Example of a wedding ceremony with some Hindu Traditions
Keep in mind all wording can be tailored to your liking. This ceremony can also be tailored to reflect same sex marriages.
You can customize this ceremony using my Build a Ceremony Menu.
You may also like to add a reading, poem or prayer to be read by the Officiant or a guest.
I am happy to add any religious or cultural traditions that you would like.
You can customize this ceremony using my Build a Ceremony Menu.
You may also like to add a reading, poem or prayer to be read by the Officiant or a guest.
I am happy to add any religious or cultural traditions that you would like.
The greeting:
Officiant: I address the couple & the guests:
Welcome friends and family to this joyous occasion in the lives of _____ and ___!
We gather here to bear witness to the miraculous power of love. Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is a quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is a loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weakness. Today we celebrate this love as we join together in our support of _____ and ___ as they offer themselves to each other.
(This is nice if the couple is interfaith) Every marriage ceremony is unique and today is especially so. ___ and _____ come from two distinct religions, each with their own beautiful traditions. They have selected elements that honor their uniqueness and commonality as well as their personal and spiritual beliefs that reflect who they are as a couple and have woven them into this ceremony, so this is not only a joyous occasion but a spiritual one as well.
On behalf of the bride and groom I would like to thank each one of you for sharing this happiest of days with them. They would also like to acknowledge loved ones who are no longer physically with us but are here with us in spirit as we celebrate this joyous occasion.
Blessing or Invocation (this is the beginning blessing or a prayer to “invoke” or ask god to be present and bless this service):
Officiant: _____ and ___, may your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you patience, tolerance, and understanding. May you always need one another, not so much to fill the emptiness as to help each other know your fullness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with each other, 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 enthusiastically enter into the mystery that is the awareness of one another's presence --- a bond that is as warm and near when you are side by side as when you are separated by time and circumstances. 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.
Officiant: I address the couple & the guests:
Welcome friends and family to this joyous occasion in the lives of _____ and ___!
We gather here to bear witness to the miraculous power of love. Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is a quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is a loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weakness. Today we celebrate this love as we join together in our support of _____ and ___ as they offer themselves to each other.
(This is nice if the couple is interfaith) Every marriage ceremony is unique and today is especially so. ___ and _____ come from two distinct religions, each with their own beautiful traditions. They have selected elements that honor their uniqueness and commonality as well as their personal and spiritual beliefs that reflect who they are as a couple and have woven them into this ceremony, so this is not only a joyous occasion but a spiritual one as well.
On behalf of the bride and groom I would like to thank each one of you for sharing this happiest of days with them. They would also like to acknowledge loved ones who are no longer physically with us but are here with us in spirit as we celebrate this joyous occasion.
Blessing or Invocation (this is the beginning blessing or a prayer to “invoke” or ask god to be present and bless this service):
Officiant: _____ and ___, may your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you patience, tolerance, and understanding. May you always need one another, not so much to fill the emptiness as to help each other know your fullness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with each other, 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 enthusiastically enter into the mystery that is the awareness of one another's presence --- a bond that is as warm and near when you are side by side as when you are separated by time and circumstances. 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.
Charge to ___ and _____ (the charge is addressed to the Bride and Groom. It is a preparation for the vows you are about to take):
Officiant: I would ask that you both remember to treat yourself and each other with respect and remind yourself often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your partnership deserves. When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage - as they do to every relationship at one time or another - focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.
Betrothal/Declaration of intent (this is when you declare your action or intent to marry is a matter of free will):
Officiant to _____: _____, do you take ___ 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 do
Officiant to ___:___, do you take _____ to be your husband, to live with him, respect him, and love him as God intends with the promise of faithfulness, tenderness, and helpfulness as long as you both shall live?
