7. A Traditional Ceremony With Communion
This service is designed for Holy Communion to be taken only by the couple. For orders in which Communion is offered to all the gathered guests, consult specific denominational resources.
Order of Service
Invocation
Welcome and Greeting
[Question to the Couple]
The Scripture Lesson-First Reading
Homily
Declaration of Intention
Vows
Song
The Scripture Lesson: Second Reading
The Exchange of Rings
Declaration of Marriage
The Scripture Lesson: the Gospel
Prayer of Dedication
Holy Communion
The Lord's Prayer
Benediction
Embrace and Kiss
Introduction
The Ceremony
Invocation
The minister says: Eternal and loving God, by your grace, and with the encouragement of your divine Son, we have gathered joyfully to celebrate the union of N. and N. Let your spirit be truly present in our common worship. May this service firmly seal their love while reminding them, and us, of your self-giving, all-conquering love. We pray in the Savior's name. Amen.
The congregation is seated.
Welcome and Greeting
The minister says: We are gathered here to unite N. and N. in marriage, which is an honorable institution, ordained by the church, blessed by Jesus with his presence at the marriage at Cana in Galilee, and perpetuated by the faithful keep of honorable men and women throughout the ages. This simple ceremony, this celebration, is the outward token of a sacred and inward union of hearts, a union created by loving purpose and kept by abiding will.
N. and N., we have assembled here with you to help you give added life to this marriage that you have chosen. For nothing is greater for two human souls than to feel they are joined together in their Creator's presence to strengthen each other in all gladness, to be one with each other in the silent unspeakable memories of the heart, and to let their private happiness lead them into decisions and deeds that contribute to the lives of others and the betterment of our world.
The minister says to the congregation: N. and N. welcome you, their families and friends. Each of you has given something of yourself into their lives. They want you to know that your love, guidance and encouragement will be forever appreciated. It is fitting, then, that you should share this celebration of their commitment to each other to live their lives together.
N. and N., in this spirit, you two have come to be married.
[Question to the Couple]
The minister says: Who gives this woman to be married to this man? The bride's father or designated person, or family members respond by saying: I do or We do.
The Scripture Lesson-First Reading: Ruth 1:16-17
The minister or designated person reads:
Ruth said,
"Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you do, I will go;
Where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die -- there will I be buried.
May the LORD do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!"
Homily
Declaration of Intention
The minister says: Before God and this congregation, I ask you to affirm your willingness to enter this covenant of marriage and to share all the joys and sorrows of this new relationship, whatever the future may hold.
Addressing the groom: N., will you have N. to be your wife, and will you love her faithfully as long as you both shall live?
The groom says: I will, with the help of God.
Addressing the bride: N., will you have N. to be your husband, and will you love him faithfully as long as you both shall live?
The bride says: I will, with the help of God.
Vows
The minister says to the groom: N., please repeat after me:
N., today I take you as my wife.
I promise to love you,
and to sustain you in the covenant of marriage.
For me, this means I promise to be there for you
regardless of our material standing in the world
and regardless of the strength of our physical health.
I expect nothing in this world
except that my love for you will grow,
and that rather than decreasing
as the years wear upon us,
will instead become stronger and deeper.
This is my pledge I make to you
on this our wedding day.
The minister says to the bride: N., please repeat after me:
N., today I take you as my husband.
I promise to love you,
and to sustain you in the covenant of marriage.
For me, this means I promise to be there for you
regardless of our material standing in the world
and regardless of the strength of our physical health.
I expect nothing in this world
except that my love for you will grow,
and that rather than decreasing
as the years wear upon us,
will instead become stronger and deeper.
This is my pledge I make to you on this our wedding day.
Song
"When I Fall in Love" (Victor Young)
The Scripture Lesson -- Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-17
The minister or designated person reads: As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
The Exchange of Rings
The minister says: May I have the rings? The minister takes them from the best man or maid or matron of honor, or both, or unties them from the ring bearer's pillow. Holding the rings aloft, the minister says: These rings are an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace which unites two hearts in love, and they are of special significance because the circle of these rings is a symbol of the unending and enduring quality of the love which N. and N. are sharing today.
The bride places the ring on the fourth finger of the groom's left hand and repeats these words after the minister: N., I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.
The minister says: Let us pray: Bless, O God, the giving of this ring; may she who gives it and he who wears it live in love and fidelity, and continue in your service all the days of their lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The groom places the ring on the fourth finger of the bride's left hand and repeats these words after the minister: N., I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.
The minister says: Let us pray. Bless, O God, the giving of this ring, that he who gives it and she who wears it live in love and fidelity, and continue in your service all the days of their lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Declaration of Marriage
The minister says: Inasmuch as you, N. and N., have given yourselves to each other by solemn vows in the sight of God and these friends, and have expressed that commitment with the joining of hands and the giving of rings, I pronounce you husband and wife, united in the pure and holy bonds of wedlock. Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder.
The Scripture Lesson -- the Gospel: John 15:9-17
The congregation should stand. The minister says: Here the Word of the Lord according to the gospel of John: As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
Prayer of Dedication
The minister prays: God of love, shower your grace upon N. and N., who come to you and pledge themselves to live together in holy marriage. Give them wisdom and devotion in their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow and a companion in joy. When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity. When mistrust is a temptation, give patience and gentleness. When suffering becomes their lot, give them a strong faith and abiding hope. Give to them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that their marriage will be an example and an inspiration to us all. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Holy Communion
The couple kneels. The minister says: Just as we learn of Christ's ministry when it began at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, so also we learn of Christ's ministry and love for us in his death at Calvary. As N. and N. partake of their first Communion as husband and wife, let us thoughtfully remember the meaning of his suffering for us. May the selfless love of Christ be for us a model by which we pattern our own lives.
The minister says: Let us pray. We thank you, O God our Creator, that you create, love and care for all that is. We praise you that in Jesus, you satisfy the needs of the human heart, that you bring to us the peace which passes understanding, that you fill us with your Holy Spirit, empowering and equipping us for your service in the world. We are grateful for the Cross of Jesus Christ, which stands as an eternal reminder of your great love for us all. Bless these moments in which N. and N. remember the suffering of your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the gifts of the bread and wine, link them to yourself as they follow your will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The minister says: On the same night of his betrayal, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying: "Take and eat, this is my body broken for you."
Likewise, Jesus took the cup of blessing and said: "This cup is the cup of the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Drink this in memory of me."
The elements are on the altar and may now be offered to the couple: first the bread, and then the cup. They partake. Then the minister says: Let us pray. Gracious God, pour out your blessing on N. and N. May the love which they have for each other be the sacrificial love with which your Son Jesus loved us. May they daily experience the power of the cross in their lives, learning that in giving one receives, and in dying one is born to eternal life. Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
The minister says: Let us now say together the prayer of our Lord. The minister leads the couple and the congregation in the Lord's Prayer.
Benediction
The couple rises. The minister says: You are wife and husband. Go from this place with God's blessing, the encouragement of your friends gathered here today, the support of your family, and the bond of love by which you are now united to each other. Amen.
Embrace and Kiss
The minister tells the groom: You may kiss the bride.
Introduction
The minister says: I am pleased to introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. N. or, N. and N. N.
Recessional
Music: "Fanfare" (Lemmons)