Choices for Ceremonies
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Simple "I do" Vows
1. "Do you,__________, take__________, whom you hold by
the hand, to be your wife/husband,
for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and health,
to love and to cherish, so long
as you both shall live?" "I
do" |
2. "Will you,__________, have ____________, to be your
husband/wife,
to live together by God's ordinance in holy matrimony?
Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, and keep him/her in sickness
and in health,
and forsaking all others be his/her truth and faithful husband/wife
so long as you both shall live?" "I will" |
Vows to be Repeated
after Minister
3. "I take you___________, to be my husband/wife, to have
and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for
poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, so long as we both
shall live." |
| 4. "I take you___________, to be my husband/wife, to have
and to hold, as the special person of my life; through good times and bad,
through health and sickness, through joy and sorrow, as you are, and as
you shall be come, so long as we both shall live." |
| 5. "I take you,___________, to be my life partner. I will
respect and honor you, I will accept you as you are, I will encourage you,
I will be true and faithful to you, I will love you with all my heart for
all my life." |
Vows from the Book
of Common Prayer
6. "Will you have this man/woman to be your wedded wife/husband,
to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony?
Will you love him/her, comfort him/her, honor and keep him/her in sickness
and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep you only to him/her so long
as you both shall live?" "I will"
(The couple then repeats vows after the minister as follows)
"I,___________, take you _____________,
to be my wedded wife/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, till death us do part, according to God's holy
ordinance; and thereto I give you my pledge." |
Other Vows
Couples may wish to alter vows in certain
ways, compose vows of commitment to speak to one another. |
| Vows may be spoken with or without the minister's
prompting. (Quakers use no spoken vows at all, simply at some point stepping
forward to sign the certificate). Couples may choose to read vows to one
another (memorized vows are hard to remember!) from a scroll. |
| Whether spoken or unspoken, lengthy or simple,
the vows of commitment are the central part of the ceremony. |
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