Wedding Ceremony of (Groom) and (Bride)
Welcome family and friends. (Groom) and (Bride) are happy that so many of you who mean so much to them are here to celebrate this, their wedding day. Blessed be you who have come here in dedication to all that is loving, good and sacred. We bless you and welcome you in joy.
I would like to take this moment to mention someone very special to (Bride) who could not be here today. May God be with him and keep him safe.
Out of two different and distinct traditions, (Groom) and (Bride) have come together to learn the best of what each has to offer, appreciating their differences, and confirming that being together is far better than being apart from one another. As we bless this marriage under the chuppah (wedding canopy), the Jewish symbol of the new home being consummated here, we will also light the unity candle, a Christian symbol of two people becoming one in marriage.
Blessed be you who have come here in dedication to all that is loving, good and sacred. We bless you and welcome you in joy. May the Source of Life sustain you in your new life together. May all that is noble and true in the universe inspire your lives together and bring peace to all humankind. Blessed are you, O God for giving life, sustaining us and bringing us to this joyous time. Blessed are you who come in the name of God.
Blessing Over the Wine
Two thoughts are suggested by this cup of wine. The first is that wine is a symbol of the sweetness we wish for your life. There will be times when you drink from other cups, from bitter ones; but life offers opportunity to savor the sweetness. The awareness of the possibility of a life filled with true meaning is what we toast: the good that is life. The second is that wine is a symbol of sharing. You have shared many years together, and out of this time has grown the love which brought you to this day. As you continue to share in each other’s life, you will, as a symbol of this enduring cooperation, share this cup of wine. ((Groom) and (Bride) share a sip of wine)
Blessed are you, O God, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing.
If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all mysteries and knowing everything, and if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but am without love, I gain nothing.
If I give away all my possessions and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but am without love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes not pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust and to endure whatever comes. Loves does not end.
There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.
(Rev Ring)
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father our hearts are filled with great happiness on (Groom) and (Bride)’s wedding day, as they come before You pledging their hearts and lives to one another.
Grant that they may ever be true and loving; living together in such a way as to never bring shame or heartbreak into their marriage.
Temper their hearts with kindness and understanding; rid them of all pretense or jealousy. Help them to remember to be each other’s sweetheart, helpmate, best friend and guide, so that together they may meet the cares and problems of life more bravely.
And with the passage of time, may they find great contentment in the rich joy of senior companionship. May the home they are creating today truly be a place of love and harmony, where Your Spirit is always present. Bless this marriage we pray and walk beside (Groom) and (Bride) throughout all of their lives together.
Amen.
(Groom) and (Bride), life is given to each of us as individuals, and yet we must learn to live together. Love is given to us by our family or by our friends. We learn to love by being loved. Learning to love and living together is one of the greatest challenges of life- and is the shared goal of a married life.
(Groom) and (Bride) do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?
We do.
Will you love and honor each other in marriage for the rest of your lives?
We do.
Vows
(Repeat after Rev Ring)
(Groom) ((Bride)) today, I am here to join my life to yours. I promise to stand by your side from this day forward. I pledge to be true to you, to respect you, to love you and care for you for as long as I shall live.
(Rev. Ring)
Wedding rings are an outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual grace and the unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this man and this woman in marriage.
(Groom), as you place this ring on (Bride)’s finger, repeat after me,
“With this ring, I join my life with yours. This is my beloved and this is my friend.”
(Bride), as you place this ring on (Groom)’s finger, repeats after me,
“With this ring, I join my life with yours. This is my beloved and this is my friend.”
In the wedding liturgy, candlelight symbolizes the commitment of love these two people are declaring today.
Before you, you see three special candles. The two candles symbolize the lives of the bride and groom. Until today, both have let their light shine as individuals. Now they have come to publicly proclaim their love in the new union of marriage.
They do not lose their individuality. Yet, in marriage, they are united in so close a bond that they become one. Now, following the profession of their marriage vows, they will light the large center candle from the smaller candles to symbolize this new reality. In this way they are saying that henceforth their light must shine together for each other, for their families, and for the community.
From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls are destined to find one another, their two streams of light flow together and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being.
The Seven Wedding Blessings)
Blessed are you, God, who brings forth fruit from the vine.
Blessed are you, God, who shapes the universe.
Blessed are you, Holy One of Blessing, who fashions each person.
We bless you, God, for forming each person in your image. You have planted within us a vision of you and given us the means that we may flourish through time. Blessed are you, Creator of humanity.
May Israel, once bereft of her children, now delight as they gather together in joy. Blessed are you, God, who lets Zion rejoice with her children.
Let these loving friends taste of the bliss you gave to the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden in the days of old. Blessed are you, the Presence who dwells with bride and groom in delight.
Blessed are You, who lights the world with happiness and contentment, love and companionship, peace and friendship, bridegroom and bride. Let the mountains of Israel dance! Let the gates of Jerusalem ring with the sounds of joy, song, merriment, and delight – the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the happy shouts of their friends and companions. We bless you God, who brings bride and groom together to rejoice in each other.
(Rev Ring)
(Groom) and (Bride), your friends and family, all of us here, rejoice in your happiness and we pray that this day marks only one of many more blessings you will share in the days and years ahead. And now that you have spoken the words and performed the rites that unite your lives, we now, by the power of your love and commitment you have made, declare your marriage to be valid and binding, and declare you husband and wife.
“May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up his countenance unto you, and give you peace.”
Breaking of the Glass
We conclude this ceremony with the breaking of the glass. It is a joyous ceremony. There are many different explanations for the breaking of the glass. Today, the fragility of the glass suggests the frailty of human relationships. The glass is broken to protect this marriage with the implied prayer…May your bond of love be as difficult to break as it would be to put together the pieces of this glass.
After (the groom, or the bride and groom) breaks the glass, I invite everyone to shout the Hebrew words “Mazel Tov” (pronounced Ma-zel Tuv) which means “Good luck” and “Congratulations.”
Now may I present to you:
Mr. and Mrs. (Groom)