Seaside Wedding Ceremony
Same Sex Marriage Bride/Bride
The greeting:
Officiant:
As the tides ebb and flow, so too, do the fortunes of life. Footprints in the sand are washed away; driftwood moves on in its endless quest for a peaceful harbor. Only a deep and abiding love can withstand the tides of change in two lives.
The love of this couple, _____ and ___ is enduring and profound. We gather here to witness this love and the vows they make to each other. We join in our support of them as they offer themselves to each other. We celebrate their joy, their love and their expectations.
(****If you would like, this is a good place to add a special thank you to friends and family for sharing this happiest of days with you and a prayer or acknowledgment of loved ones no longer physically with us, but here in spirit. Perhaps you would like to add something personal about how you met etc.. Let me know & I will provide you with wording options***)
Invocation (this is the beginning prayer to “invoke” or ask god to be present and bless this service):
Officiant:
Let us pray
God, for the joy of this occasion we thank you. For the meaning of this wedding day we thank you. For this important moment in an ever growing relationship we thank you. For your presence here and now and for your presence at all times, we thank you. Amen
Charge to the couple (the charge is address to the couple. It is a preparation for the vows you are about to take):
Officiant:
_____ and ___ the covenant which you are about to make with each other is meant to be a beautiful and sacred expression of your love for each other. As you pledge your vows to each other, and as you commit your lives to each other, we ask that you do so in all seriousness, and yet with a deep sense of joy, with deep conviction that you are committing yourselves to a dynamic growing relationship of trust, mutual support and caring love.
Betrothal/Declaration of intent (this is when you declare your action or intent to marry is a matter of free will)
Officiant:
To Bride: _____will you have ___ to be your wife, to live with her, respect her, and love her as God intends with the promise of faithfulness, tenderness, and helpfulness, as long as you both shall live?
_____ Responds: I will
Officiant:
To Bride: ___, will you have _____ to be your wife, to live with her, respect her, and love her as God intends with the promise of faithfulness, tenderness, and helpfulness as long as you both shall live?
___ responds: I will..
Vows:
Officiant:
Now that you have declared your intentions, I invite you to share your vows with one another. (Brides face each other and hold hands)
Officiant: _____, repeat to ___ after me these words.
I _____, take you, ___, to be my wedded wife
( _____says) I _____, take you, ___, to be my wedded wife
I Pledge my love to you this day.
( _____ says) I Pledge my love to you this day.
And I vow to you as we stand beside the ocean
( _____ says) And I vow to you as we stand beside the ocean
That my love is never ending
(_____ says) That my love is never ending
Officiant: Like the waves that rush to shore.
( _____ says) Like the waves that rush to shore.
Officiant: ___, repeat to _____ after me these words:
___, take you ,_____ ,to be my wedded wife
( ___ says) I ___, take you, _____, to be my wedded wife,
I Pledge my love to you this day.
( ___ says) I Pledge my love to you this day.
And I vow to you as we stand beside the ocean
( ___ says) And I vow to you as we stand beside the ocean
That my love is never ending
(___ says)That my love is never ending
Like the waves that rush to shore.
( ___says) Like the waves that rush to shore.
Officiant:
As the tides ebb and flow, so too, do the fortunes of life. Footprints in the sand are washed away; driftwood moves on in its endless quest for a peaceful harbor. Only a deep and abiding love can withstand the tides of change in two lives.
The love of this couple, _____ and ___ is enduring and profound. We gather here to witness this love and the vows they make to each other. We join in our support of them as they offer themselves to each other. We celebrate their joy, their love and their expectations.
(****If you would like, this is a good place to add a special thank you to friends and family for sharing this happiest of days with you and a prayer or acknowledgment of loved ones no longer physically with us, but here in spirit. Perhaps you would like to add something personal about how you met etc.. Let me know & I will provide you with wording options***)
Invocation (this is the beginning prayer to “invoke” or ask god to be present and bless this service):
Officiant:
Let us pray
God, for the joy of this occasion we thank you. For the meaning of this wedding day we thank you. For this important moment in an ever growing relationship we thank you. For your presence here and now and for your presence at all times, we thank you. Amen
Charge to the couple (the charge is address to the couple. It is a preparation for the vows you are about to take):
Officiant:
_____ and ___ the covenant which you are about to make with each other is meant to be a beautiful and sacred expression of your love for each other. As you pledge your vows to each other, and as you commit your lives to each other, we ask that you do so in all seriousness, and yet with a deep sense of joy, with deep conviction that you are committing yourselves to a dynamic growing relationship of trust, mutual support and caring love.
Betrothal/Declaration of intent (this is when you declare your action or intent to marry is a matter of free will)
Officiant:
To Bride: _____will you have ___ to be your wife, to live with her, respect her, and love her as God intends with the promise of faithfulness, tenderness, and helpfulness, as long as you both shall live?
_____ Responds: I will
Officiant:
To Bride: ___, will you have _____ to be your wife, to live with her, respect her, and love her as God intends with the promise of faithfulness, tenderness, and helpfulness as long as you both shall live?
