Wedding service
The religious ceremony has to be performed after the civil ceremony (never before). The minister will require a certificate of civil marriage before any religious ceremony takes place. The service is prepared with the minister, here are some texts for the wedding service.
Here are some examples of texts which could be used during the service (several proposals are made for each moment. It is possible to mix them, or find other texts too)
Music
The minister invites the assembly to stand
[Parade of the groom, then the bride parade]
Opening words
1.
Grace and Peace to you all in the name of God our Father, and of Jesus-Christ, our Lord.
2.
This is the day the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it ( Ps. 118:24)
3.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
His love endures for ever (Ps106.1)
Welcome
1.
(You are all welcome in this church where) We are gathered together in joy and prayer to be with Juliet and Romeo who have given their word, one to another, and have come here, to ask God to bless their union. The church rejoices with them in their joy.
At this special and important time of your life, we hold you in our friendship. With you, we express our thanksgiving to God.
2.
Juliet and Romeo, today you declare publicly your love and your desire to marry each other. You have chosen this church for the ceremony. Our community shares your joy, and hopes that you will always feel at home here.
3. (If there is an Ecumenical celebration)
Juliet and Romeo, you are welcome in this house of prayer where you have come to ask the Lord to bless your union. Juliet/Romeo it is in another church that you learnt about Jesus-Christ, and worship God. We are happy to welcome you together with your family. Our churches are still separated, but we believe together that there is "One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism". Thus, we hope that your marriage will grow, founded in communion with Jesus-Christ, and help us along the path to unity.
4.
Grace and Peace to you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Juliet and Romeo, the church, and all those around you, rejoice in your faith and love.
We welcome the life shared together that you are beginning, and ask for God’s blessing on your union.
5.
We are gathered for this time of thanksgiving and meditation with Juliet and Romeo who love each other and have committed themselves to each other. They have chosen to come before God to ask him to bless their important choice for their lives.
Juliet and Romeo, our church, which accompanied you in your preparation for this wedding, assures you of its affection and prayerful support. We share your happiness and are glad to welcome you along with your parents, family and friends ( and the Priest who is with you, for you have chosen to live this moment in communion with the Catholic Church to whom you, Juliet/Romeo and your family belong.
Praise
Together let us praise the Lord:
1.
God, our Father be with us. Welcome us into your presence, as it is you we seek. You are our strength and hope. You are the Lord of our past, present and future and we trust in you.
We bring Juliet and Romeo before you. You gave them the love that binds them to each other, the happiness to be the couple through which they will carry on the work your creation. You are the witness and the support of their union. Today you speak to them and give them your word and you are with them as you will be with them and with each of us always.
We give you thanks.
Amen
2.
God, our father, here we are in your presence. Help us to quieten our spirits and to direct our thoughts to you. Two of your children, Juliet and Romeo love each other. They are marrying to share the joys and hardships of life, to share its responsibilities together and bring happiness to each other. We praise you: Your love opens the way where you go with them.
It is from you that all blessings come. Prepare our hearts to receive the blessing of your word. Through Jesus-Christ, our Lord. Amen.
3.
Who are we, Lord, for you to turn your face to us ?
How can we express our thanks for all you are, and all you do ?
To encounter you makes us aware of the joy of all our encounters.
Praise you for this reflection of your glory which we see in the love of Juliet and Romeo.
Confirm the promises which they are about to make, strengthen them through Your word.
As they seek each other, may they seek you; as they find each other, may they find you.
May they wish for each other the glorious freedom that you wish for each of them. Amen.
4.
Lord, our God, we gather to give you thanks.
It is you who hold our lives in your hands
You are Lord of our past, our present and our future.
It is you who gave Juliet and Romeo the love they have for each other.
It is your wish to bless their union.
It is for this reason that we are gathered together today.
You are the witness of their union , and now you speak to them through your Word.
You are with them today as you will be with them every day until the end.
So we lift our grateful hearts towards you.
We praise you Lord. Amen.
5.
Thank you Lord for this day.
Thank you for your Word announced in our midst.
