I recommend that you include 2-3 ritual’s in your ceremony.

 

​

Remembrance of loved ones who have passed on

 

Weddings are very much about family, some of the few times we all gather together and also friendship, a chance to be surrounded by your closest friends. On days like today we join together, we laugh, we talk, we eat, we drink, we dance and of course we make new memories. But we cannot forget to remember those who cannot be with us today.

 

 

John & Mary  would now like to remember their family and friends who are no longer With us – and i ask them to move forward now to light their remembrance candle

 

Remembering

 

John’s Mum Ann

 

Mary’s great friend Veronica

 

For those who cannot be with John & Mary on their special day.

 

In lighting your candle you call in your loved ones to be present with you during this special time. Feel their presence on this special day, feel their energy, feel their comfort, feel their support, as they remind us they haven’t gone anywhere they have just moved on.

 

 

 

 

UNITY CANDLE  PART 1 - early in the ceremony

 

Mary & John have chosen the unity candle.

 

The two outer candles represent your lives up to this moment, as individuals and as a couple.

 

I invite John & Mary to light your individual candles,  in the lighting of the individual candles you will symbolise your lives as individuals and as a couple.

 

The two outer candles represent your lives up to this moment,

 

They are two distinct lights, each bright and shining on their own.

 

Later in today's ceremony after you have become a married couple these two individual candle’s will come together to form one light representing your future married life together.

 

​

​

UNITY CANDLE PART 2 - After declaration of marriage

 

John & Mary at the beginning of today's ceremony you light your individual candles

 

Please move forward now for the first time as a married couple to light your unity marriage Candle

 

While you will certainly remain unique persons, each with your own spiritual gifts, personality, talents, and abilities, from this time forth, your thoughts shall be for each other rather than for your individual selves. The love you have for each other will draw you both closer to each other. Amy & Michael in the lighting of this unity candle you are symbolically expressing the goals of your union in your marriage. Radiate this love to all whose lives you touch.

 

​

 

ROMANTIC TIME CAPSULE CEREMONY

 

OPTION 1 WITH WINE & CHAMPAGNE

 

(Remember to bring: bottle of wine, wine box  love letters)

John & Ann have been chosen as a couple to perform a Love Letter & Wine Box ceremony.

 

This box contains a bottle of wine, and a love letter from each to the other.  The letters describe the good qualities they find in one another, the reasons they fell in love, and their reasons for choosing to marry. The letters are sealed in individual envelopes and they have not seen what the other has written. You have created your very own "romantic" time capsule to be opened on your 5th wedding anniversary.

 

You might keep this box in a place of honour prominently displayed in your home as a constant reminder of your commitment to each other.

 

John & Mary, should you ever find your marriage at crunch point, you can, as a couple, open this box, sit and drink the wine together, then privately read the letters you wrote to one another, savoring how you fell in love and chose to marry each other here today.

My hope is that you will have no reason to open this box until you celebrate your 5th year wedding anniversary!

John & Mary, you may now seal the box.

 

​

OPTION 2 - WITH LOVE LETTERS & OBJECTS REPRESENTING MEMORIES FROM YOUR TIME TOGETHER AS A COUPLE

 

(Remember to bring: box, love letters, and objects )

 

John & Mary  have been chosen as a couple to perform TO CREATE THEIR VERY OWN ROMANTIC TIME CAPSULE.

 

This box contains MEMORIES FROM THE LAST 10 YEARS OF THEIR LIVES TOGETHER AND a love letter from each to the other. The letters describe the good qualities they find in one another, the reasons they fell in love, and their reasons for choosing to marry. The letters are sealed in individual envelopes and they have not seen what the other has written. You have created your very own ROMANTIC time capsule to be opened on your 5th wedding anniversary.

 

You might keep this box in a place of honor prominently displayed in your home as a constant reminder of your commitment to each other.

 

JOHN & MARY, should you ever find your marriage at crunch point, you can, as a couple, open this box, sit and LOOK THROUGH YOUR MEMORIES TOGETHER, then privately read the letters you wrote to one another, savoring how you fell in love and chose to marry each other here today. My hope is that you will have no reason to open this box until you celebrate your 5th year wedding anniversary!

 

JOHN & MARY  PLEASE SEAL YOUR VERY OWN ROMANTIC TIME CAPSULE.

 

 

​

TRADITIONAL HANDFASTING

 

John & Mary have chosen to conclude their ceremony with a traditional handfasting.

 

This is a symbolic binding of the hands that inspired the term to "Tie the knot" Throughout history in many different ways and in many different parts of the world, the hands of the bride and groom were bound as a sign of their commitment to one another.

 

Particularly in Ireland long before wedding rings existed, The Druids would take you to the forest and under a tree they would bind or fasten your hands together with cord, hence marrying you for one year. Then you returned the following year to extend that commitment, but today we are making it permanent !!

