Wedding Script Sample

Any wedding can be enhanced with the correct ceremony script. All of our scripts can be tailored to your needs and circumstances. Any part can also be added or removed to fit your personal style. Your officiant will work with you to ensure that everything is exactly like you want it. For vow renewals, these can be modified as well.

Basic Elopement with Ring Exchange
The introduction 
We are here today to celebrate the love that Groom & Bride have for each other,
and to recognize and witness their decision to journey forward in their lives as marriage partners.
Charge to the Couple
May your love create a safe haven for you both on the journey that lies ahead.
Lead with your hearts and take the time to do the simple things that will nurture your love. 
Deeply listen to each other, to your dreams, and to your frustrations. 
Be helpmates. 
Be playful in finding new ways to give your love anew to each other every single day.
It is your love that has brought us together today.
May it grow deeper and sweeter with each passing year.
Declaration of Intent
A wedding is such a wonderful occasion. It’s filled with hopes, dreams, and excitement. This indeed a very happy moment, but it is also a very serious occasion. One that will forever change your life, so I ask you, groom & Bride.
Have you come here joyfully and without reservations to be united as one in marriage for the rest of your lives?
GROOM/BRIDE, do you take GROOM/BRIDE to be your partner for life? 
Do you promise to walk by their side forever, and to love, help, and encourage him/her in all he/she does?
Do you promise to take time to talk with them, to listen to him/her, and to care for him/her? 
Will you share in her laughter, and her tears, as her lover, husband, and best friend? 
Do you take her as your lawfully wedded partner now and forevermore?
GROOM/BRIDE, do you take GROOM/BRIDE to be your partner for life?
Do you promise to walk by their side forever, and to love, help, and encourage him/her in all he/she does?
Do you promise to take time to talk with them, to listen to him/her, and to care for him/her? 
Will you share in her laughter, and her tears, as her lover, husband, and best friend? 
Do you take her as your lawfully wedded partner now and forevermore?
Personal Vows (optional)
Do you have any words of love that you would like to say to each other?
May you always put these vows above the things that make life smaller.
Exchange of Rings
The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver, and no receiver, for each is the giver, and each is the receiver. 
GROOM/BRIDE, take GROOM/BRIDE’s ring, put it on their finger, hold it there, look into his/her eyes, and repeat after me:
I GROOM/BRIDE, take thee GROOM/BRIDE, to be my partner.
-        To have and to hold,
-        In sickness and in health,
-        For richer or for poorer,
-        In joy and sorrow,
-        And with this ring, 
-        I take you as my partner, 
-        For as long as we both shall live.
GROOM/BRIDE, take GROOM/BRIDE’s ring, put it on their finger, hold it there, look into his/her eyes, and repeat after me:
I GROOM/BRIDE, take thee GROOM/BRIDE, to be my partner.
-        To have and to hold,
-        In sickness and in health,
-        For richer or for poorer,
-        In joy and sorrow,
-        And with this ring, 
-        I take you as my partner, 
-        For as long as we both shall live.
May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken here today.
Handholding
And now, will you seal your promises by joining hands, and with your hands, your hearts. Look deeply into one another’s eyes, now, and promise to always see one another through the eyes of love.
Blessing
May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth
Declaration 
By the power vested in me in the state of (New Jersey), I now pronounce you Partners for Life. 
You may kiss!

Christian Wedding at a Church or Venue
 
ADDRESS THE ASSEMBLY
PRELUDE

PROCESSIONAL

THE CELEBRATION AND BLESSING OF A MARRIAGE
Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people.

The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord.
Therefore, marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.

Into this holy union GROOM and BRIDE now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else for ever hold your peace.

I require and charge you both, here in the presence of God, that if either of you know any reason why you may not be united in marriage lawfully, and in accordance with God’s Word, you do now confess it.
Minister: BRIDE, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
Bride: I will.
Minister: GROOM, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
Groom: I will.
Minister: Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?
People: We will.
Minister: The Lord be with you.
People: And also, with you.
Minister: Let us pray. O gracious and everliving God, you have created us male and female in your image: Look mercifully upon this man and this woman who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A READING FROM COLOSSIANS 3:12-17
As God’s chosen ones, holy and be-loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Reader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
HYMN (Optional).
LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES:
Minister: In a few moments, we will join GROOM and BRIDE together as one. Their union will produce an abundance of love and growth which, overflowing from their marriage, will extend out to their families, both near and far.
We have three candles here at the altar. The two candles on either side represent the blessing of this marriage by each family. The unity candle in the center represents the merging of both families together as one - strong, supportive, and enduring.
As representatives of GROOM’s family, we have __________________coming forward to light his candle.
As representatives of BRIDE’s family, we have __________________coming forward to light her candle.
Please come forward to the altar and light your candles at this time.
MINISTER: Now, as a testament to their faith and commitment to their families and to each other, GROOM and BRIDE will take their respective candles. As they join the two flames together over the unity candle, a new flame will be born. This new flame symbolizes the beginning of their own family, and bids honor and respect to the families that have brought them here today.
MINISTER: GROOM and BRIDE, please step forward and light your candles.
MINISTER: Thank you. With the blessings of your families, we will now exchange vows.
Personal vows are said at this time.
A READING FROM FIRST JOHN 4:7-16
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfect in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So, we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Short, personal remarks from Minister.
THE MARRIAGE
GROOM look at BRIDE, take her right hand and repeat after me:
In the Name of God, I, GROOM, take you, BRIDE to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.

BRIDE, look at GROOM, take his right hand and repeat after me:
In the Name of God, I, BRIDE, take you, GROOM to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
Minister: O Lord, this ring to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GROOM place the ring on the BRIDE’s ring finger and repeat after me:
BRIDE, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
 
BRIDE place the ring on GROOM’s ring finger and repeat after me:
GROOM, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
 
Minister: (joining the right hands of husband and wife):
Now that GROOM and BRIDE have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.
 
People: Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER AND THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Minister: Let us pray together in the words our Savior taught us. Amen.
People: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
THE BLESSING OF THE MARRIAGE
At this time, I would ask the family and friends to please stand.
BRIDE and GROOM please kneel: 
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
 
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come have life everlasting. Amen.
 
THE PEACE
Minister: The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also, with you.
(The newly married couple then greet each other, after which greetings were exchanged throughout the congregation.)
THE RECESSIONAL