Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2
Opening Logistics (3 min) 3
Introduction (1 min) 4
Pledge Of Support (1 min) 6
Lighting of the Unity Candle (Parents or Sponsors) (2 min) 7
First Reading Paul's Letter to the Romans 12:9-18 (1 min) 8
Responsorial Psalm 71st Psalms (2 min) 9
Second Reading First Letter of John 4: 7-12 (1 min) 10
Gospel of St. John (1 min) 11
Homily: Three Views of Love and Marriage in the Bible (5 min) 12

Pinning of the Veil (2 min) 15

Placing of the Cord (1 min) 15
Exchange of Vows (1 min) 16
Blessing of the Rings( 1 min) 17

Removal of Cording and Veil (2 min) 18
Lighting of the Unity Candle (1 min) 18
Charge to the Couple (1 min) 18
Prayer (2 min) 19
First Communion (3 min)
Lord’s Prayer (ask all to stand) (2 min) 19
Sign of Peace (3 min) 20
Music – Ave Maria (3 min) 21
Pronouncement as Husband & Wife (1 min) 22
Benediction (1 min) 22
Closing and Presentation (1 min) 22

53 minutes ceremony as presented
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Opening Logistics (3 min)
• Background music (strings)
• Music changes (this is the official start of the ceremony)
• Parents are ushered in by groomsmen
• Music changes
• Maid of honor and Bride s maids enter individually
• Fr. Paul asks guests to stand
• Music changes to bridal march
• Bride is escorted in

Introduction (1 min)

(Ask audience to be seated, brother stays for a moment)

Fr.Paul: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
People: And also with you!

Fr.Paul: Welcome, all of you. We are gathered here today for one of the happiest occasions in all human life, to celebrate before God the marriage of a man and woman who love each other. Marriage is a most honorable estate, created and Instituted by God, signifying unto us the mystical union, which also exists between Christ and the Church; so too may this marriage be adorned by true and abiding love.
 

Who is it that brings this woman to this man?

Parent or Sponsor: I do.

Fr.Paul: Bride and Groom , although life is a gift given to each of us as individuals, we also learn to live together in harmony. Love is a gift to us from our family and friends. Through these gifts of love we learn to ourselves to gift it back. Learning to love and live together is one of life's greatest challenges and is the shared goal of a married life.
Mankind did not create love; love is created by God. Therefore, a husband and wife should not confuse love of worldly things with that of Godly love of one another. For even if worldly success is found, only love for one another will maintain a marriage. The measure of true love is a love both freely given and freely accepted, just as God's love is unconditional and free.
Today is truly a glorious day which the Lord hath made - as today both of you are blessed with God's greatest of all gifts - the gift of abiding love and devotion between a man and a woman. All present here today - and those here in heart - wish both of you all the joy, happiness and success and the world has to offer.

Pledge Of Support (1 min)

Fr.Paul: Who presents Bride to Groom to be married?

Parents or Sponsors of Bride: We do.

Fr.Paul: Who presents Groom to Bride to be married?

Parents or Sponsors of Groom: We do.

Lighting of the Unity Candle (Parents or Sponsors) (2 min)

Now the mothers of Bride and Groom will come forward to light two individual candles, symbolic of the individuality of those who stand here before me as well of their families.

First Reading

Paul's Letter to the Romans 12:9-18 (1 min)

Love must be sincere. Look away from what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
 

Reader: This is the word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.


Responsorial (2 min)

Psalm 71st Psalms

All shall read along with Fr. Paul:

People. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

My mouth shall be filled with your praise, shall sing your glory every day.
Do not cast me aside in my old age; as my strength fails, do not forsake me.
I will always hope in you and add to all your praise.

People. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

My mouth shall proclaim your just deeds, day after day your acts of deliverance, though I cannot number them all.
I will speak of the mighty works of the Lord; O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.

People. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

God, you have taught me from my youth; to this day I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
That I may praise you with the lyre for your faithfulness, my God, And sing to you with the harp, O Holy One of Israel!

People. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.


Second Reading (1 min)

First Letter of John 4: 7-12

My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God
and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love.
This is the revelation of God's love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him.
Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins. My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another
God remains in us and his love comes to its perfection in us. This is the proof that we remain in him and he in us. that he has given us a share in his Spirit.

Reader: This is the word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

Gospel of St. John (1 min)

Fr.Paul: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Fr.Paul: A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark

People: Glory to you, Lord.

From the Gospel of John

1 I AM the true avine•, and my Father is the husbandman.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

9 As the Father hath aloved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your ajoy might be full.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have achosen you, and bordained you, that ye should go and bring forth cfruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my dname•, he may give it you.

12 This is my commandment, That ye alove one another, as I have bloved• you.

Fr.Paul: This is the gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily: Title (5 min)

Glory be to God.

Pinning of the Veil (2 min)

As husband and wife, Bride and Groom, commit to protect each other, to cloth each other of each other’s love and loyalty. The veil represents Groom’ strength and protection to his bride – to Bride, his wife, who he promises to take care of, from this day forward.

(Sponsors come to put veil on Bride and Groom’s head and pin them on their shoulder)

Placing of the Cord (1 min)

To bind their love, to unite their lives as one, to connect souls – a cord symbolizes these very ideals. It symbolizes unity, infinity – a love that Bride and Groom would share together, forever.

(Sponsors put the “figure eight cord” over Bride and Groom’s shoulders)

Exchange of Vows (1 min)

Fr. Paul: Bride and Groom , as you dedicate yourselves to one another, we are mindful of the presence of God around us.