___ Responds: I do
Vows
Officiant: _____, repeat to ___, after me, these words:
I take you to be my best friend
My faithful partner
And my one true love
I promise to encourage and inspire you
And to love you truly
Through good times and bad
I will forever be there
To laugh with you
To lift you up when you are down
And to love you unconditionally
Through all of our adventures in life together
Officiant: ___, repeat to _____, after me, these words:
I take you to be my best friend
My faithful partner
And my one true love
I promise to encourage and inspire you
And to love you truly
Through good times and bad
I will forever be there
To laugh with you
To lift you up when you are down
And to love you unconditionally
Through all of our adventures in life together
Officiant: I would ask that you both remember to treat yourself and each other with respect and remind yourself often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your partnership deserves. When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage - as they do to every relationship at one time or another - focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.
Betrothal/Declaration of intent (this is when you declare your action or intent to marry is a matter of free will):
Officiant to _____: _____, do you take ___ 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 do
Officiant to ___:___, do you take _____ to be your husband, to live with him, respect him, and love him as God intends with the promise of faithfulness, tenderness, and helpfulness as long as you both shall live?
___ Responds: I do
Vows
Officiant: _____, repeat to ___, after me, these words:
I take you to be my best friend
My faithful partner
And my one true love
I promise to encourage and inspire you
And to love you truly
Through good times and bad
I will forever be there
To laugh with you
To lift you up when you are down
And to love you unconditionally
Through all of our adventures in life together
Officiant: ___, repeat to _____, after me, these words:
I take you to be my best friend
My faithful partner
And my one true love
I promise to encourage and inspire you
And to love you truly
Through good times and bad
I will forever be there
To laugh with you
To lift you up when you are down
And to love you unconditionally
Through all of our adventures in life together
Unity Candle:(The unity candle is a tradition in Christian worship. Its flame will also be used as the scared fire that is a Hindu Tradition)
Officiant: Now we shall celebrate this union as it is symbolized through the lighting of the unity candle.
(The couple takes their place behind the unity candle table. They do not want to have their backs to their guests)
The Unity Candle ceremony is a beautiful symbolic representation of a couple’s joining in marriage.
The taper candles represent not only ________ and ________, but also their families; for it is their families who, through love and support, helped shaped who they are. The center candle represents their marriage- the joining of two friends with the added roles of husband and wife. It is the light of love and the light of new beginnings.
Please take the two taper candles, representing your individual selves and light the center candle representing your marriage. Notice that the flames burns brightest when both candles are participating, cooperating and present. A marriage is like that. Be forever present for one another, shining light and beauty.
From this day onward, may you bask in the beauty of the light of your love, may its light shine bright and steady upon your path together and may its heat keep you warm through all the days of your lives and beyond
The seven vows of marriage:
Officiant: At this time, we will celebrate the seven vows of marriage. While holding hands the bride and groom will make seven encirclements around the Unity Candle table. They take the seven steps to symbolize their common journey through life. Before each encirclement, I will announce one of the seven vows of marriage.
I ask you, _____ and ___ to concentrate upon these seven vows as you take the seven encirclements:
1. May you be blessed with an abundance of resources and comforts and be helpful to one another in all ways.
2. May you be strong and complement one another.
3. May you be blessed with prosperity and riches on all levels.
4. May you be eternally happy.
5. May you be blessed with a happy family life.
6. May you live in perfect harmony... true to your personal values and your joint promises.
7. May you always be the best of friends.
As you have walked the seven steps with each other, your love and friendship have become inseparable and firm. Your promises are witnessed by God's wisdom, truth, and justice. May a kind God forever bless this marriage.
Officiant: Now we shall celebrate this union as it is symbolized through the lighting of the unity candle.
(The couple takes their place behind the unity candle table. They do not want to have their backs to their guests)
The Unity Candle ceremony is a beautiful symbolic representation of a couple’s joining in marriage.
The taper candles represent not only ________ and ________, but also their families; for it is their families who, through love and support, helped shaped who they are. The center candle represents their marriage- the joining of two friends with the added roles of husband and wife. It is the light of love and the light of new beginnings.
