here's the one I use!
anyone's welcome to use it!
Dear Friends,
We are gathered here at this hour to witness and celebrate the drawing
together of two
separate lives.
We have come so that this man, _____, and this woman, ______, may be joined
in
marriage. It is not to be entered into lightly, but with certainty, mutual
respect, and with
a sense of reverence, which does not preclude beauty, humor, or joy.
As we know, no clergyman, no public official can marry you. Only you can
wed
one
another, by a mutual committment to love each other, to work toward
creating
an
atmosphere of care, consideration, and respect by a willingness to weather
the storms
that underlie human life as well as its boundless joy.
The wedding vow is much more than a contract, a mere piece of paper. It is
a
covenant,
a sacred personal vow. Matrimony symbolizes the ultimate intimacy between a
man and
a woman. This closeness not diminishing, but enhancing the individuality of
each partner.
Marriage is a union of two lives in one love, and we can derive no moral
from love, except
to love more deeply. We can expect nothing from love except that love
gives.
We cannot
choose what chances and changes may befall us, but we can shape the spirit
with which we
shall meet them.
In marriage, ______ and ______ have begun a new book of life, and they have
invited us
all here to witness the opening chapter of that book.
You stand before us today as two mature and thoughtful people who wish to
express their
emotions within the framework of a meaningful life. For your self-reliance,
courage, and
love, you deserve respect, and it is these attributes which make this a
serious, but not
solemn occasion.
I would like at this time to speak of some of the things which many of us
wish for you:
First, we wish for you, a love that makes you both better people, and that
continues to
give you joy and a zest for living.We wish for you, a home, not a place of
mere stone or
wood, but an island of sanity and serenity in a frenzied world. We hope
that
this home is
not just a place of private joy and retreat, but rather a temple wherein
the
values of your
life are generated and upheld.
We hope that your home stands as a symbol of humans living together in love
and peace.
We hope that your home encompasses the beauty of nature. That it has within
it the
elements of simplicity, exuberance, beauty, silence, color, and a
concordance with the
rhythms of life. We wish for you a home with books, poetry and music; a
home
with all
the things which represent the highest strivings of men and women. Finally,
we wish that
at the end of your lives, you will be able to say these two things to each
other:
"Because you have loved me, you have given me faith in myself, and because
I
have seen
the good in you, I have received from you a faith in humanity."
Today's celebration of human affection is therefore an outward sign of a
sacred and inward
committment which religious societies may consecrate and states may
legalize, but which
neither can create nor annul. Such a union can only be created by loving
purpose,
be maintained by abiding will, and be renewed by human feelings and
intentions. In this
spirit, these two persons stand before us.
______, do you promise ______ that you will be her husband, and do you
pledge to her
your respect and your love? ______, do you promise ______ that you will be
his wife,
and do you pledge to him your respect and your love?
**Now by the form of solemnization of marriage, by the state of California,
but most of
all by your own love, you may call yourselves by those two old and
respected
names,
husband and wife. Kiss bride** posted by:
