr & Mrs B: “We are very happy to present our daughter.”
Procession of the bride and bridesmaids. The bride begins approaching as soon as her parents speak the words above.
Celebrant: “B, please stand next to your husband-to-be. Beauty, tradition and love in marriage are symbolised by the red gown of the bride. Red is also the colour of the gift boxes in which traditional wedding gifts are offered to the family of the bride. I now ask Mr and Mrs G (parents of the groom) to present the gifts to Mr and Mrs B.”
Giving of the gifts to the parents of the bride, by the parents of the groom.
Celebrant: “Included in the gifts are betel leaves and areca nuts, and these signify good fortune in marriage.”
Celebrant: “Marriage is not to be entered into frivolously. It is the coming together of a man and woman who wish to be joined in marriage so that they will be husband and wife for all their lives, mutually giving each other support, love, loyalty, comfort, help, strength, trust and fidelity. They will live in this “double happiness” which is better than single joy. They will be united, they will give strength to each other like a sheltering tree, they will live as with the faithful devotion of doves which know only the happiness of blessed love. If there is anyone who knows of any reason why these two should not be joined in lawful marriage, please speak now or let them forever hold their peace.”
“Let me present as a reading a poem by the great Vietnamese poetess, Hô Xuân Hu'o'ng.”

“Are you seventeen or eighteen branches of the fan?
Let me cherish you by all means.
Thinly closed or spread open you display a triangle, and
Large or small I hold you with one hand.
The hotter you get, the more refreshing.
Wonderful both night and day.
Cheeks juicy soft, persimmon pink.
Kings and lords just love this thing.”

Celebrant: “In a Vietnamese wedding, families are very important in the marriage ceremony. The joyous nature of the binding together of this couple has powerful implications for both families. I now ask that the bride and groom will express their thanks to their parents for the care they have received.”
Bride turns to bow to her parents: “I thank you for taking care of me all my life. I have so much to be thankful for. I know you have always loved me and protected me. I will never cease to be grateful to you for this.”
Groom turns to bow to his parents: “I also express my thanks to you. You have both taken care of me all my life, loving me and protecting me. I will always be grateful and full of thanks to you for this.”
Celebrant: “To signify the joining of the bride and groom and their families, I ask that the father of the bride and the father of the groom now come forward to light the candles.”
The father of the bride and the father of the groom come forward and light the ceremonial candles. Celebrant: “As we witness the lighting of the candles, I ask B and G to come forward.
“G, will you take B as your lawful wedded wife, that she will be yours in all your love and strength and honesty, to be faithful to her as the dove is faithful, to let your love shine like a lantern that will never be dimmed, and to live with her in happiness and strong family ties to form a joyous future together, for as long as you both shall live?”
G: “I will.”
Celebrant: “B, will you take G as your lawful wedded husband, that he will be yours in all your love and strength and honesty, to be faithful to him as the dove is faithful, to let your love shine like a lantern that will never be dimmed, and to live with him in happiness and strong family ties to form a joyous future together, for as long as you both shall live?”
B: “I will.”
Music - “Eternal Vow” from the soundtrack to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” while the mother of the groom places one of the jewellery gifts (necklace) on the bride.
Celebrant: asking the bridegroom to repeat the marriage vows. “I, G, take you, B, to be my lawfully wedded wife, because I want to be with you forever, throughout all our good fortunes and bad fortunes, in sickness and in health, no matter what life brings to us. You are beautiful and precious to me, and I offer myself as your husband in the presence of our family and friends. I promise to be true and honest and faithful to you, loving you without limit, giving you all the gifts of my heart. As we grow through our lives together, I want to be there to share in your experiences - I want to be your comfort in tears and your shared happiness in laughter. Let me cherish you always, and seek the best for you and our lives together always, for as long as we both live.”
Celebrant: asking the bride to repeat the marriage vows. “I, B, take you, G, to be my lawfully wedded husband, because I want to be with you forever, throughout all our good fortunes and bad fortunes, in sickness and in health, no matter what life brings to us. You are fine and precious to me, and I offer myself as your wife in the presence of our family and friends. I promise to be true and honest and faithful to you, loving you without limit, giving you all the gifts of my heart. As we grow through our lives together, I want to be there to share in your experiences - I want to be your comfort in tears and your shared happiness in laughter. Let me cherish you always, and seek the best for you and our lives together always, for as long as we both live.”
Celebrant: introducing the exchange of rings. “These rings symbolise the eternity of your commitment to each other.”
G places ring on bride's finger.
G: “With this ring I wed you. Wear it as a symbol of our eternal love and faithful commitment.”
B places ring on groom's finger.
B: “With this ring I wed you. Wear it as a symbol of our eternal love and faithful commitment.”
Celebrant: “Let these rings be a blessing and a sign of their promise to each other. Then as they have made their vows witnessed by family and friends, and as they have exchanged rings to symbolise their love, I pronounce these two to be husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
The couple kisses.
Celebrant: “It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the new couple. Let us greet them with applause.”
Celebrant: “Thank you. The signing of the register will now occur.”
During the signing, the soprano sings with piano accompaniment: “À Chloris” by Reynaldo Hahn.
Celebrant: “Many thanks to all here for witnessing this joyous occasion. Please remember that, while confetti is not permitted here, you are very welcome to use rose petals. On behalf of the new couple, I thank all of you for being here.”
Recessional music: “Bach cello suite No. 1” (recording).

A handful of sample vows

  ”[Name of Bride/Groom], I take you to be my wife/husband from this time onward, to join with you and to share all that is to come, to be your faithful husband/wife, to give and to receive, to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond; a commitment made in love, kept in faith, and eternally made new.”

  “I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine,
From this day it shall only your name I cry out in the night
And into your eyes that I smile each morning;
I shall be a shield for you back as you are for mine,
No shall a grievous word be spoken about us,
For our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance.
Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honour you through this life
And into the next.”
(Please note: additional wording is required to include the minimum legal wording.)

  “I [Name of Bride/Groom], take thee, [Name of Groom/Bride], to be my wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part, [optional: according to God's ordinance;] and thereto I pledge thee my troth.”

  “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 in bad,
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.”

At our initial meeting, I will hand you resource information in booklet form, giving you many more ceremony ideas and vows both traditional and modern.

 

 

 

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