 

 

** Colors and meaning will be explained here as they are placed around  your hands

 

 

****Ribbon Colour Chart ****

In traditional Celtic handfasting the ribbons that bind the couple’s wrists are made up of different colors, each with its own special meaning. Here is a list of each color and its meaning:

 

Pick three Coloured ribbons for the ceremony

 

Red: passion, strength, lust, fertility
Orange: encouragement, attraction, kindness, plenty                                                           

Green: Charm, confidence, joy
Yellow: finances, fertility, charity, prosperity, health                                                           

Blue : tranquility, patience, devotion, sincerity
Purple: Power, piety, sanctity, sentimentality
Black: strength, wisdom, vision, success
White: purity, concentration, meditation, peace
Gray: neutrality, canceling, balance
Pink: unity, honor, truth, romance, happiness
Brown: earth, grounding, talent, telepathy, home
Silver: treasure, values, creativity, inspiration
Gold: energy, wealth, intelligence, longevity

 

 

This cord represents the marital bond. It is strong enough to hold you together during times of struggle yet flexible enough to allow for individuality and personal growth. As your hands are now bound together, so shall your lives be bound as one.

 

Please now remove the cord and place it on the table.

 

Keep this knot safe, may it never come undone. And let it be a reminder to you of the bond and the commitment you’ve made here today.

 

​

 

Sand Ceremony

 

Intermingling the grains of sand makes a unique design.

 

John & Mary, you have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings and this is a pledge between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another throughout their lives.

 

Today, this relationship is also symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand. One, representing you, JOHN and One representing you MARY and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be.

 

I ask you now to move forward and pour your individual containers into the joint container and join your lives together forever.

 

As these two containers of sand are poured into the third container, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist but will be joined together as one.

 

Just as these grains of sand can never be separated, our prayer for you today is that your lives together would be blended like the seven seas and may your love swirl around each other like the changing tides.

 

May you enjoy a lifetime of love and peace, happiness and prosperity, together entertained as one family!

 

 

 

Ring Warming

 

It is widely believed that precious metals hold energy. The more enduring the object the more energy will be absorbed.

 

I now invite John to pass the wedding rings to  parents to pass their wedding rings around between all their family & friends gathered here today with the rings eventually making their way back to  parents, who will pass the onto Siobhan for the exchange of rings. 

 

As you hold the rings, may you pass on  your positive energy, blessings, love & guidance.

 

I now ask  John & Mary to take their wedding rings from her parents.

 

These rings now contain in their precious metal, that which is more precious and yet priceless, the love and support of your family & friends.

 

May you carry that love, energy and support into your own future married lives together.

 

 

 

 

 

Parents Blessing of the rings

 

I'm now going to call on John & Mary’s parents to come forward to bless the wedding rings.

 

Please insert your parents first names: ??

 

Ethan’s Parents: Colin & Olga

 

Katy’s Parents: Robert & Kay

 

It is widely believed that precious metals hold energy,

The more enduring the object the more energy will be absorbed.

 

I now invite Ethan & Katys Parents to pass their wedding rings between one another

 

As you hold the rings, may you pass on the energy of your own wonderful marriages which have been inspirational for Ethan & Katy and also pass on your positive energy, blessings, love & guidance.

 

Ethan & Katie these rings now contain in their precious metal, that which is more precious and yet priceless, the love and support of your parents, and the wisdom of their own marriages.

 

May you carry that love, energy and support into your own future married lives together.

 

 

 

THE ROSE CEREMONY

 

"Your gift to each other for your wedding today has been your wedding rings - which shall always be an outward demonstration of your vows of love and respect; and a public showing of your commitment to each other.

 

You are now husband and wife.

​

The rose is a symbol of love. It means "I love you." So it is appropriate that for your first gift - as husband and wife - that gift would be a single rose.

​

Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife.

​

In some ways it seems like you have not done anything at all. Just a moment ago you were holding one small rose - and now you are holding one small rose. In some ways, a marriage ceremony is like this, tomorrow might seem no different than yesterday. But from today you have committed yourselves to accepting and loving each other within marriage.

 

Mary and John wherever you make your home in the future - pick one very special location for roses; so that on each wedding anniversary you might both take a rose to that spot and recommit to your marriage.

 

In every marriage there are times where it is difficult to find the right words. 

It is easiest to hurt who we love the most and to be most hurt by who we love the most.

 

At times it can be difficult to say "I am sorry" or "I forgive you"; "I need you" or "I am hurting". If this should happen, if you simply cannot find these words, leave a rose at that spot as a way of showing,  "I still love you."

 

And your spouse can choose to accept the rose as a sign for the words which could not be found, and remember the love and hope that you both shared on this your wedding day.

 

Mary and John, your love has brought you here today. Be thankful for your love and cherish each other every day of your lives.