Let's Get Married
Reverend Lisa
The Standard Ceremony
Traditional wedding vows have many variations that are used in non-denominational marriage ceremonies.
The most basic non-denominational traditional marriage vows are the Question of Intention and the Standard Civil Ceremony. The Question of Intention, adapted from the traditional Medieval Christian ceremony, commences with the officiant performing the ceremony asking the couple to join hands before asking each participant the following questions:
"John, do you take Mary to be your wedded [husband/wife] to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love, comfort, honor and keep [him/her] For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to [him/her] so long as you both shall live?"
Which is answered by "I do" .
This is sometimes followed by a reading of a poem or a quotation from the bible such as Corinthians 13.
The officiant then pronounces them man and wife by the power vested in him or her.
The Standard Civil Ceremony is very similar except that the bride and groom make similar statements for themselves rather than answering questions, as follows:
"[Name], I take you to be my lawfully wedded [husband/wife]. Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all of your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."
Or the couple can speak their own written vows of commitment, which can bring a few tears in the house.
Other commonly used traditional ceremonies are centered on the exchange of rings. There is an official Blessing and Exchange of Rings within the Christian tradition which celebrates the wedding ring as the outward expression of an inner spiritual bond. This is the source of the phrase, "With this ring, I thee wed." The rings are a symbol of an unbroken circle of love, freely given and received equally and with no beginning or end. They serve as a lifelong symbol and reminder of the wedding vows taken and the promises therein.
Any discussion of traditional marriage vows would not be complete without mention of the Form of Solemnization of Matrimony from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. This service has remained virtually unchanged since 1662 and is the source of the phrase,
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy matrimony."
Any service can be enhanced by symbolic gestures, such as The Rose and Vessel or the Exchange of Roses, Sand Blending, which is a wonderful way to include children, and of course the Unity Candle, which recommended only for indoor weddings for obvious reasons. Many symbolic gestures that stem for the Celtic customs such as Hand Fastening and the Stone Blessing are finding a rebirth in the New Age and offer an exciting and rich connection to traditions of past.
Out of all of the examples of traditional wedding vows given here, aspects of each are often borrowed and combined, either by the wedding couple or by the officiant, to create a service appropriate to the occasion.
No matter what subtle differences there are in the wording of the ceremony, the spirit is the same. All of these words are steeped in rich traditions of the sacred message of a lasting bond that joins to Souls for Life and Beyond.
The most basic non-denominational traditional marriage vows are the Question of Intention and the Standard Civil Ceremony. The Question of Intention, adapted from the traditional Medieval Christian ceremony, commences with the officiant performing the ceremony asking the couple to join hands before asking each participant the following questions:
"John, do you take Mary to be your wedded [husband/wife] to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love, comfort, honor and keep [him/her] For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to [him/her] so long as you both shall live?"
Which is answered by "I do" .
This is sometimes followed by a reading of a poem or a quotation from the bible such as Corinthians 13.
The officiant then pronounces them man and wife by the power vested in him or her.
The Standard Civil Ceremony is very similar except that the bride and groom make similar statements for themselves rather than answering questions, as follows:
"[Name], I take you to be my lawfully wedded [husband/wife]. Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all of your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."
Or the couple can speak their own written vows of commitment, which can bring a few tears in the house.
Other commonly used traditional ceremonies are centered on the exchange of rings. There is an official Blessing and Exchange of Rings within the Christian tradition which celebrates the wedding ring as the outward expression of an inner spiritual bond. This is the source of the phrase, "With this ring, I thee wed." The rings are a symbol of an unbroken circle of love, freely given and received equally and with no beginning or end. They serve as a lifelong symbol and reminder of the wedding vows taken and the promises therein.
Any discussion of traditional marriage vows would not be complete without mention of the Form of Solemnization of Matrimony from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. This service has remained virtually unchanged since 1662 and is the source of the phrase,
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy matrimony."
Any service can be enhanced by symbolic gestures, such as The Rose and Vessel or the Exchange of Roses, Sand Blending, which is a wonderful way to include children, and of course the Unity Candle, which recommended only for indoor weddings for obvious reasons. Many symbolic gestures that stem for the Celtic customs such as Hand Fastening and the Stone Blessing are finding a rebirth in the New Age and offer an exciting and rich connection to traditions of past.
Out of all of the examples of traditional wedding vows given here, aspects of each are often borrowed and combined, either by the wedding couple or by the officiant, to create a service appropriate to the occasion.
No matter what subtle differences there are in the wording of the ceremony, the spirit is the same. All of these words are steeped in rich traditions of the sacred message of a lasting bond that joins to Souls for Life and Beyond.
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