Thank you for every day which comes, for shared moments,
for the affection shown to each other, for each true word,
and for the freedom you give us.
Thank you that we can give you our future with all its questions, its hopes and its worries.
In prayer and in silence, to be able to communicate our own difficulties,
our defeats, and things we had not planned for.
With you we are happy to know that we have been heard and understood.
In your love, you are willing to renew our love every day. Amen.
6.
Our Lord, thank you for bringing us together in your presence.
We praise you for your love revealed to the entire world in Jesus-Christ.
As you are with us today and every day in our life,
you want to be with Juliet and Romeo.
Witness of their union, you give them the happiness of being a couple
through whom you carry your work of creation.
Happy the man, happy the woman who puts their trust in you !
The minister invites the assembly to sit down.
[ Hymn / Psalm ]
[ And now you are invited to listen to some texts that Juliet and Romeo have chosen in tune with their sensibility, which speak of the orientation they wish for their married life.]
[ Explanation concerning Marriage ]
1.
Juliet and Romeo, you have decided to live as a couple in society.
Married before men at the civil ceremony,
you have chosen to confirm this decision in the church,
to ask God’s blessing on your union,
and to declare your desire to found your relationship day after day
on God’s presence and on the Good News of Christ.
Here you declare your wish to live together amongst the people that God guides.
Asked about Marriage, Jesus replied:
"Have you not read that in the beginning
the Creator made them male and female?
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’.
So they are no longer two but one.
Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
To marry in a Christian church is to declare a common project:
the desire to live according to the Gospel,
following the vocation that God calls us to.
This ideal of living is summarised by Jesus-Christ himself in these two commandments:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your mind, with all your strength and with all your soul,
and your neighbour as yourself.”
With God’s help, together you may learn to love the people whom God puts on your way. From now on you are for each other, the closest of all neighbours.
2.
In the Bible, the book of the Genesis says:
"God created man in his own image,
man and woman, he created them and he blessed them."
God wanted men and women to know true happiness on earth:
the union of two bodies, of two minds, of two sensibilities,
having chosen to share the same life.
In the marriage relation, the prophets of Israel saw,
the image of the union in between God and his people.
The apostle Paul compares the love of a husband for his wife
to the love of Jesus-Christ for the Church.
God calls Juliet and Romeo to grow each day in the strength of their love
and to live in truth and faithfulness.
[In leaving father and mother], they have committed themselves to each other
to begin a new story, the story of their family.
They walk side by side with the people that God is building.
3.
Juliet and Romeo, at the Town Hall You manifested your desire to live as a couple in society. Here you are confirming your wish to live together among the people of God.
Asked about Marriage, Jesus said :
"Have you not read that in the beginning
the Creator made them male and female?
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’.
So they are no longer two but one.
Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
It is God’s will that man and woman should know true happiness on earth:
the union of two bodies, two minds, two sensibilities,
having chosen to share the same life.
The marital relation is so strong that the prophets of Israel saw it as
the image of the union between God and His people.
Later, the apostle Paul compared the love of a husband for his wife
to the love of Jesus-Christ for the Church.
He loved her so much that he gave his own life for her.
The Lord goes with you.
With him, forgiveness is always possible,
joy is always promised, love can always live again.
Juliet and Romeo, This service, on the occasion of your wedding,
includes the Word of God, and his commitment to you as a couple.
You have asked for His blessing and the intercession of all gathered here.
Let us remember that it is not the church that marries you.
Rather, this ceremony is witness to your faith;
it invites you to live in His trust.
Bible Texts
We are now going to read the texts from the Bible that we will be giving you later that have been chosen for today,.
Music / Hymn
Sermon
Music / Hymn
Invitation
The minister invites the assembly to stand.
Juliet and Romeo, I invite you to stand and commit yourselves to each other before God and his church. (I also invite the best man and bridesmaid to come closer, and the assembly to stand to show that they are witnesses to this commitment.)
Marriage vows
1
Romeo, you have taken Juliet as your wife.
