The Ceremony

OFFICIANT Good afternoon and thank you for being here today. We are gathered today to celebrate as RANDAL and J’LYNN come together to unite in holy matrimony. This ceremony is but an outward sign of an inward union of heart, mind, and spirit. This is a celebration of the joining of two souls already attuned to one another. We are here to bear witness as our beloved friends become one in spirit and enter into the sanctity of the husband and wife union.

OFFICIANT
(to DAD) Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

DAD Her Mother and I do.
(DAD lifts J’LYNN’s veil, kisses her, shakes RANDAL’s hand, and gives J’LYNN’s hand to RANDAL. DAD sits down. RANDAL & J’LYNN step up to OFFICIANT)

OFFICIANT RANDAL and J’LYNN, on this day you make a monumental commitment to love, to understand, and to grow. When a commitment this strong is made by two people, the force of that commitment, of that love, reaches out and touches all of us around you, so that our lives are changed and we share a part of your love. Like a stone dropped in a still pond, the ripples of the love from this celebration extend outward and change the world we live in.
You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in all the world whom you love most. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of deep trust. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities, sorrows, happiness, and love.
In 1 Corinthians 13:13 we are taught, “Out of the three gifts of faith, hope, and love, the greatest of all is love.” Indeed, love and companionship seem to be among our deepest human needs. But real love, RANDAL and J’LYNN, is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance, of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your companion as you do about your own. Real love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction (Antoine de Saint-Exupery). Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger, so you can be involved with the adventures of life in ways you dare not risk alone. Real love is ever changing. Real love is growing together, as one.

OFFICIANT
(to R&J) RANDAL and J’LYNN, please face each other and take one another’s hands.
(J’LYNN gives bouquet to RACHEL, and takes RANDAL’s hands, as they face each other)

OFFICIANT
(to RANDAL) RANDAL, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise before God and before those gathered here today that you will love her, honor her, comfort and keep her, in sickness and in health, and that forsaking all others for her alone will you perform unto her all of the duties and respect that a husband graciously bestows upon his wife?

RANDAL I do.

OFFICIANT
(to J'LYNN) J'LYNN, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise before God and before those gathered here today that you will love him, honor him, comfort and keep him, in sickness and in health, and that forsaking all others for him alone will you perform unto him all of the duties and respect that a wife graciously bestows upon her husband?

J'LYNN I do.

OFFICIANT
(to RANDAL) RANDAL, the vows you make today are your covenant in marriage. If you are prepared to make that covenant, please do so now.

RANDAL J’Lynn, You have taught me so much and for that I am grateful. With your help I know that our lives will be wonderful and full of joy and when we are old and gray we will look back and have no regrets. There will and have been hard times in our relationship. But even now as I look back the hard times seem to fade away and what is left are special moments we have shared. The first time I saw you and you sat down beside me, our first date, our first kiss, our first camping trip and trying to sleep in a 4 ft kids tent, the first time you were in falling snow and ran around like a little girl trying to catch a snow flake in you mouth, the first time you milked a goat, those are the things that come to my mind when I reflect about the past and the times we have shared.
J’Lynn, Today is an outward expression of an inward emotion that you and I have shared for quite some time. We have traveled side by side day by day and what we feel for each other has never wavered. It is my hope and prayer that the journey we have started will only be more rewarding as time goes on and that we continue to grow and learn from each other.
J’Lynn, I Love You.

OFFICIANT
(to J'LYNN) J’LYNN, the vows you make today are your covenant in marriage. If you are prepared to make that covenant, please do so now.

J'LYNN Randal, since the day we met, you have been my best friend. You have supported me and comforted me through times of trouble and you have laughed with me and shared with me through times of joy. You are my rainbow in the middle of the night, my fireworks in the rain, and my endless road.
Today, before God, and among our family and friends, I promise myself to you - heart, mind, body and soul.
I promise to you my unconditional love, my unwavering respect, my uncompromising devotion, my unfaltering friendship, my unsuspecting trust, and my unquestioning support. I vow to you nothing short of everything I am and everything I will ever be.
I love you, Randal!

OFFICIANT May I have the rings, please?
(JUNIOR and RACHEL place rings on OFFICIANT'S Bible)

OFFICIANT
(to R&J) RANDAL and J’LYNN, as these rings are designed as a circle, without end, they symbolize the eternal promises that you have made here today. These rings are built of strong and incorruptible metal, which will serve as a reminder of the solid foundation of your marriage. May God bless these rings that you give to each other as a sign of your promises of eternal love, trust, and faithfulness.

