Ceremony Presentation Script

Introduction

Officiant (to congregation): Thank you for being here today as (Groom’s name) and (Bride’s name) enter into a lifelong civil union. Today, we celebrate the separate journeys that brought them together, and we usher them toward the new journey they will embark upon as a partnership.

Invocation

Officiant (to congregation): A true lasting marriage requires effort, commitment, and unending respect. As (Groom’s name) and (Bride’s name) declare their love on this day, we reflect on the meaning of partnership and its importance to a successful union. Partners in life think of one another as teammates, equally capable, but each arriving with their own special skills.

A marriage thrives when each partner chooses to value the other for everything they are and for everything they are not. There is no limit to what a partnership can accomplish when trust and admiration flow abundantly. Today, (Groom’s name) and (Bride’s name) acknowledge this with excitement as they prepare to join hands in marriage.

First, a reading of (groom’s name) and (bride’s name) choosing.

Reading

(Officiant reads the chosen selection)

Affirmation of Support

Officiant (to congregation): Do you, as witnesses to this day, support and encourage this union?

Congregation: We do.

Declaration of Intent

Officiant (to bride and groom): As I guide you in exchanging your vows, you, (Groom’s name), and you, (Bride’s name) will declare your intentions for a lasting partnership in love and marriage. Are you prepared to do this?

Bride and Groom: Yes!

Officiant: Without further ado, let’s begin.

Officiant (to groom): Repeat after me.

I, (groom) take you, (bride), to be my wife. I promise that from this day forward I will regard you not only as my equal, but as my closest friend. I promise to comfort you in sickness and in health. I promise to demonstrate my commitment to you through love, laughter, and compassion. I love you.

Officiant (to bride): Repeat after me.

I, (bride), take you, (groom), to be my husband. I promise that from this day forward I will regard you not only as my equal, but as my closest friend. I promise to comfort you in sickness and in health. I promise to demonstrate my commitment to you through love, laughter, and compassion. I love you.

Vow and Ring Exchange

Officiant (to bride and groom): Please present to one another your rings. These rings symbolize the strength of your commitment to this marriage and the love you share.

(The couple exchanges rings and any vows they may have written.)

Pronouncement

Officiant (to bride and groom): By the power vested in me by the State of California and before your witnesses, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you spiritually and lawfully united.

You may kiss one another.