Will you promise to love her, to respect her, to encourage her,
to live with her in truth, and through the good and the bad days,
to stay faithful to her for all your life ?
- Yes (with the help of God)
Juliet, you have taken Romeo as your husband.
Will you promise to love him, to respect him, to encourage him,
to live with him in truth, and through the good and bad days,
to stay faithful to him for all your life?
- Yes (with the help of God)
So, being responsible for each other,
are you willing to receive the responsibilities of parenthood that may be given to you,
and do you wish to raise any children that you may have in the Christian faith ?
- Yes we do
2.
Romeo you have taken Juliet as your wife .
Do you promise to love her, to respect her,
to live within the truth, and through the good and bad days,
to stay faithful to her for all your life?
Do you promise to ensure that your children will learn to know about Jesus- Christ ?
- Yes (with the help of God)
Juliet you have taken Romeo as your husband .
Do you promise to love him, to respect him,
to live within the truth, and through the good and bad days,
to stay faithful to him for all your life?
Do you promise to ensure that your children will learn to know about Jesus- Christ ?
- Yes (with the help of God)
3.
The wife and then the husband:
Romeo / Juliet, I have chosen you for my wife/husband.
I promise to love you, to respect you, to encourage you,
to live with you in truth,
and stay by your side through the good and bad days,
to stay faithful to you for all our life.
I promise to ensure that our children will learn to know about Jesus- Christ.
4.
The wife and then the husband:
Romeo / Juliet, I declare publicly that I love you,
that I take you as my husband/wife.
I want to share your joy, your worries and your hardships.
I want to live with you in the faith, hope and love
of Jesus-Christ who has conquered death.
I promise to love you, to respect you and to help you to be fulfilled,
to walk faithfully with you toward our unity,
to welcome children with thankfulness,
to ensure that they come to know Jesus-Christ.
5.
Romeo, repeat after me the vows that you choose to give to Juliet:
I Romeo, take you, Juliet, as my wife.
I promise to love, respect, and encourage you,
To live with you in truth,
and through the good and the bad days,
To stay faithful to you for all my life
Juliet, repeat after me the vows that you choose to give to Romeo:
I Juliet, take you, Romeo, as my husband.
I promise to love, respect, and encourage you,
To live with you in truth,
and through the good and the bad days,
To stay faithful to you for all my life.
To Juliet & Romeo together :
So, being responsible for each other,
are you willing to receive the responsibilities of parenthood that may be given to you,
and do you wish to raise any children that you may have in the Christian faith ?
Yes we do
You are now no longer two but one.
Let not man divide what God has joined."
Concluding formula
1.
You are now no longer two but one.
"Let not man divide what God has joined."
2.
God is the witness of your promises.
He will give you the strength and joy to fulfil them.
Exchange Of Wedding Rings
1.
From now on, wear these rings
as a sign of your love and your desire to remain faithful to each other.
2.
Exchange now these rings.
They are the visible sign of your commitment to one another.
May your covenant be as faithful as is God's towards us.
3.
May these rings be the sign and the memory of your promises.
May you read in them the sign of a commitment which goes beyond time.
May they be the symbol of your turning to each other in love.
Said by the couple :
Juliet/Romeo, I give you this ring,
the sign of our love and our faithfulness.
Blessing Of The Couple
Juliet and Romeo receive the blessing of God on your union.
1.
The Lord bless you today, that you may live together,
in his love, all the days of your life.
2.
May the Lord give you to serve him together.
May your marriage be blessed
in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
3.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his light shine upon you, and give you his love.
May the Lord turn his face to you and give you peace.
4.
God bless you on the road you walk together.
May He light it day after day by His presence and love.
May He give you the happiness promised to those who place their trust in Him.
May the joy of the Lord be your strength.
Giving Of The Bible
1.
Following the tradition of the reformed church, we give you this Bible.
May its reading fortify you and enlighten you, day after day.
In the church, we gather together to open this book,
to discover its beauty, its richness, and to find in it the living Word of God.
We would be happy if you would join us.
2.