OFFICIANT
(to RANDAL) RANDAL, take J’LYNN’s ring, and as you place it on her finger to bind her to yourself, repeat after me.

RANDAL With this ring, I thee wed, / and say to the world / “This is my wife, J’Lynn, / whom I cherish above all others.”
(RANDAL slips the ring on J’LYNN’s left ring finger)

OFFICIANT
(to J'LYNN) J’LYNN, take RANDAL’s ring, and as you place it on his finger to bind him to yourself, repeat after me.

J'LYNN With this ring, I thee wed, / and say to the world / “This is my husband, Randal, / whom I cherish above all others.”
(J'LYNN slips the ring on RANDAL'S left ring finger)

OFFICIANT
(to R&J) Just as your rings remind you of the firmness of your promise, there are some things in a marriage that are more ephemeral and need tending and protection like a flame.
RANDAL and J’LYNN, the two tapers of the Unity Candle symbolize your individual lives, and separate families. Lighting the center candle represents that your two lives are now and forever joined as one. I ask that each of you take one of the lit tapers and that, together, you light the center candle.
(RACHEL sings “Love of a Lifetime” as J’LYNN and RANDAL move towards and light unity candle)

OFFICIANT Let us join together in prayer.
Father, our hearts are filled with great happiness on this RANDAL and J’LYNN’s wedding day. They come before you, pledging their lives and their hearts to one another. Grant that they may be ever true and loving. Temper their hearts with kindness and help them to be friends, lovers, helpmates, and companions; and together, may they meet both the triumphs and tribulations of life more bravely. Let them remember the value of each other as individuals, and never take one another for granted. May their home truly be a place of love and harmony where your Spirit is ever present. Bless their wedding day, we pray, and walk beside them, through all their life together. Amen.
What God hath joined here together, let no man or woman put asunder. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. May God bless this union. RANDAL, you may now kiss your bride.
(First Married Kiss)
Ladies and Gentlemen, I take great pleasure in presenting to you:
Mr. & Mrs. RANDAL and J'LYNN HOLLOWAY!