Please take the two taper candles, representing your individual selves and light the center candle representing your marriage. Notice that the flames burns brightest when both candles are participating, cooperating and present. A marriage is like that. Be forever present for one another, shining light and beauty.
From this day onward, may you bask in the beauty of the light of your love, may its light shine bright and steady upon your path together and may its heat keep you warm through all the days of your lives and beyond
The seven vows of marriage:
Officiant: At this time, we will celebrate the seven vows of marriage. While holding hands the bride and groom will make seven encirclements around the Unity Candle table. They take the seven steps to symbolize their common journey through life. Before each encirclement, I will announce one of the seven vows of marriage.
I ask you, _____ and ___ to concentrate upon these seven vows as you take the seven encirclements:
1. May you be blessed with an abundance of resources and comforts and be helpful to one another in all ways.
2. May you be strong and complement one another.
3. May you be blessed with prosperity and riches on all levels.
4. May you be eternally happy.
5. May you be blessed with a happy family life.
6. May you live in perfect harmony... true to your personal values and your joint promises.
7. May you always be the best of friends.
As you have walked the seven steps with each other, your love and friendship have become inseparable and firm. Your promises are witnessed by God's wisdom, truth, and justice. May a kind God forever bless this marriage.
Exchange of rings:
Officiant: As a symbol of your love and commitment you will now exchange rings.
Although you each wear only one of them, these rings essentially belong to you both. For they are a symbol of the love you share and the promise that it will be a strong and lasting love. Throughout the years they will speak softly of your vow to grow along with one another, to face the challenges of life, to remain one another’s first priority and keep your relationship rich and full. They will give you strength and comfort in times of uncertainty and heighten life’s joys as you share them. Never again do you walk alone for your love will be with you always.
To _____: _____ will you take this ring and place it upon ___’s finger, and as you do, repeat to her, after me, these words:
___, I give you this ring
As a symbol of my eternal love
As you wear it
May it be a reminder of how much I love you
Not only on this precious day
But every single day of your life
To ___: ___ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat to him, after me, these words:
_____, I give you this ring
As a symbol of my eternal love
As you wear it
May it be a reminder of how much I love you
Not only on this precious day
But every single day of your life
Officiant: As a symbol of your love and commitment you will now exchange rings.
Although you each wear only one of them, these rings essentially belong to you both. For they are a symbol of the love you share and the promise that it will be a strong and lasting love. Throughout the years they will speak softly of your vow to grow along with one another, to face the challenges of life, to remain one another’s first priority and keep your relationship rich and full. They will give you strength and comfort in times of uncertainty and heighten life’s joys as you share them. Never again do you walk alone for your love will be with you always.
To _____: _____ will you take this ring and place it upon ___’s finger, and as you do, repeat to her, after me, these words:
___, I give you this ring
As a symbol of my eternal love
As you wear it
May it be a reminder of how much I love you
Not only on this precious day
But every single day of your life
To ___: ___ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat to him, after me, these words:
_____, I give you this ring
As a symbol of my eternal love
As you wear it
May it be a reminder of how much I love you
Not only on this precious day
But every single day of your life
Exchange of Garland: (Hindu tradition the exchange fresh flower garlands, signifies the acceptance of one another and to pledge their respect for one another as partners in life).
Officiant: Like a wedding ring, the flower garland is an unbroken circle that represents your eternal commitment and devotion to one another. The beauty of each individual flower is not lost when it becomes a part of the garland but is enhanced because of the strength of its bond. Just as each of you are individuals, you’re coming together as one, serves to enhance each of your beauty and strengthen the love that was already present in each of your hearts.
And now as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul, you _____, may place a the flower garland around your bride (Groom places garland on bride and kisses her check)
And now as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul, you ___, may place a flower garland around your groom (Bride places garland on groom and kisses his check)
Officiant: Like a wedding ring, the flower garland is an unbroken circle that represents your eternal commitment and devotion to one another. The beauty of each individual flower is not lost when it becomes a part of the garland but is enhanced because of the strength of its bond. Just as each of you are individuals, you’re coming together as one, serves to enhance each of your beauty and strengthen the love that was already present in each of your hearts.