I give you this Bible, to testify that there will always be a place for the word of God
in your home,
and to remind you that whatever may happen,
you will never be alone, but that God will always be with you.
Music / Hymn
Prayer Of Intercession
(This prayer may be written by the minister or the couple, and said by one of the witnesses or the minister)
1.
Lord, we pray for Juliet and Romeo, May they always live in the newness of love.
Give them peace, joy and harmony.
May they always be able to count on each other,
and thus build a solid and welcoming home.
If they have children, give them the comfort of raising them in the light of Christ.
Give them your Spirit, so that they may find in your Word,
sense, strength and joy for their life.
2.
Father, we commend Juliet and Romeo to your care:
May they always live in the newness of the love which unites them today.
May they know peace, joy and harmony in all circumstances.
May they always be able to count on each other,
and thus build a solid and welcoming home.
[ If they have children, give them
the desire to have them discover the Word of God
and to raise them in the light of Christ]
[Through the difference of their traditions,
may their union be the sign of the future unity of your church. ]
3.
We pray for Juliet and Romeo, Bless their home.
May it be peaceful, joyful, open to all;
the poor, strangers and those who are suffering...
Support them in their work for them to be full of unity and understanding.
4.
Lord, our God and our Father, it is you who have led Juliet and Romeo to love each other.
They have decided to unite their lives.
We thank you for the joy that you give them today,
may you keep it ever lasting.
May the love you have for them renew the love which unites them.
5.
Juliet and Romeo have united their lives and want now to build a home.
Give them the strength to help each other every day
and to overcome together their difficulties and worries.
Bless them, Protect them, and strengthen their love between husband and wife,
support their faithfulness, make them happy,
and make them discover through Christ
the joy to give themselves to each other.
6.
Lord, we thank you for the presence of this new couple among us.
May they always live in the newness of love.
May their home be peaceful and welcoming.
If they have children, give them the joy of raising them in your light.
May this new couple find a family in our community,
where they may praise you and serve our brothers.
7.
We pray for Juliet and Romeo.
We ask you to make them a sign of the unity of your church.
In their search, may they be brave and modest,
lovers of truth, and guided by your love.
8.
We pray for our churches.
May they see in this wedding a sign of hope.
May they be more open, more brotherly,
actively desiring the unity that you wish for them.
May they draw towards you in truth and love.
9.
Lord, here are Juliet and Romeo,
who stand before your grace, certain of their commitment to each other.
They are in love and entrust you with that love.
Help them to love each other even more.
Encourage their hope, increase their generosity.
Strengthen their commitment, enliven their freedom.
They have chosen each other, but they know that they are not the strongest.
You alone can support their will, and deepen their commitment.
Let them live out their dream with the renewed enthusiasm of the beginning.
May joy suffuse daily routine, and intelligence win against tiredness and irritation.
They are offering themselves with enthusiasm: Teach them firmness.
Make of their feelings that light and deep force which keeps tomorrow always in mind,
but lives each moment as if it were unique.
May they walk side by side, from delight to delight,
from one gift of self to another.
May they always be kindness, help, forgiveness and simple words for each other.
Do not let their tenderness fade,
but keep it certain and luminous as the dawn.
Increase their intimacy. Let it be full of shared secrets and surprises.
May they have enough love to give to a world torn apart by distrust and abandon.
May their joy never have the loneliness of misfortune..
May their love for each and every one of us be a refreshing spring,
an open table, a frank gesture of fellowship.
Intercession (following the previous prayer)
1.
We pray for the elderly among us.
Their love has supported us.
We read on their faces faithfulness and the strength of their love.
For their presence, we praise you, Lord.
2.
Lord, we are joyful , but we remember before you those who suffer.
Remember those who have never been loved,
those who have lost someone dear to them,
those who are shut in by illness, those imprisoned by loneliness.
May tenderness surround them, go before and after them.
Deliver them from their sadness.
3.
We pray for disunited couples, for those who fear failure,
for those who are exhausted, for those who no longer know how to start again.
We pray for all children, victims of such dramas.
4.
Lord, it is your wish that life should increase and be beautiful through marriage.