___ responds: I will..
Vows:
Officiant:
Now that you have declared your intentions, I invite you to share your vows with one another. (Brides face each other and hold hands)
Officiant: _____, repeat to ___ after me these words.
I _____, take you, ___, to be my wedded wife
( _____says) I _____, take you, ___, to be my wedded wife
I Pledge my love to you this day.
( _____ says) I Pledge my love to you this day.
And I vow to you as we stand beside the ocean
( _____ says) And I vow to you as we stand beside the ocean
That my love is never ending
(_____ says) That my love is never ending
Officiant: Like the waves that rush to shore.
( _____ says) Like the waves that rush to shore.
Officiant: ___, repeat to _____ after me these words:
___, take you ,_____ ,to be my wedded wife
( ___ says) I ___, take you, _____, to be my wedded wife,
I Pledge my love to you this day.
( ___ says) I Pledge my love to you this day.
And I vow to you as we stand beside the ocean
( ___ says) And I vow to you as we stand beside the ocean
That my love is never ending
(___ says)That my love is never ending
Like the waves that rush to shore.
( ___says) Like the waves that rush to shore.
Exchange of rings:
Officiant: May we please have the rings
At this point the designated person will give the rings to the Officiant.
Bless these rings. Grant that _____ and ___ may wear them with deep faith in each other. May their love always be constant, as these never ending waves that pour beneath our feet, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Amen
These rings have no beginning and no end. They will represent the love and trust that _____ and ___ promise to each other this day.
To Bride: _____ will you take this ring and place it upon ___s finger, and as you do, repeat to her, after me, these words:
Please wear this ring
(_____ says)Please wear this ring
as a symbol of my commitment to you,
( _____ says) as a symbol of my commitment to you,
as powerful and endless as the sea.
( _____ says) as powerful and endless as the sea
To Bride: ___ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat to her, after me, these words:
Please wear this ring
( ___ says) Please wear this ring.
As a symbol of my commitment to you.
( ___ says) As a symbol of my commitment to you.
As powerful and endless as the sea.
( ___ says) As powerful and endless as the sea.
(****If you would like, this is a good place to add a poem or reading by myself or perhaps a family member of friend. This is also a good place to include an acknowledgment of children that you bring to the marriage, or even an “add on” ceremony, such as a sand ceremony, unity candle, rose or wine ceremony.)
Prayer: Prayer of blessing upon your new marriage
Officiant:
May your love be as unchanging and dependable as the tide, as these waters nourish the earth and sustain life, may your constant devotion to each other nourish and sustain you until the end of time. Amen
Pronouncement:
Officiant:
Inasmuch as you _____, and you ___, have thus consented in holy matrimony and have witnessed the same before God and these friends, by virtue of the authority vested in me as a Officiant and the laws of this state, I now pronounce you married. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.
You may seal your marriage with a kiss!
Benediction- It brings ceremony to an end. It is another blessing.
Officiant:
May the courage of the early morning’s dawning, the strength of the eternal hills, the peace of the evening’s ending, and the love of God be in your hearts now and forever. Amen.
Officiant prompts couple to face their guests and says:
It is with great honor I present to you for the first time as a married couple ______& _______.
Officiant: May we please have the rings
At this point the designated person will give the rings to the Officiant.
Bless these rings. Grant that _____ and ___ may wear them with deep faith in each other. May their love always be constant, as these never ending waves that pour beneath our feet, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Amen
These rings have no beginning and no end. They will represent the love and trust that _____ and ___ promise to each other this day.
To Bride: _____ will you take this ring and place it upon ___s finger, and as you do, repeat to her, after me, these words:
Please wear this ring
(_____ says)Please wear this ring
as a symbol of my commitment to you,
( _____ says) as a symbol of my commitment to you,
as powerful and endless as the sea.
( _____ says) as powerful and endless as the sea
To Bride: ___ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat to her, after me, these words:
Please wear this ring
( ___ says) Please wear this ring.
As a symbol of my commitment to you.
( ___ says) As a symbol of my commitment to you.
As powerful and endless as the sea.
( ___ says) As powerful and endless as the sea.
(****If you would like, this is a good place to add a poem or reading by myself or perhaps a family member of friend. This is also a good place to include an acknowledgment of children that you bring to the marriage, or even an “add on” ceremony, such as a sand ceremony, unity candle, rose or wine ceremony.)
Prayer: Prayer of blessing upon your new marriage
Officiant:
May your love be as unchanging and dependable as the tide, as these waters nourish the earth and sustain life, may your constant devotion to each other nourish and sustain you until the end of time. Amen
Pronouncement:
Officiant:
Inasmuch as you _____, and you ___, have thus consented in holy matrimony and have witnessed the same before God and these friends, by virtue of the authority vested in me as a Officiant and the laws of this state, I now pronounce you married. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.
You may seal your marriage with a kiss!
Benediction- It brings ceremony to an end. It is another blessing.
Officiant:
May the courage of the early morning’s dawning, the strength of the eternal hills, the peace of the evening’s ending, and the love of God be in your hearts now and forever. Amen.
Officiant prompts couple to face their guests and says:
It is with great honor I present to you for the first time as a married couple ______& _______.
All wording can be tailored and personalized. Please let me know If you have a preferred pronoun .
