Christian Ceremony With Hawaiian Elements
Revs. Dard and Penei Aller
Blowing of the Pu or Conch Shell Penei
Gloria Patri sung in Hawaiian
Dard:
Congratulations, (Bride and Groom), on your marriage. It is an honor for us to be here to witness and to celebrate your marriage, a union that has already taken place in your heart and in your soul. That being true, it is appropriate that vows and rings be exchange in the sight of God and these witnesses as you become husband and wife.
For the beauty that surrounds us, for the peace it brings, for the joy we are about to experience, we are all enormously grateful.
Presentation of bride. (Optional)
Dard: Who presents this woman to this man in holy matrimony?
Please place her hand in his.
Penei - The Sharing of Aloha
Aloha (Bride) and (Groom) and welcome. Aloha, what a beautiful word. When we think of Hawaii, we think of Aloha. It is a feeling, a spirit, a greeting, and it does mean love but the literal translation is to give and share the sacred breath of life. HA" is the breath. These islands are named for that breath of life as well. "HA" breath "Wai" Water and "i'i " Spirit. So to greet someone with aloha is to greet them with that essence of life - our breath. It is such a deeply personal, spiritual, and intimate greeting. I know of no other like it.
Let us share the aloha now by taking a moment to breathe deeply together and say "Aloha.". Besides sharing the aloha with each other it is relaxing, cleansing and calming. Be aware of the tropical breezes, for the Hawaiians believe that carried on the wind at a wedding are the spirits of absent loved ones. This includes your ancestors, invited by the blowing of the conch shell, as well as your friends and family in this world and with Our Father in Heaven. Feel their presence bless you as we share an aloha breath. for love knows no boundaries of time and space. It is a voice or a song inside the heart that never stops singing.
E Pule Kakou Let us pray
Prayer - E Ko makou Makua iloko o ka lani. E hoano ia ko Inoa
Almighty God, Divine Power of the Universe, we call upon your presence to bless (Bride) and (Groom) as they join their lives in Holy Matrimony. Smile on them today and always. Be with them in their times of joy and of need. Give them patience and understanding to deal with the challenges of life. Fill their hearts with compassion for each other and for others. May they be like the coconut tree and bend with the winds of life and bend with each other, yet retaining that strength inside themselves which comes from you. Keep them safe in their travels. Bless their home and all who enter it. May they walk in the light of your love from this day forward. No ka mea, Nou ke aupuni, a me ka mana, a me ka ho'onani ia a mau loa aku, he inoa no Jesu Kristo, in Jesus" name we pray Amene.
Dard (Lei Exchange)
A Hawaiian wedding often begins with the
exchange of Leis. We do this for several different reasons. One is that the Lei
is a circle, like the rings that will soon be exchanged, representing the
eternal commitment and unbroken devotion of your hearts to each other.
Also, each individual flower that is woven into the Lei loses none of its’
individual beauty when it forms the circle. Its’ beauty is enhanced. Likewise
In your marriage you do not compromise or lose any of your individual identity
and unique beauty. In fact, because of the nurturing care and support of your
relationship, you become even more that special individual with whom your
partner fell in love.
Dard hands a Lei to Groom.
(Groom), please place this Lei around the neck of your bride, and as you do so
please give her a kiss.
Hawaiian wedding are special. The kissing starts right away.
And likewise, (Bride), place this Lei around the neck of your beloved with a kiss.
Hawaiian Marriage
The Hawaiians have always had a sensitivity to the sacredness of special times and places. This is true of you as well as you have carefully planned the location of your marriage. At the end of this service I will use a lava rock and Ti leaf to perform a Hawaiian blessing that commemorates this precious moment and sacred union.
There is an additional significance as well. We see only the surface of the A’ina. It is below, unseen, where the depth of the land abides. So also, we see and respect the outer expression of your relationship together. Only the two of you know the true and unseen depth of you inner union.
This can also be compared to the beauty of the Pacific Ocean surrounding us here on the Big Island, which you have chosen as the backdrop to your ceremony. We see constant changes on the surface of the sea. It is below, and unseen, where the teaming life of the ocean resides.
You will face constant change in the outer circumstances of your life, while drawing from within yourself and your partner that rich and powerful inner spiritual strength that the Hawaiians call Mana. Allow your partner to be true to that inner life purpose and power.
And if we speak of A’ina and Ocean, let’s include as well the beauty of the mountains that surround us; the Kohalas to the North of us, with Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea to the east and Hualalai to the South. Even Haleakala of Maui is often visible to the West. Telescopes are looking outward and upward, making new discoveries there every day. Your marriage is not only about inner depth and strength. It is also a looking outward to the accomplishment of hopes, dreams and aspirations. One of those dreams is being fulfilled at this very moment. Continue to reach out, not only for your own personal satisfaction but for the uplifting of your Ohana, that circle of family, friends and community that will be enriched by your love and care.
There is a tradition here in Hawaii that when the wind stirs at a wedding, it is the presence of absent loved ones and ancestors who surround you at this moment with their love, support and blessing.
Always find things to praise. Continue to say I love you. Make no list of the occasional disappointments and conflicts that come between you. Embrace without restricting. Release and reassure with tenderness. May the exchange of Leis be a symbol to you of a healthy relationship, a giving and receiving, that mutual interchange that strengthens you both. Sometimes the simple gift of a flower speaks deeper than words about the heart's desire for your relationship to blossom, to be fragrant and to grow ever closer.
