The Modern Minimony
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
Welcome! Good afternoon, family and friends. We have come here today to celebrate the wedding of ______ and ______. On behalf of the couple, thank you for joining us. By your presence, you celebrate with them the love they have discovered in each other, and you support their decision to commit themselves to a lifelong relationship.
Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. By making this commitment today, ______ and ______’s relationship will become stronger, better, and more profound. By promising to honor the vows they have created today, their lives, which began on separate paths, will be joined as one.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FAMILY & FRIENDS
Today represents not only the joining of ______ and ______ but also the joining of their families and friends.
_______ and ______ would like to recognize their parents on this occasion. They offer their profound gratitude for all the love and care their parents showed in raising them. You have inspired them to become who they are today. Without you, this day would not be possible.
_______ and ______ have also asked that we take a moment to honor those loved ones who are not with us today.
[Names of those acknowledged here, if you wish.]
MARRIAGE ADDRESS
Deep abiding affection, loving-kindness and trust, and respect are among the greatest gifts of the human experience.
Any of us who has been fortunate enough to find a person with whom we can share such loving devotion knows that it is a remarkable and beautiful thing.
At this time, I would like to share three suggestions with both of you:
Be always grateful for this precious person who has chosen to make a life with you.
Be generous with compliments. Be attentive and helpful. The world can be a tough place, and any of us can be subject to rough handling. Each of you can, by your tenderness toward each other, kind words and thoughtful actions, make your marriage and your home an uplifting refuge.
Last, but perhaps most importantly:
Make truth the unfailing bedrock of your lives together. A happy, loving marriage, built on trust and respect, may only be sustained with a deep commitment to truthfulness in every exchange, no matter how small.
My hope for you is this:
That you have many long years to delight in each other’s company, to feel gratitude for your great fortune in having found each other.
That you create a home full of beauty, humor, and warmth, find meaningful, productive work at home and in the world, and cherish your friends and family.
DECLARATION OF INTENT
_______ and ______, do you present yourselves willingly and of your own accord to be joined in marriage? (“We do.”)
Will you promise to care for each other in the joys and sorrows of life, come what may, and to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together? (“We do.”)
Then please turn to each other and share your vows.
VOWS
______, please take your bride’s/groom’s/partner’s hand and repeat after me:
Today I promise you/that though the world may change/
and though we may change with it/
I will always love you/always treasure you/and will share all that I am with you/
I am proud, from this day forward/to be called your wife/husband/partner.
RING EXCHANGE
For thousands of years, men and women have exchanged rings as a token of their vows. Let these rings be a sign that your love has a past, a present, and a future.
______, take _____’s ring and place it on her/his/their finger and repeat after me:
I give you this ring/as a sign that I choose you/
To be my wife/husband/partner/ and my best friend/ to the end of my days.
The love you already share is made stronger by these vows and the exchange of rings.
PRONOUNCEMENT
______ and ______, we have heard your promise to share your lives in marriage. In the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done here today, and in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland it is my honor to declare you husband and wife/wife and wife/husband and husband/partners.
You may seal your vows with a kiss!
Welcome! Good afternoon, family and friends. We have come here today to celebrate the wedding of ______ and ______. On behalf of the couple, thank you for joining us. By your presence, you celebrate with them the love they have discovered in each other, and you support their decision to commit themselves to a lifelong relationship.
Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. By making this commitment today, ______ and ______’s relationship will become stronger, better, and more profound. By promising to honor the vows they have created today, their lives, which began on separate paths, will be joined as one.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FAMILY & FRIENDS
Today represents not only the joining of ______ and ______ but also the joining of their families and friends.
_______ and ______ would like to recognize their parents on this occasion. They offer their profound gratitude for all the love and care their parents showed in raising them. You have inspired them to become who they are today. Without you, this day would not be possible.
_______ and ______ have also asked that we take a moment to honor those loved ones who are not with us today.
[Names of those acknowledged here, if you wish.]
MARRIAGE ADDRESS
Deep abiding affection, loving-kindness and trust, and respect are among the greatest gifts of the human experience.
Any of us who has been fortunate enough to find a person with whom we can share such loving devotion knows that it is a remarkable and beautiful thing.
At this time, I would like to share three suggestions with both of you:
Be always grateful for this precious person who has chosen to make a life with you.
Be generous with compliments. Be attentive and helpful. The world can be a tough place, and any of us can be subject to rough handling. Each of you can, by your tenderness toward each other, kind words and thoughtful actions, make your marriage and your home an uplifting refuge.
Last, but perhaps most importantly:
Make truth the unfailing bedrock of your lives together. A happy, loving marriage, built on trust and respect, may only be sustained with a deep commitment to truthfulness in every exchange, no matter how small.
My hope for you is this:
That you have many long years to delight in each other’s company, to feel gratitude for your great fortune in having found each other.
That you create a home full of beauty, humor, and warmth, find meaningful, productive work at home and in the world, and cherish your friends and family.
DECLARATION OF INTENT
_______ and ______, do you present yourselves willingly and of your own accord to be joined in marriage? (“We do.”)
Will you promise to care for each other in the joys and sorrows of life, come what may, and to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together? (“We do.”)
Then please turn to each other and share your vows.
VOWS
______, please take your bride’s/groom’s/partner’s hand and repeat after me:
Today I promise you/that though the world may change/
and though we may change with it/
I will always love you/always treasure you/and will share all that I am with you/
I am proud, from this day forward/to be called your wife/husband/partner.
RING EXCHANGE
For thousands of years, men and women have exchanged rings as a token of their vows. Let these rings be a sign that your love has a past, a present, and a future.
______, take _____’s ring and place it on her/his/their finger and repeat after me:
I give you this ring/as a sign that I choose you/
To be my wife/husband/partner/ and my best friend/ to the end of my days.
The love you already share is made stronger by these vows and the exchange of rings.
PRONOUNCEMENT
______ and ______, we have heard your promise to share your lives in marriage. In the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done here today, and in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland it is my honor to declare you husband and wife/wife and wife/husband and husband/partners.
You may seal your vows with a kiss!