Short and Sweet: The Perfect Wedding Ceremony Script

Max and I celebrate our six month anniversary on the 22nd. I think that technically still makes us newlyweds (I think). I was looking over our wedding photos when I came across some particularly emotional ones of us during the ceremony.

Closing my eyes, it still feels like yesterday instead of half a year ago. What stands out are the raw feelings and heartfelt words that our family friend turned officiant said to bless our marriage.

That got me thinking – and remembering – what a hassle it was to put together a heartfelt, yet succinct ceremony script. Max in particular wanted something short and sweet and I was in the same boat. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted our ceremony to be memorable, but with the short time window we got at our venue, I needed things to move along at a reasonable pace.

The ceremony is the reason your guests travel thousands of miles across land and ocean to be with you. It’s the joining of two lives in a blessed occasion that signifies something sacred in itself. The ceremony is the real reason friends and family gather to honor your relationship; the reception is just the icing on the cake (don’t forget that brides!).

I loved our script. It could have been longer; to be honest, the final draft was heavily edited. You could call it a bare bones ceremony. Max and I didn’t have a unity candle or any songs or poems performed, but we did honor our guests and families for being supportive. We did incorporate the history of the wedding band and a handful of prayers to bless our marriage. The important aspects of the ceremony remained intact. I like to think that the fluff was edited out between the draft and final versions.

 

If you’re looking for a meaningful, no-nonsense ceremony script, then look no further! Below is what we used for our wedding and I can honestly say, it’s more than sufficient in preserving the sanctity of the wedding ceremony. It’s short; it’s sweet; it’s the perfect length for any couple looking to solidify their vows and still have time for a fun filled reception.

Enjoy!

WELCOMING REMARKS

Please be seated (Most officiants forget to tell guests that they may be seated so don’t forget to put this in your script!)

We are gathered together on this day to witness and celebrate the marriage of Max and Erin. We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to acknowledge and strengthen a bond that already exists. This ceremony is a public affirmation of that bond and as their dearest family and friends, it is our honor and privilege to stand witness to this event. This day is made possible not only because of your love for each other, but through the grace and support of your family and friends. It is our hope that your fulfillment and joy in each other will increase with each passing year.

Marriage is a commitment in life, where two people can find and bring out the very best in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal, a physical and emotional joining that has the promise of a lifetime.

OPENING PRAYER

Let us bow our heads in prayer. Lord, we thank you for gathering everyone here today. We ask that you help Max and Erin to remember the strong love that they share. To work that love into practical things so that nothing can divide them. May their love always inspire them to be kind in their words, considerate of the other’s feelings, and concerned for the other’s needs and wishes. Increase their faith and trust in You. Bless their marriage with peace and happiness and make their Love fruitful for Your glory and their joy, both here and in eternity. Amen.

CEREMONY ADDRESS

Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences and new ways of expressing love through the seasons of life.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes in all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

While the commitment begins with the two of you, its effect radiates outward. It touches your family and friends and ultimately all of society. When this commitment is seriously made and continuously fulfilled, it leads to the richest and most rewarding of human relationships.

This is, I am sure, what you Max, want for Erin and it is also what you, Erin, want for Max. It is also what your family and friends who are gathered here want for the two of you. When a couple treats each other with kindness, love, and respect, the best of what marriage has to offer is the result.

Your relationship will take more than love. It will take trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. Dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both.

While love is our natural state of being, these other qualities are not as easy to come by. They are not a destination, but a journey. Marriage is a give and take between two personalities, a mingling of two endowments which diminishes neither, but enhances both.

Your joining together today becomes all the more important to recognize the significance of a devoted and affectionate family life.

RECOGNITION OF THE PARENTS

You are both blessed to have come from truly loving families who recognize the importance of marriage and the fundamental nature of the marriage commitment. They want everyone to know that who they are today is the result of many years of support and sacrifice by their parents.

CHARGE TO THE COUPLE

Seeing that no moment is without meaning, we ask that you take this marriage as a beginning of your lives together. Today signifies the creation of a new home and a new family for you both. May you be fulfilled by each other’s love and friendship. May you be overjoyed by the promises you are about to make and the life together you will create.

Remember that in every marriage, there are good times and bad, times of joy and times of sorrow. Marriage is a journey – a time of adventure and excitement enhanced by the love, trust, dedication and faith you share in one another.

You are mature enough to know the difference between dreams and realities. You have youth and hope. You also know that good times are sweeter when shared and that difficult times are less harsh when borne by two. Continue to work to build a foundation that will support the lasting relationship that is marriage.

May the promises you make to one another today, be lived out to the end of your lives. Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys, but today is the day it all begins.

Max and Erin, do you, with your family and friends as your witnesses, 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 will]

VOWS

Max, please repeat after me.

I, Max, take you Erin, to be my lawful wedded wife

I give to you in the presence of God and these witnesses

My promise to stay by your side,

In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,

As well as through the good times and the bad.

I promise to love you without reservation,

Comfort you in times of distress

Encourage you to achieve all of your goals,

Laugh with you and cry with you,

Grow with you in mind and spirit

Always be open and honest with you,

And cherish you for as long as we both shall live

Erin, please repeat after me

I, Erin, take you Max, to be my lawful wedded husband

I give to you in the presence of God and these witnesses

My promise to stay by your side,

In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,

As well as through the good times and the bad.

I promise to love you without reservation,

Comfort you in times of distress

Encourage you to achieve all of your goals,

Laugh with you and cry with you,

Grow with you in mind and spirit

Always be open and honest with you,

And cherish you for as long as we both shall live

Max and Erin as you hold hands, may you see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will countless times wipe tears from your eyes, tears of joy and sorrow. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years. These are the hands that will help hold your family together as one as you overcome adversity. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.

EXCHANGING OF THE RINGS

Having this love in your hearts, you have chosen to seal your vows by exchanging rings.

From the earliest times, the circle has been a sign of completeness. The rings that you have chosen to wear have neither beginning nor end, much like your love for one another. They are a symbol of the words that you speak today. May these rings be from this day forward, your most treasured adornment, and may the love they symbolize, be your most precious possession. As you wear these rings, may they be constant reminders of these glad promises you are making today.

PRAYER

Let us pray. Lord, bless the giving and receiving of these rings. May Max and Erin be forever true to this union. May the seamless circle of these rings become the symbol of their endless love and serve to remind them of the holy covenant they have entered into today. Amen

Max, take this ring, place it on Erin’s left hand and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you.

Erin, take this ring, place it on Max’s left hand and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you.

Today you have pledged yourselves to a lifetime of caring for one another. May this be a commitment made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope and eternally renewed. As you stand before us, it is our hope that you will go through life loving, trusting, and caring for one another, completely and forever.

Max and Erin from this moment forward you will never be alone. You will carry with you the love of another person, giving you a completeness and renewed lightness. May your life together be immersed in love and excitement. May you strive to enrich each other in every possible way. And may you work to bring the peace you find to this world.

DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE

Having pledged their fidelity to one another, to love, honor and cherish one another in the presence of this gathering and by the authority vested in me by the constitution and the laws of this state, it is my honor to now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.

CONGRATULATIONS

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor to be the first to introduce you to: Mr. and Mrs. Max and Erin Willet.