Let us Pray: Heavenly Father, what a joy it is to see a man and woman so much in love as these two. Bless them with your everlasting strength as they make their commitments to you and to each other. May these vows honor and glorify you and be a blessing to them, both now and forever more. Amen.
I Corinthians Chap 13
If I have not love, then I am nothing... Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful. Love is not ill-mannered, or selfish, or irritable; love makes no record of wrongs, love rejoices not with evil but rejoices in truth. It's faith, hope, and patience never fail. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love is eternal... These three remain; faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
Consent
(Groom), do you take
(Wife) to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better, for
worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, treasuring her in your
heart as the special gift that she is to you, striving to do all that you can to
make her to feel happy and secure, treating her with understanding, kindness and
respect for all the days before you?
I do.
(Wife), do you take (Groom) to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, treasuring him in your heart as the special gift that he is to you, striving to do all that you can to make him to feel happy and secure, treating him with understanding, kindness and respect for all the days before you?
I do.
Exchange of Vows
Please join right hands, look into each other s eyes and repeat after me:
With all my heart and without reservation, I, Groom/Bride give myself completely to you, Bride/Groom as your Husband/Wife. From this day forward we will walk together; in sunshine, in rain, in laughter, in tears, for the rest of our years. Grow old along with me. You have my faith and my trust. For now and for always I will be by your side; my best friend, my true love, my life. I love you.
Koa Bowl and Ti Leaf Blessing of Rings
Are there rings to commemorate these vows and your love?
Dard hands a Koa bowl to (Groom).
A few moments before this service I dipped this Koa wood bowl into the Pacific Ocean in order to perform a Hawaiian blessing over these rings. Koa, which is the hardest of our Hawaiian woods, has been used over the centuries to build the outrigger canoes, tools and utensils. It has come to represent integrity and strength; foundational qualities of your relationship. Marriage is more than just the beautiful passion and tender emotion of love. It is a covenant enduring all of life's changes, based on faith, hope and love.
The Ti leaf represents prosperity,
health and blessing of body, mind and spirit.
Dard dips a Ti leaf in the bowl,
sprinkles the rings three times and chants:
"May blessings
from above rest upon you and remain with you now and forever."
The water has a double significance.
One is a washing back into the Pacific, as it were, symbolically, of any
hindrance to relationship, disappointment or hurt from the past. In Hawaiian
this is called Ho’oponopono or reconciliation, a letting go by grace and aloha
so that the second
aspect of the water may be profoundly true for the two of you today: it
represents a brand new beginning as husband and wife.
(Doxology sung in Hawaiian)
Ho'onani I ka Makua mau. Ke keiki me Ka Uhane no. Ke Akua mau ho'o maika'i pu. Ko keia ao. Ko kela ao.
(Groom), as you
take this ring and place it upon your wife’s finger, please repeat after me:
(Bride), with this ring as a symbol of
my eternal love and my devotion to you, I thee wed. With this ring, I give you
my heart. I have no greater gift to give.
or "As Jesus promised us eternal life, I promise you eternal love."
And likewise (handing the ring to Bride)
(Groom), with this ring as a symbol of my eternal love and my devotion to you, I thee wed. With this ring, I give you my heart. I have no greater gift to give.
or "As Jesus promised us eternal life, I promise you eternal love."
Penei: Hawaiian Wedding Song , couples choice, or
The Lord's Prayer chanted in Hawaiian (Optional)
E ko makou Makua iloko o ka lani, e hoano i-a Kou I-noa.
E hiki mai Kou aupuni, e malama ia Kou makemake ma ka honua nei,
e like me ia i malama ia ma ka lani la.
E ha'awi mai ia makou i keia la ai na ma- kou no keia la.
E kala mai hoi ia makou i ka makou lawehala ana,
me makou e kala nei i kapoe i lawe-ha-la-i ka makou.
Mai ho'oku'u oe ia makou i ka ho owalewale ia mai.
A ka E ho'opakele no na e 'ia ma-kou i ka ino.
No ka mea, Nou ke aupuni, a me ka mana, a me ka ho'onani ia a mau loa aku, Amene, Amene
Dard:
Let us pray: Father, we thank you for your divine love that is revealed to us in Christ and for the love in the hearts of (Groom) and (Bride) that brings them now into the union of marriage. Guide and bless them through all of life, in the name of the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Amen Amen.
Blessing Chant (Kumu Tis'a Kalili, Kahula o ka Moana Pakipika),
A - Aloha Mai May you always be surrounded with love
E - Ea Ea Every breath you take is sweet and good
I - Ike Pono See, Know, Recognize Goodness in You - Others - Everything
O - Ola Mau Loa May your lives Be Long
U - Uwehe E Be free from harm
Ha'awi Loko Mai ka i Wishes Given from Goodness Within
Loa'a Mai Loko Maika i Received from Goodness Within
"I ho'okahi kahi ke aloha ua mau" Be united as one, in love forever.
Pronunciation
We have had a very special honor here today to witness your love and aloha, your
exchange of leis, vows, and rings. And now by the authority that has been
entrusted to me by the State of Hawaii, I pronounce that you are Husband and
Wife.
You may seal your vows with a kiss.
Pronunciation