Religious Ceremony I - Ralph's Regal Weddings

Conveniently located in Spokane, WA

near East 17th Avenue and South Ray Street.

Also serving Coeur d’Alene, ID and Post Falls, ID

and other areas within Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho

To contact us:

Phone or Text: 509-599-5632

E-mail: Info@RalphsRegalWeddings.com

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Religious Ceremony I

Prince of Wales Package

Officiant: Please stand.

(Bride processes down the aisle with her chosen escort.)

Presentation of the Bride:

Officiant: Being assured that your love and your choice of each other as lifelong companions are in God's will and that you have your families' blessings. I now ask. Who brings this woman to be married to this man?

Bride’s Father (or chosen escort): I do. (Or: Her mother and I.)

(Bride's escort places her hand in Groom's hand.)

(The Couple moves forward to stand in front of Officiant.)

(Bride’s escort moves behind Bride and is seated.)

(The Couple turns and faces each other.)

(If Bride’s gown has a train, Maid of Honor straightens it.)

Officiant: Please be seated.

Welcome and Marriage Reflections:

Officiant: Dearly Beloved: We are gathered here, in the presence of God and of this company, that ___(Groom)_____ and ___(Bride)_____ may be united in holy matrimony. These two individuals have made a decision to share the greatest gift they can give each other: pure love. Two lives, shared with this kind of love which enriches every part of life, can hold more fulfillment and happiness than either life alone. We are here today to celebrate and share in the glorious act that God is about to perform - the act by which He converts their love for one another into this holy and sacred estate of marriage.

Officiant: This relationship is an honorable and sacred one, established by our Creator for the welfare and happiness of mankind. It is designed to unite two sympathies and hopes into one; and it rests upon the mutual confidence and devotion of each to the other.

Officiant: The union of these two 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. Therefore, may it be with thoughtfulness and reverence, and in dependence upon divine guidance, that they now enter into this holy relationship.

Rose Ceremony: (Optional)

(Choice of Rose Ceremony honoring the couple’s mothers or families. Click on “Rose Ceremonies” navigation menu link at left to see ceremonies. A musical selection may be played softly during ceremony.)

Prayer:

Officiant: Let us pray:

Officiant: Beloved God, we welcome your presence in our hearts today. We have come together as a community of family and friends to witness and bless the vows of ___(Groom)_____ and ___(Bride)_____ and the beginning of their journey together as a married couple. We ask that you bless them with a loving, healthy and happy marriage.

Officiant: Amen.

Reading: (Optional)

(Choose the Reading below or choose another from our website: click on “Poems & Readings” or “Prayers & Religious Readings” Navigation Menu link at left to see other options.)

Officiant: This is a poem called Wedding Gifts by Katherine Murphy

Grant us O Lord, the gift of words,

kind and loving words that communicate

and encourage, words of wisdom from you.

Grant us O Lord, the gift of attention,

rapt listening to the needs of one another

and the casting aside of all focus on ourselves.

Grant us O Lord, the gift of acceptance,

the ability to recognize our differences and

see in one another the unique person you created.

Grant us O Lord, the gift of patience, not only

with each other as we grow and change but to

know that all good things come in your time.

Grant us O Lord, the greatest of all the gifts,

Love – on this day and always – as we join together

in the sacred union of marriage.

Exchange of Vows: (Choice of the vows below or custom written vows.)

Officiant (To couple): Will you please join hands.

(Bride turns and gives her bouquet to Maid of Honor.)

Officiant: ___(Groom)_____ and ___(Bride)_____, I call to your attention the seriousness of the decision you have made and the covenant you are about to declare before God and these guests. I remind you that love and loyalty are the foundation of a happy and enduring home. The future is unknown to any of us. Yet your love for one another and your trust in the goodness of God’s Will, makes possible the act of faith you now make in our midst.

Officiant: As you make your promises to each other, remember that constant and continuous faithfulness to your vows will result in a marriage that will be blessed, a home that will be a place of peace, and a relationship in which you both grow in love.

Officiant: ___(Groom)_____, do you take ___(Bride)_____ to be your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love her, to honor and cherish her, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to be to her, in all things, a good and faithful husband as long as you both shall live?

Groom: I do.

Officiant: ___(Bride)_____, do you take ___(Groom)_____ to be your wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in holy matrimony? Do you promise to love him, to honor and cherish him, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to be to him, in all things, a good and faithful wife as long as you both shall live?

Bride: I do.

Blessing of Rings:

Officiant: May I have the rings?

(Best Man (and Maid Of Honor) gives rings to Officiant. Officiant holds up the rings.)

Officiant: Heavenly Father, bless these rings. Grant that ___(Groom)_____ and ___(Bride)_____ may wear them with deep faith in each other. May they do your will and always live together in peace, love and abiding joy.

Officiant: From the earliest of times the circle of the wedding band has been a symbol of wedded love. It has become a religious custom for couples to exchange rings as a way to represent their own, unique love. As these rings have no end, so your love should have no end. As these rings are made of the purest of metals, symbolizing purity, so should your marriage have purity. As often as either of you see them, you will be reminded of this moment and the endless love you promised.

The Exchange of Rings:

Officiant: Please join your left hands together.

(The Couple joins their left hands with the Bride’s hand on top.)

(Officiant gives Groom the ring for Bride.)

Officiant: ___(Groom)_____, repeat after me. ___(Bride)_____, this ring I give to you, in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love.

(Groom repeats and places ring on Bride’s finger.)

(The Couple turns their left hands over together, with the Groom’s hand on top.)

(Officiant gives Bride the ring for Groom.)

Officiant: ___(Bride)_____, repeat after me. ___(Groom)_____, this ring I give to you, in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love.

(Bride repeats and places ring on Groom’s finger.)

Unity Ceremony: (Optional)

(Choice of Unity Ceremony. Click on “Unity Ceremonies” navigation menu link at left to see ceremonies. A musical selection may be played softly during ceremony.)

Final Blessing:

Officiant: Let us pray:

Officiant: O thou eternal God, who art our Father and our Friend, You have heard these words of promise this couple has just spoken. May You deepen in their minds the sense of the sacred and binding power of their vows. Send your blessing upon this couple and endow them with Your grace and guidance that they may faithfully fulfill the vows they have taken. May they ever remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to Your laws. May Your joy abide with them always, that thus they may be a blessing to each other, and to those about them. And may they find in the blessedness of the home life on earth a sample of the happiness of Your eternal home.

Officiant: Amen.

Pronouncement and Kiss:

Officiant: What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Forasmuch as ___(Groom)_____ and ___(Bride)_____ have consented together to join their lives in holy matrimony, and in as much as they have exchanged vows, and have given and received rings in the presence of God and these witnesses; I now pronounce, by the authority vested in me, and in accordance with the laws of the State of ___(State)_____, that they are now married.

Officiant: ___(Groom)______ you may now kiss your Bride.

(Officiant steps to the side while the Couple kisses.)

Optional Announcement: (Couple may have the Officiant make an announcement regarding the reception, family pictures, etc.)

(Officiant steps back to previous position.)

(Couple turns to face guests.) (Maid of Honor hands the bouquet back to the Bride.)

Introduction of the Couple:

Officiant: It is now my pleasure to present Mr. and Mrs. ___________.

(Couple recesses out followed by the wedding party.)