Each holds the hand of the other, slides the ring half way on, then repeats the vows after Fr. Paul

(Ensure that Bride has moved her engagement diamond to the right hand before beginning this part)

Groom : I, Groom , take you, Bride , to be my wife, for better or worse, sickness and health, in plenty and want, to stand together in our times of joy and sorry, always to be faithful to you. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. I love you.

Bride :I, Bride, take you, Groom , to be my husband, for better or worse, sickness and health, in plenty and want, to stand together in our times of joy and sorry, always to be faithful to you. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. I love you.

Blessing of the Rings (1 min)

Fr. Paul: Who holds the rings?

Best Man or Sponsor: I do

Fr. Paul: Let us bless these rings! O God, these rings are circles, symbols that remind us of the Sun, and the Earth, and the universe. Symbols of holiness, of perfection and peace ... that which has no beginning and no end. And so, in this moment, bring your blessing to these rings to also be symbols of unity, of joining and of commitment. Grant that the love which Bride and Groom have for each other now may always be just this way.

Fr. Paul: These are the rings that Bride and Groom will wear for the rest of their lives, that express the love that they have for one another. Let us take a moment and send our prayers, our thoughts and our love to these rings, so that as they wear them, they will carry our love with them as well.
 

Groom to Bride : With this ring, I thee wed.
Bride to Groom : With this ring, I thee wed.

(Sponsors remove the cord. Sponsors remove the veil.)

Removal of Cording and Veil (2 min)

May God bless this coming together of two special souls, may it forever house love, loyalty and friendship. Let us take some quiet moment to pray for the union of Bride and Groom on this special day.

(Sponsors remove the cord. Sponsors remove the veil.)

Lighting of the Unity Candle (1 min)

At the beginning of this ceremony, two individual candles were lit as they couple at that time were individuals. To show recognition of their commitment to share a future, a vision, a dream under the watchful eye of God, they will light the center candle that symbolizes their love from this day forward.

Charge to the Couple (1 min)

Fr. Paul: Bride and Groom as the two of you have joined this marriage uniting as husband and wife, and as you this day affirm your faith and love for one another, I would ask that you always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive, do not hold grudges, and live each day that you may share it together - as from this day forward you shall be each other's home, comfort and refuge, your marriage strengthened by your love and respect.

Prayer (2 min)

Fr. Paul: Oh Lord, our hearts are filled with great happiness on this wedding day. They come before You pledging their hearts and lives to one another. Grant that they may be ever true and loving, living together is such a way as to bring happiness to the marriage. Temper their hearts with kindness and understanding, rid them of all pretense of jealousy. Help them to remember to be each other's sweetheart, helpmate, friend and guide, so that together they may meet the cares and problems of life more bravely. And with the passage of time, may the home they are creating today, truly be a place of love and harmony, where your spirit is ever present. Bless this union we pray, and walk beside Bride and Groom throughout all their lives together. AMEN

First Communion (3 min)

(very  nice if background music is played during this portion of the ceremony)

Paul: A part of the Christian heritage is the taking of the bread and wine, as Christ did at the last supper, a coming to the table of God and sharing the very spiritually significant experience of communion. Groom and Bride have chosen to take their very first communion as husband and wife in your presence to acknowledge the place that their spiritual heritage will continue to have in their new life together.

As the Bible tells us, Christ gathered his disciples the evening before his taking to the cross and shared a meal. This meal was different than the others before it in that Christ asked that they make special note of the occasion. Christ knowing of his fate wanted to ensure that each disciple understood that his presence was not fleeting, that Christ was to remain with them always in their hearts, souls, and minds. So that they would not forget the unity of spirit, he asked that they take the bread and wine together in a Spirit of One.

Paul hold up bread and says: Christ said something like “Even as you eat this bread do so remembering me.”  And they ate of the bread.

Paul hold out bread for Groom and Bride

Groom places the bread on the tongue of Bride

Bride places the bread on the tongue of Groom

Paul:  as he holds up wine: Christ said something like “Even as you drink this wine, do so remembering me.” And they all took of the cup.

Paul hold out wine for Groom and Bride

Groom holds the cup for Bride to drink,

Bride holds the cup for Groom to drink,

Paul: The taking of a meal together, especially when remembering the life and sacrifice of Christ, ensures that we do not forget that we are all one body, one blood, and one spirit, and that the breaking of bread and sharing of a cup is more than nourishment or the quenching of thirst, but the sharing of ourselves.

Music (2 min)

One line of singing or 1-2 minutes of appropriate music immediately following communion.
 

Lord’s Prayer (2 min)

(ask all to stand)

Fr. Paul: Let us pray with confidence to the Father, in the words our gave us:

All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses; as we forgive those who trespass, against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.


Sign of Peace (3 min)

Congregation remains standing

Fr.Paul: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever.

Congregation : Amen.

Fr.Paul: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Congregation : And also with you.

Fr.Paul: Let us offer each other the sign of peace while the music plays.

Invite All to Show sign of peace while music plays

Music (3 min)

Ave Maria

Congregation is asked to sit

Pronouncement as Husband & Wife (1 min)

Fr. Paul: Bride and Groom , in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, the giving of these rings and the joining of your hands, I now declare you to be husband and wife.

Benediction (1 min)

Fr. Paul:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance unto you, and give you peace.
 

Closing and Presentation (1 min)
 

Fr. Paul: Congratulations, you may kiss your Bride .

I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Groom Full Name
 

Fr. Paul: Would everyone please stand as the couple departs! Please remain in your places until the parents have left the room.

Music begins, couple slowly walks out, flower girl and ring bearer depart, groomsmen and bridesmaids recess as pairs, Fr. Paul invites parents and grandparents to exit just in front of him.

Fr. Paul: (said as he departs last) Thank you all very much!