We bring you our world and its suffering.
Have mercy on those who are humiliated and offended and for those who are fighting for justice,
who are hungry, who are dying.
May Juliet and Romeo be of those who help and console with acts of Peace.
5.
Bring to an end our stubbornness, our cowardice, our defeats,
so that our walk may be renewed.
Give us your strength that we may seek to love rather than be loved,
to understand rather than be understood,
to forgive rather than be forgiven.
May our love shine and be an instrument of your peace and joy.
6.
On this joyful day, we would like to intercede for all couples.
For those who live their marital life in joy and serenity,
and for those who have deep difficulties.
May you give those who are trapped in monotony a new sense to their life together.
7.
We pray for happy families.
Do not let them be closed in on themselves,
but make them sources of light and joy before you.
8.
We bring before you those couples who do not share our joy,
because they are in difficulty, affected by illness, worries, need,
or questions about their future:
Give them the assurance of your help.
Allow them to meet others who can help them.
9.
We pray for single people.
May they not be trapped by loneliness,
but live with you a life full of meaning and joy.
10.
We thank you for older couples who have gone through life,
preserving and building their love for each other.
They are a living sign of your kingdom.
May those whom death has divided find hope and peace in you.
11.
We pray for the families weighed down by the threat or painful reality
of hunger, war and violence.
Teach us to share and fight with them for Peace and Justice.
12.
We pray, Lord, for those who are forgotten and unloved,
and thus unloving and who remain indifferent to love.
We pray, Lord, for those who love without being loved in return,
for those who know the pain of loneliness, suffering and abandon.
Lord, we pray: May they be loved,
and may they come across love in such a way as to guide their life towards you.
13.
It is your wish that life should grow and be beautiful on earth.
We bring to you our world and its suffering.
Be with those women and men who suffer humiliation or injustice,
those who are fighting and are destroying each other,
those who hunger for bread and thirst for tenderness.
May Juliet and Romeo be among those who help and comfort
and contribute to Peace.
Remember all those who have chosen to place their union under your blessing:
maintain and renw the flame of your love in them.
We pray for the families who find it difficult to deal with everyday life,
and with the erosion of time.
Remind them that with you, forgiveness is always possible,
joy always promised,
love always called to rise again.
Introduction To The Lord’s Prayer
1.
We would like to address you in the prayer that joins all Christians,
as brothers who recognise in God their Father.
2.
For the whole of their life, we bring before you Juliet and Romeo,
by saying with them:...
3.
And united by the same Spirit,
we can say with confidence the prayer given us by our Lord:...
Our Father
Traditional version
Our Father who art in Heaven
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Modern Version Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Offering
( can also take place during the signature of the register)
Today is a day for joy and celebration, but we wish to remember those who are in need and in difficulty. It is not enough to simply pray for them. Now is the time for the collection, when we share part of our wealth with those in need, to help them in their time of difficulty. The offering will go to the social service of the church, to be used for those whom the church seeks to help.
May this offering be a sign of our joy and communion.
Signing the Register
While the organ plays, we will now proceed with the signature of the register. I invite the bride and groom, along with the best man, bridesmaid and their parents to come to the front.
[Final Hymn]
Notices
(for example: “the congratulations will take place in front of the church, after the blessing that God offers to each of us”)
Dismissal
1.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Rom 12:12)
2.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other
and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you,
And over all these virtues put on love,
which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And be thankful (Col 3: 12-15)
3.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom,
and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3.16-17)
Blessing
I invite you to stand to receive the blessing in the name of God
1.
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus-Christ,
the love of God our Father
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you now and always.
Amen.
2.
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus-Christ,
the love of God our Father
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be and remain with us and our families.
Go in the joy of our Lord.
3.
Now Juliet and Romeo, along with us all,
Let us go our different ways,
And may the Grace of our Lord Jesus-Christ,
the love of God our Father
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with all and each of us. Amen.
4.
May the God of Hope fill us with all joy,
that we may overflow with hope
by the power of the holy Spirit.
Exit and Music
[Parade of the bride and groom]