Kathleen & Brandon Ceremony
Processional:
Brandon will wait up front with Officiant
Kathleen will be is escorted by her father
Upon arrival at the front, Officiant will ask:
Who gives Kathleen in marriage?
Dad: "Her mother and I do"
Dad will kiss Kathleen good-bye and go to his seat. Officiant will informally welcome all the guests on behalf of Brandon & Kathleen.
Opening Words
(Officiant)
We are gathered here today, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is! We do not create this marriage, because we cannot. We can and do, however, celebrate with Brandon & Kathleen the wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place in their lives.
A marriage is a promise between two people which takes a lifetime to fulfill; a promise to share your lives generously and enthusiastically each and every day; a promise to listen when the other needs to talk; a promise to comfort when the other needs assurance; and a promise to renew the appreciation and love you feel for each other.
A good marriage must be created and maintained. It is more than the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. By marrying, you are committing to an agreement-one that you must make new every day: "I agree to help you. I agree to look out for you. I agree to trust you and be worthy of your trust. I agree to put up with your bad moods and try to make you laugh. I agree to do the best I can, and if on occasion, my best falls short, I will continue to grow and get better." And so each day becomes a small mosaic of plans and trials and laughter and ideas and promises shared and promises fulfilled, and to this we add the words: "Because I love you, I agree to do this. And because I love you, I will make this agreement anew everyday."
With love, shared pain is lessened. With love, shared joy is increased. Love makes you stronger, so that you can reach out and live in ways you dared not risk alone. Let your love give you the strength to stand apart, to make your own contributions to the world. Love each other's families as your own. May you look upon each other's strengths with joy, accept each other's imperfections with understanding, and renew your love each and every day.
Officiant will ask Kathleen and Brandon to turn toward one another and hold hands.
Statement of Intention
(Officiant)
Brandon & Kathleen will you both honor each other's happiness, respect each others differences and hold each other in your hearts remembering always to be each others best friend?
Brandon & Kathleen together: We will
Vows
Officiant: Having stated your intentions to live together in marriage, I ask you to state the vows you have prepared.
Brandon: You, Kathleen are the love of my life, my reason for living. I love you with all of my heart and know that as long as you are next to me I will be willing to give my life to you. I, Brandon, take your hand in marriage and hold you to be, from this day on, an integral part of me, promising to look upon you forever with dedication, understanding, and unconditional love.
Kathleen: With all my heart I take you to be my husband. I will love you through the good and the bad, through the joy and the sorrow. I will try to understand, and trust in you completely. I will make you a part of me and in turn, become a part of you. Together we will face all of life's experiences and share one another's dreams and goals. We will be equal partners in an open, honest relationship throughout the years.
Exchange of Rings
Officiant will have the rings.
Officiant: Your rings are in the shape of a perfect circle symbolize unending love. They are an outward symbol of unity, in which your two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle.
These rings mark the beginning of a long journey filled with wonder, surprises, laughter, tears, celebration, grief & joy. May they glow in reflection of the warmth and love which flow through both of you today.
Kathleen, please extend your left hand. Brandon, please take Kathleen's ring and place it on her finger, repeating after me:
Brandon: I place this ring on your finger as a seal of the covenant I have made with you.
Officiant: Kathleen, please take Brandon's ring, place it on his finger, and repeat after me:
Kathleen: I place this ring on your finger as a seal of the covenant I have made with you.
Blessing
Brandon and Kathleen,
May your marriage bring you all the
exquisite excitements a marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also patience, tolerance,
and understanding.
May you always need one another - not so much
to fill your emptiness as to help you know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete;
the valley does not make the mountain less but more;
and the valley is more a valley
because it has a mountain towering over it.
So let it be with you and you.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another,
and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say,
"I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart,
may both of you hope to have good sense
enough to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness
of one another's presence - no more physical than spiritual,
warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near
when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another!
Pronouncement
(Officiant)
By this ceremony, brandon and Kathleen have vowed, in the presence of their family and friends, to be loyal and loving partners in life. They have formalized the existence of the bond between them with the vows they have spoken and with the giving and receiving of rings. Therefore, it is now my pleasure to pronounce that they are husband and wife.
Brandon, you may kiss your bride.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present "Mr. and Mrs. Brandon and Kathleen Smith"
Recessional
We will go to foyer to sign the license. Guests will follow for cocktails