OFFICIANT	Good afternoon and thank you for being here today. We are gathered today to celebrate as RANDAL and J’LYNN come together to unite in holy matrimony. This ceremony is but an outward sign of an inward union of heart, mind, and spirit. This is a celebration of the joining of two souls already attuned to one another. We are here to bear witness as our beloved friends become one in spirit and enter into the sanctity of the husband and wife union.
OFFICIANT (to DAD)	Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
DAD	Her Mother and I do. (DAD lifts J’LYNN’s veil, kisses her, shakes RANDAL’s hand, and gives J’LYNN’s hand to RANDAL. DAD sits down. RANDAL & J’LYNN step up to OFFICIANT)
OFFICIANT	RANDAL and J’LYNN, on this day you make a monumental commitment to love, to understand, and to grow. When a commitment this strong is made by two people, the force of that commitment, of that love, reaches out and touches all of us around you, so that our lives are changed and we share a part of your love. Like a stone dropped in a still pond, the ripples of the love from this celebration extend outward and change the world we live in. You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in all the world whom you love most. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of deep trust. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities, sorrows, happiness, and love. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 we are taught, “Out of the three gifts of faith, hope, and love, the greatest of all is love.” Indeed, love and companionship seem to be among our deepest human needs. But real love, RANDAL and J’LYNN, is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance, of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your companion as you do about your own. Real love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction (Antoine de Saint-Exupery). Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger, so you can be involved with the adventures of life in ways you dare not risk alone. Real love is ever changing. Real love is growing together, as one.
OFFICIANT (to R&J)	RANDAL and J’LYNN, please face each other and take one another’s hands. (J’LYNN gives bouquet to RACHEL, and takes RANDAL’s hands, as they face each other)
OFFICIANT (to RANDAL)	RANDAL, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise before God and before those gathered here today that you will love her, honor her, comfort and keep her, in sickness and in health, and that forsaking all others for her alone will you perform unto her all of the duties and respect that a husband graciously bestows upon his wife?
RANDAL	I do.
OFFICIANT (to J'LYNN)	J'LYNN, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise before God and before those gathered here today that you will love him, honor him, comfort and keep him, in sickness and in health, and that forsaking all others for him alone will you perform unto him all of the duties and respect that a wife graciously bestows upon her husband?
J'LYNN	I do.
OFFICIANT (to RANDAL)	RANDAL, the vows you make today are your covenant in marriage. If you are prepared to make that covenant, please do so now.
RANDAL	J’Lynn, You have taught me so much and for that I am grateful. With your help I know that our lives will be wonderful and full of joy and when we are old and gray we will look back and have no regrets. There will and have been hard times in our relationship. But even now as I look back the hard times seem to fade away and what is left are special moments we have shared. The first time I saw you and you sat down beside me, our first date, our first kiss, our first camping trip and trying to sleep in a 4 ft kids tent, the first time you were in falling snow and ran around like a little girl trying to catch a snow flake in you mouth, the first time you milked a goat, those are the things that come to my mind when I reflect about the past and the times we have shared. J’Lynn, Today is an outward expression of an inward emotion that you and I have shared for quite some time. We have traveled side by side day by day and what we feel for each other has never wavered. It is my hope and prayer that the journey we have started will only be more rewarding as time goes on and that we continue to grow and learn from each other. J’Lynn, I Love You.
OFFICIANT (to J'LYNN)	J’LYNN, the vows you make today are your covenant in marriage. If you are prepared to make that covenant, please do so now.
J'LYNN	Randal, since the day we met, you have been my best friend. You have supported me and comforted me through times of trouble and you have laughed with me and shared with me through times of joy. You are my rainbow in the middle of the night, my fireworks in the rain, and my endless road. Today, before God, and among our family and friends, I promise myself to you - heart, mind, body and soul. I promise to you my unconditional love, my unwavering respect, my uncompromising devotion, my unfaltering friendship, my unsuspecting trust, and my unquestioning support. I vow to you nothing short of everything I am and everything I will ever be. I love you, Randal!
OFFICIANT	May I have the rings, please? (JUNIOR and RACHEL place rings on OFFICIANT'S Bible)
OFFICIANT (to R&J)	RANDAL and J’LYNN, as these rings are designed as a circle, without end, they symbolize the eternal promises that you have made here today. These rings are built of strong and incorruptible metal, which will serve as a reminder of the solid foundation of your marriage. May God bless these rings that you give to each other as a sign of your promises of eternal love, trust, and faithfulness.
OFFICIANT (to RANDAL)	RANDAL, take J’LYNN’s ring, and as you place it on her finger to bind her to yourself, repeat after me.
RANDAL	With this ring, I thee wed, / and say to the world / “This is my wife, J’Lynn, / whom I cherish above all others.” (RANDAL slips the ring on J’LYNN’s left ring finger)
OFFICIANT (to J'LYNN)	J’LYNN, take RANDAL’s ring, and as you place it on his finger to bind him to yourself, repeat after me.
J'LYNN	With this ring, I thee wed, / and say to the world / “This is my husband, Randal, / whom I cherish above all others.” (J'LYNN slips the ring on RANDAL'S left ring finger)
OFFICIANT (to R&J)	Just as your rings remind you of the firmness of your promise, there are some things in a marriage that are more ephemeral and need tending and protection like a flame. RANDAL and J’LYNN, the two tapers of the Unity Candle symbolize your individual lives, and separate families. Lighting the center candle represents that your two lives are now and forever joined as one. I ask that each of you take one of the lit tapers and that, together, you light the center candle. (RACHEL sings “Love of a Lifetime” as J’LYNN and RANDAL move towards and light unity candle)
OFFICIANT	Let us join together in prayer. Father, our hearts are filled with great happiness on this RANDAL and J’LYNN’s wedding day. They come before you, pledging their lives and their hearts to one another. Grant that they may be ever true and loving. Temper their hearts with kindness and help them to be friends, lovers, helpmates, and companions; and together, may they meet both the triumphs and tribulations of life more bravely. Let them remember the value of each other as individuals, and never take one another for granted. May their home truly be a place of love and harmony where your Spirit is ever present. Bless their wedding day, we pray, and walk beside them, through all their life together. Amen. What God hath joined here together, let no man or woman put asunder. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. May God bless this union. RANDAL, you may now kiss your bride. (First Married Kiss) Ladies and Gentlemen, I take great pleasure in presenting to you: Mr. & Mrs. RANDAL and J'LYNN HOLLOWAY!