Civil Wedding Ceremony
Officiant: Penei Aller
(15 minutes)
Greeting
True
marriage is more than the joining in the bonds of matrimony of two persons. In its’ right relation, it is the uniting of
two souls who are already attuned to each other. When
such a true bond already exists between a man and a woman, it’s fitting that on outer
acknowledgment be made. This acknowledgment is
the prime object of this gathering and this ceremony.
We
are here to bear witness to the entry into the closer relationship of husband and wife…
of you two beloved friends who are already one in spirit.
You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one
person in all the world whom you love best. You
are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship
and the blessing of a deep trust as well. You’re
agreeing to share strengths, responsibilities and to share love.
Blessing
I
would like to share with you a blessing for your marriage.
May
your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring. 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 to
know your fullness.
May
you want one another, but not out of lack.
May
you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May
you embrace one another, but not encircle one another.
May
you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces.
Look
for things to praise, often say, “I love you”, and take no notice of small
faults.
May
you have happiness and may you find it in making one another happy.
May
you have love, and may you find it in loving one another.
Consent
Groom,
do you give yourself totally to loving Bride, striving to do whatever you can to help her
to feel happy and secure, treating her with kindness, understanding and respect for all
the days before you?
Bride,
do you give yourself totally to loving Groom, striving to do whatever you can to help him
to feel happy and secure, treating him with kindness, understanding and respect for all
the days before you?
Vows
I
take you, Bride, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forth. I promise to love you, to cherish you and honor you
all the days of my life.
Groom
and Bride, nothing in life is easier than to say words, but nothing is harder than to
actually live those words, day after day. What
you decide here today, really needs to be reconfirmed tomorrow and the tomorrow after
that, and an endless string of tomorrows after that. At
the end of this ceremony in just a few moments, legally you will be husband and wife, but
you still must decide every day that stretches before you, that you want to continue to
grow in your marriage. Make such a decision
and then keep on making it for when all is done at the periphery of life, the two things
that matter the most are to love and to be loved.
Rings
May
I have the rings, please.
These
rings, by their circular shape are a symbol: they’re
a symbol of the love that you feel in your hearts and that you give to each other this
day, but they’re also a very important symbol of the unending love that will continue
to exist in your lives and in your marriage.
And
as you place this ring upon her finger repeat after me:
“Bride, with this ring, I commit myself to love and cherish you for all the days
before us.”
“Groom,
with this ring I commit myself to love and cherish you for all the days before us.”
You’re
two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Where
ever you go, may you always return to one another in your togetherness. May you two find in each other the love which all
men and women yearn and long for. May you grow
in understanding and in compassion. May the
home that you enjoy together be such a place of sanctuary that many will find there a
friend.
Pronunciation
Groom
and Bride, under the authority of the State of Hawaii, and in the name of love, I do now
pronounce you to be husband and wife.
Kiss
Would
you like to seal your vows with a kiss?
Presentation
I
now present to you Groom and Bride, husband and wife.
Recessional