The Wedding Ceremony of Jane and Rodney (a blended family ceremony)

Opening Words

Awed by the many meanings of this hour and overjoyed by its promises, we hope that a spirit of trust, understanding, and love will be with Jane and Rodney through all the years that lie ahead.  Whatever trials and tribulations come, may they trust each other completely, for without such faith marriage is a mockery; may they understand each other, for without understanding there is neither acceptance nor forgiveness; and may they truly love each other, for without love marriage is just an empty shell.

As they create a new life and home, may that home be bright with the laughter of family and friends; may it be a haven from the tensions of life and a wellspring of strength; and in all the world may it be the one place they most want to be. 

So may this shining hour be an open door through which Jane and Rodney go forth to create a happy, loving marriage.  May time treat them gently; walking together may they find far more in life than either would have found alone; and even more fully may they come to know this one supreme truth: that caring is sharing, that living is giving, that life is eternal and that love is its crown.

         -from a selection by W. Waldemar W. Argow (adapted)

I

Invocation

As we stand here at the altar of life, where life is touched by love, and love by life, we share with these two who are taking their marriage vows, their newfound happiness.  We see the door open for comradeship and mystery, for growth and fulfillment.

So we pray that they may each bring their whole and best self to the other.  May they bring intelligence as well as faith, to the task that is set before them  May they maintain enduring trust and respect, remembering that to understand all is ever to forgive all.  -James Zacharias

Question to the Couple

 Jane and Rodney, of all the men and women you know, you have chosen each other.  Knowing what you know of each other and trusting in what you do not know yet, are you now ready to marry? Bride & Groom: We are.

Presenting of the Bride

Who presents this woman to be married to this man?

         Father of the bride: Her mother and I do.

 Recognition of Families/Friends

 In the act of marriage the fabric of two families becomes interwoven.  The resulting tapestry draws on the richness of traditions, memories, and relationships that have been nurtured for years. Jane and Rodney lovingly recognize and thank their families for their blessings, love and acceptance.

Recognition of Children from a Previous Marriage

Jeremy, you have come with your mother for her marriage to Rodney.  Your life will be changed in untold ways by this moment.  Do you say yes to this marriage, and do you welcome Rodney and Wesley as part of your family?

Jeremy: I will

Wesley, you have come with your father for his marriage to Jane.  Your life will be changed in untold ways by this moment.  Do you say yes to this marriage, and do you welcome Jane and Jeremy as part of your family?

Wesley: I do

Readings    Read by a friend

Song of Solomon 8:6-7a .  Song of Solomon 8:6-7a

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm;

for love is strong as death,

            passion fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

            a raging flame.

WHY MARRIAGE? ~ By: Mari Nichols-Haining ~  Read by a friend
Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body...

Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won't hold them against me, Who loves me when I'm unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and Who looks for the divine potential of me...

Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me, With someone I feel blessed to hold...

Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship...
Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievements...

Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole...

Because, knowing this, I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me, I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriage...

Because with this understanding
The possibilities are limitless.

Homily

Blending of Sand Ceremony

Jane and Rodney, today you are making a life-long commitment to share the rest of your lives with each other and honor your children as well. Your family relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these individual containers of sand; one, representing you, Jane and Jeremy  and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, one representing you, Rodney and Wesley, and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be.

There are children who will share in this marriage. The gathering of this new family will have a deep influence upon them. We realize that in order for the home to be a happy one, it is essential that there be love and understanding between the children and the adults being married.

As you each hold your sand the separate containers of sand represent your families and lives to this moment; individual and unique. As you now combine your sand together, your families and lives also join together as one family.

You may now blend the sand together symbolizing the uniting of the two families into one.

Charge to the Couple

As you stand here in the presence of God, remember that no other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred than those you now assume.

 You are about to enter into a union which is most sacred and most serious, requiring of those who enter into it a complete and unreserved giving of self.  It will bind you  together for life in a relationship so close and so intimate that it will profoundly affect your whole future.

That future, with its hopes and disappointments, its successes and its failures, its pleasures and its pains, its joys and its sorrows, is hidden from your eyes.

 Love can make it easier, and perfect love can make it a joy.  May, then, this love with which you join you hands and hearts never fail, but grow deeper and stronger as the years go on. 

-from Exhortation Before Marriage, Collectio Rituum

Vows

 I Jane, take you, Rodney to be my 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, as long as we both shall live.

I Rodney, take you, Jane to be my wife, 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, as long as we both shall live.

Ring Ceremony

Presentation of Rings

What symbols do you offer that you will fulfill these vows?

Bride & Groom: These rings.

Blessing of the Rings

May these rings be a symbol of your faith in each other.  May they always remind you of your love, each for the other.

The Meaning of the Rings

The band of gold is a symbol of the purity and sacredness of marriage.  The ring, from ancient times, has been a symbol of eternity.  So may your marriage be eternally filled with love and mutual respect.

Pledge as Rings are Exchanged

With this ring I thee wed, and with it I pledge my honor, my love and my life.   

         -E. Edward Latham

Prayer

Out of this tangled world, O God, you have drawn together these two souls, and bound them firmly with the swift sure bonds of love.  Their destinies shall now be woven of one design, and their sorrows and their joys shall not be now apart.  As they grow in mutual understanding, may their joy stand triumphantly against the storms of circumstance which beat against all doors.  From the rich encouragement of their love, may they complete together the unfinished pattern of their true selves.  Even as they have chosen each other from all those they have known, so let the days and years of their togetherness deepen the joy of that choice, and make it abidingly true.  Amen.  -Samuel Miller (adapted)