1. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of God, to join this man and this woman in holy marriage; which is instituted of God, regulated by his commandments, blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, and to be held in honor among all people. Let us therefore reverently remember that God has established and sanctified marriage for the welfare and happiness of humanity. Our Savior has declared that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. By his apostles, he has instructed those who enter into this relationship to cherish a mutual esteem and love; to bear with each other's infirmities and weaknesses; to comfort each other in sickness, trouble, and sorrow; in honesty and industry to provide for each other, and for their household in temporal things; to pray for and encourage each other in the things which pertain to God; and to live together as the heirs of the grace of life.
2. Dear Friends, we are here to share in the celebration of the marriage of ________ and _____. This celebration marks for them a new state in the process of becoming; of self-realization for each of them, and now for both together; one that began in childhood and will continue as each of them grows and their love deepens. It is for them a covenant of becoming and a continuing celebration of God's gift of love and life. Life is like a tapestry in the process of being woven. Out of this tangled world, where the beauty and patterns of life are often difficult to discern these two have been drawn together by their love for each other. The joining of their lives brings into being a new creation. Henceforth, their lives will be woven in one design. The joys and sorrows, the disappointments and achievements of one will support and be supported by those of the other. The design will not come easily. It must be woven with deep love and great care, and each of them must sacrifice some freedom to the relationship. But the greater freedom which comes with the sharing of love increases the possibilities for variety and richness in the tapestry of life together.
3. Another option is that you write your own introduction, one that is expressive of how your relationship developed, which acknowledges the presence of God's Spirit in the relationship and in this place, and one which welcomes the love and support of the people gathered to celebrate with you before God.
4. And this is a day of faith and affirmation, as we recall together that the estate of marriage is an honorable one, instituted by God. It is adorned and beautified by the first miracle of Jesus our Christ, which was worked at the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. And Paul the Apostle reminds us that marriage is something to be held in honor among all people. And so marriage is not something to be entered into inadvisably or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, soberly and with deep trust in the wisdom of God.
5. Dear family and friends, we are gathered here, amid the beauty of nature, and in the presence of God, to unite ____ and ____ in marriage. What ____ and ____ mean to each other is obvious in their lives, but not easily expressed in the language of a ceremony. Marriage, and the union it symbolizes, can be the most intriguing of human experiences, for in any accounting, love in its infinite manifestations is what life is all about. To share their lives, to encourage creativity, inspire each other to reach beyond the limits of the ordinary . . . not at the expense of each partner's individuality, but rather, by the strength of the common bond, this is the hope in which ____ and ____ come to be married. On this occasion, ____ and ____ come before family and friends to affirm the choice they have made of each other as a life's mate, and their intention to establish a home in the fulfillment of life together. Out of this tangled world, they have been drawn together, two people bound firmly by the sure insights of love.
6. A combination of elements from these or other options.

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Declarations of Intent

1. ______, will you have this woman/man to be your wife/husband -and will you pledge yourself to her/him in love and honor, in all duty and service, in all faith and tenderness, to live with h. and cherish h. according to the ordinance of God, in the holy bond of marriage? I WILL.
2. ______, will you have this woman/man to be your wife/husband, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love h., comfort h., honor and keep h., in sickness and in health, for better and for worse--and forsaking all others, be faithful to h. as long as you both shall live? I WILL.
3. ______, do you take ______ to be your wife/husband? Do you love and respect him/her? Do you declare your intention to be honest with h. always, and to stand by h. through whatever may come? Do you accept as your high calling the sharing of life with h., while you have life to share? I DO.
4. ______, do you enter into this sacred bond with a clear eye and a full heart, to pledge yourself in honor, love and trust to this woman/man as his/her companion for the journey of life? I DO.

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Possible Wedding Vows

From Denominational Traditions:

1. I, ________, take you, ________ to be my wedded wife/husband; and I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be your loving and faithful husband/wife in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.
   --Book of Common Worship (Presbyterian)
2. In the name of God I, ________ take you, ________ to be my wife/husband: to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
   --Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal)
3. I take you, _______ to be my wife/husband, and these things I promise you: I will be faithful to you and honest with you; I will serve, respect, trust, help and care for you; I will share my life with you; I will forgive you, even as we have been forgiven; and I will try with you better to understand ourselves, the world and God, through the best and the worst of what is to come, until death parts us.
   --adapted from the Lutheran Book of Worship
4. _______, I take you to be my wife/husband from this time onward, to join with you and to share with you all that is to come: to give and to receive, to speak and to listen, to inspire and to respond, and in all circumstances of our life together to be loyal to you with my whole life and all my being, until death parts us. -adapted from the Lutheran Book of Worship
5. I, ________, take thee,_______ , to be my wedded wife/husband: to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, ‘til death do us part , according to God's holy ordinance: and thereto I pledge thee my faith [or, plight thee my troth]. –The Book of Worship (United Methodist)
6. ________, I give myself to you to be your wife/husband. I promise to love and sustain you in the covenant of marriage from this day forward, in sickness and ill health, in plenty and 1n want, in joy and in sorrow, as long as we both shall live.
   --Book of Worship (United Church of Christ)
7. ________, I take you to be my wife/husband: to laugh with you in joy, to grieve with you in sorrow, to grow with you in love, serving humankind in peace and hope, as long as we both, shall live.
   -United Church of Canada
   
   Vows Taken from Biblical Tradition:
8. Entreat me not to leave thee, or return from following thee-- For whither thou goest I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge; Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; And even death shall not part me from thee. -adapted from Ruth 1:16-17
9. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and ill justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness, and we shall partake in the love of God all our days.
   -adapted from Hosea 2:19-20
   
   Vows Created by Individual Couples:
10. Vows Created by Individual Couples I,________ offer myself completely to you, _________, as your husband/wife in marriage. I cherish the friendship we have enjoyed, and look to the future to deepen and strengthen it. I will be by your side in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph, in hardship and in ease, in sorrow and in joy. I will cherish and respect you, comfort and encourage you, trust; and forgive you, honor and love you, from this day to all days.
11. I,________ take you, ________ to be the wife/husband of my days --to be the mother/father of my children, to be the companion of my house. We will keep together what measure of trouble and sorrow our lives may lay upon us, and we will share together our store of goodness and plenty and love.
12. ________, I take you as my wife/husband. I freely, happily and knowingly choose you above all others to share my life with me. With God's help I will honor you and tenderly care for you, cherish and encourage your fulfillment, and remain beside you through all the challenges of our lives. I am your companion forever; this is my promise.
13. On this special day as we become husband and wife, before our family, our friends and God, and before each other, I make these commitments of my own free will: I promise to care for you in every way I can; I will respect, cherish and love you; in times of joy and sorrow I will be with you. I promise to speak to you in truth and sincerity, and hold you close. I will let no other person or thing come between us. With God's help I will do all I can to help you become the person you want to be.

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Exchange of Rings

1. With this ring, I thee wed [in the name of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustaining Spirit, Amen].
2. I give you this ring as a token of my love, and I pledge to you my loyalty and devotion until death separates us.
3. I give you this ring as a sign of my promises.
4. _______, I place this ring on your finger as an emblem of the word I have given you. Wear it with confidence and joy--for I choose you to be my husband/wife this day and every day.
5. This ring I give you in token of my faithfulness and love, as a pledge to honor you with my whole being and to share with you my worldly goods.
6. I give you this ring as a sign of my vow, and with all that I am, and with all that I have, I honor you.

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