OFFICIANT: We are gathered today to unite Doug and Deanna in marriage. This celebration is but an outward sign of an inward union of heart, mind and spirit. This is a celebration of the joining of two souls already attuned to each other. When such a true bond already exists between a man and a woman, it is fitting that an outer acknowledgment be made. We are here to bear witness to the entry into the closer relationship of husband and wife of these beloved friends who are already one in spirit.
OFFICIANT: Doug and Deanna, it is this day you take a giant step of courage and commitment to love, understand and grow. When a commitment this strong is made by two people, the force of that commitment, of that love, of that courage, reaches out and touches all of us around you, so that our lives are changed and we share a part of your love. Like a stone dropped in a still pond, the ripples of the love from this celebration extend and change the world we live in.
You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in the entire world whom you love best. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities and to share love.
In our long history we have never discovered a better way of life than sharing it together in love in a lasting and responsible way. This arrangement seems to meet our deepest human needs for love and companionship, for someone with whom we can share in an intimate and trusting way all the hopes and joy and dreams of life. But real love, Doug and Deanna, is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your life partner as about your own. Real love is not total absorption into each other; it is looking outward in the same direction together. Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger, so you can be involved with life in ways you dare not risk alone.
Jesus was once asked, "What is the greatest law that mankind must follow?" And he answered them by saying that “we must love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves." Jesus touched upon something we all feel very deeply in our hearts - that love is the greatest gift that we can offer to one another. That is what makes marriage so very special and a cause for joy and celebration for all of us who have come here today to share in this event. It is my personal hope and prayer that those of you who have already taken the vows of marriage will witness the love of these two people, and as you listen to them share their vows, perhaps it will strengthen for you the memory of your happy day, and remind you of the meaning of the vows you yourselves once took. Perhaps it will even strengthen just a little bit the bond of love that have been growing between you, and if any of this should happen, it would certainly be the greatest gift that Doug and Deanna could offer all of us on their wedding day.
OFFICIANT: (to D&D) - Doug and Deanna, please face each other and take each other’s hands. (Deanna gives her flowers to Liz, and takes Doug’s hands, as they face each other)
OFFICIANT: (to Doug) - Doug, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise before God and this company that you will love her, honor her, comfort and keep her in sickness and in health and that forsaking all others for her alone will you perform unto her all of the duties and respect that a husband graciously bestows upon his wife?
DOUG: I do.
OFFICIANT: (to Deanna) - Deanna, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise before God and this company that you will love him, honor him, comfort and keep him in sickness and in health and that forsaking all others for him alone will you perform unto him all of the duties and respect that a wife graciously bestows upon her husband?
DEANNA: I do.
Person: The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
The courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
It should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner,
It is being the right partner.
OFFICIANT: (to Doug) - Doug please repeat after me as you enter in the covenant of Marriage:
DOUG: I, Doug take you Deanna to be my wife/ I will cherish our friendship/ and love you today, tomorrow and forever/ I will trust you and honor you/ I will love you faithfully/ through the best and the worst/ what may come I will always be there/ I come into this union/ letting go of my deepest fears/ and embracing all my faith/ and if I doubt/ I will remember this time/ and why we came together this day/ As I have given you my hands to hold/ so I give you my life to keep/ so help me God.
OFFICIANT: (to Deanna) - Deanna please repeat after me as you enter in the covenant of Marriage.
DEANNA: I, Deanna take you Doug to be my husband/ I will cherish our friendship/ and love you today, tomorrow and forever/ I will trust you and honor you/ I will love you faithfully/ through the best and the worst/ what may come I will always be there/ I come into this union/ letting go of my deepest fears/ and embracing all my faith/ and if I doubt/ I will remember this time/ and why we came together this day/ As I have given you my hands to hold/ so I give you my life to keep/ so help me God.
OFFICIANT: May I have the rings, please?
Doug and Deanna, as these rings are designed without an ending, they speak of eternity. May the incorruptible substance of these rings represent a love glowing with increasing luster through the years. May God bless these rings which you give to each other as the sign of your eternal love, trust, and faithfulness. May their inscription always be a reminder of the way you feel this day, that only God could love you more that you love each other.
OFFICIANT: (to Doug) - Doug, take Deanna’s ring, and as you place it on her finger and bind her to yourself, repeat after me.
DOUG: I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.
OFFICIANT: (to Deanna) - Deanna, take Doug’s ring, and as you place it on his finger and bind him to yourself, repeat after me.
DEANNA: I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.
OFFICIANT: You are both to wear your rings as symbols of the enclosing bond of reverence and trust that exists between you. You both are to fulfill these perfect circles that make you one.
OFFICIANT: Doug and Deanna, you have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings, and this covenant is a relationship pledge between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another throughout their lives. The most beautiful example of this partnership is the marriage relationship. You have committed here today to share the rest of your lives with each other. Today, this relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand one, representing you, Doug and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other representing you, Deanna, and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be. 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 these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be.
OFFICIANT: (to all) - Please join me in prayer
Dear God, we thank you for the love that is within the hearts of Doug and Deanna. May it remain always aflame upon the altars of their souls. Make the inward desire of their hearts be outward reality of their home. Make that home a place of trust and confidence, a place of peace and happiness, a place of light and truth. May these things endure all the days of their lives.
As
of this moment, you are no longer two, but one. As you have consented to live
in holy marriage, and pledged the same by the giving and receiving of a ring,
it is my honor and privilege as an ordained minister,
and thru the authority of the State of
OFFICIANT: (to Maya) – Will Maya please join us?
Doug: (to Maya) - Maya, as Mommy and I become husband and wife, we become Daddy and daughter. I promise to love you for all of our days together. And to always be there for you. With this locket engraved with the initials "Mommy – Daddy – Maya", I give it to you as a token of my love.
OFFICIANT: (to the congregation) - Ladies & Gentlemen, Doug and Deanna have demonstrated in your presence today their belief in their love and their desire to live together in marriage. If you also believe in their love and you wish to add your blessing to their marriage today, please respond now by saying WE DO.
To those of you who have come today to witness the joining and sacred bonding of this beautiful couple in holy matrimony, I now present to you, for the first time, Doug and Deanna Sapp.