And now as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul, you _____, may place a the flower garland around your bride (Groom places garland on bride and kisses her check)
And now as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul, you ___, may place a flower garland around your groom (Bride places garland on groom and kisses his check)
Presentation of Mangalsutra: (Hindu tradition):
Officiant: And now we will celebrate this union with the presentation of the Mangalsutra and sindor.
I would like to invite the bride and groom to please sit on the bench, with the bride sitting to her groom’s left-closest to his heart.
As per the Hindu tradition _____ will present ___ with the Mangalsutra, a beautiful necklace that symbolizes good luck, love, and friendship. In Sanskirt, ‘mangala’ translates to sacred and ‘sutra’ to thread. He then applies sindor to the center of her forehead.
These two offerings signify _____’s devotion to ___ and ___’s new prominence as a married woman.
_____ will place Mangalsutra around ___’s neck and applies sindor, to the center of her forehead
The couple will then take their place again in front of the Officiant
Blessing (A prayer or blessing upon your new marriage):
Officiant: May your marriage always be blessed with the pure and profoundly loving feelings
drawing you so closely together now:
extraordinary communication,
listening and understanding,
putting yourselves in the other’s place,
as well as expressing your own needs;
eagerness to compromise,
because you love so much, you want to give whatever is needed, wanted, for happiness;
and deep commitment to do whatever it takes to maintain the strong bond present on your wedding day.
May your marriage always be blessed, now and forever.
Pronouncement:
Officiant:Your two hearts now beating as one, your two souls now deeply joined anew - walk forward together, forever hand in hand, May your marriage be a lifelong celebration of love! Now that the rituals are complete, you have made your promises, and exchanged your rings. May your lives together be filled with love and laughter. By the power vested in me as an Officiant and the laws of this state, I now pronounce you husband and wife!
You may kiss the Bride! (If they prefer I leave this wording out and the newlyweds can simply hug)
It is with great honor I present to you Mr. and Mrs. __!
Officiant: And now we will celebrate this union with the presentation of the Mangalsutra and sindor.
I would like to invite the bride and groom to please sit on the bench, with the bride sitting to her groom’s left-closest to his heart.
As per the Hindu tradition _____ will present ___ with the Mangalsutra, a beautiful necklace that symbolizes good luck, love, and friendship. In Sanskirt, ‘mangala’ translates to sacred and ‘sutra’ to thread. He then applies sindor to the center of her forehead.
These two offerings signify _____’s devotion to ___ and ___’s new prominence as a married woman.
_____ will place Mangalsutra around ___’s neck and applies sindor, to the center of her forehead
The couple will then take their place again in front of the Officiant
Blessing (A prayer or blessing upon your new marriage):
Officiant: May your marriage always be blessed with the pure and profoundly loving feelings
drawing you so closely together now:
extraordinary communication,
listening and understanding,
putting yourselves in the other’s place,
as well as expressing your own needs;
eagerness to compromise,
because you love so much, you want to give whatever is needed, wanted, for happiness;
and deep commitment to do whatever it takes to maintain the strong bond present on your wedding day.
May your marriage always be blessed, now and forever.
Pronouncement:
Officiant:Your two hearts now beating as one, your two souls now deeply joined anew - walk forward together, forever hand in hand, May your marriage be a lifelong celebration of love! Now that the rituals are complete, you have made your promises, and exchanged your rings. May your lives together be filled with love and laughter. By the power vested in me as an Officiant and the laws of this state, I now pronounce you husband and wife!
You may kiss the Bride! (If they prefer I leave this wording out and the newlyweds can simply hug)
It is with great honor I present to you Mr. and Mrs. __!
