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Ceremonies, Vows, Prayers and Poems
"There is only one way to do a ceremony at a Coconut Cove Dream Wedding and that is what the bride and groom wants, for in my heart I want what you want" Paul Bates, notary, and minister
Whether is is romantic or with religion or custom vows, Paul makes dreams come true for you.
Elements of a ceremony - sample
Welcoming
Opening Prayer
1st Reading, poem or scripture
Intent of Marriage
Exchange of Vows
Meaning or marriage
Hands of the Bride and Groom
Exchanging of the rings
Beach Sand Ceremony
Closing Prayer
Pronouncement
Closing: Thanking of the guests
Elements of a ceremony - sample
Welcoming
Opening Prayer
1st Reading, poem or scripture
Intent of Marriage
Exchange of Vows
Meaning or marriage
Hands of the Bride and Groom
Exchanging of the rings
Beach Sand Ceremony
Closing Prayer
Pronouncement
Closing: Thanking of the guests
Welcoming
PRELUDE: Steal drum music
PROCESSIONAL: Song fades out when processional complete
Bridal Music: Arrival Canon in D
WELCOME: We are gathered here on this joyous occasion to witness the outward expression of the commitment (Groom) and (Bride) will make before God and you, their family and friends. It is with great affection that we come to celebrate the love they have for each other and their desire to unite their lives in marriage.
Let's first take a moment to appreciate the natural beauty that God has blessed us with and why (Groom) and (Bride) has brought you to this special place,: the tranquility of the ocean, the warmth of the sun, the feel of the sand between your toes and the incredible colors of the sky. As well, we are blessed with those who have traveled such distance to display their love for this couple.
To this sacred moment (Groom) and (Bride) bring the fullness of their hearts, a treasure to share with one another. They bring the dreams which bind them together in an eternal commitment. They bring together the Lord's blessings of their gifts and talents and their unique personalities upon which they will build their life together. We rejoice with them in thankfulness to the Lord for creating this union of hearts built on friendship, respect and love.
Opening Prayer
1. Scripture Cor 13.4
2. OPENING PRAYER: Read by Minister Paul
Poem - Hands of the Bride and Groom
(Bride), please face (Groom)t and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.
These are the hands that someday you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels the child stir within you. (remove in no children planned)
These are the hands that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time. (remove in no children planned)
These are the hands that will work long hours for your family.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will comfort you in illness and hold you when fear or grief wracks your mind. These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes; eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.
(Groom), please hold (Bride) hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.
These are the hands that will someday hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurt, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it's time to let go. (remove in no children planned)
These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evening if you've had a long hard day.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, and console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will hold you in joy, excitement and hope each time she tells you that you are to have another child, that together you have created a new life. (remove if no children planned)
These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together as a team, everything you wish can be realized.
Hand in hand you enter into marriage; hand in hand you step out in faith. The hand you give freely to each other will be at times the strongest and yet at other times the most tender part of your body.
In the years ahead you will need both strength and tenderness. Be firm in your commitment. Don't let your grip become weak. And yet, be flexible as you experience the twists and turns of life. Don't let your hands become calloused, but rather find patience and mercy as the Lord has been patient and merciful with you.
Strength and tenderness, firm commitment and flexibility, patience and mercy: of such is a marriage made, hand in hand.
Also remember that you don't walk this path alone. Don't be afraid to reach out to others when you face difficulty. Other hands are there: your faith, your family and your friends.
To accept an outreached hand is not admission of failure, but an act of faith. For behind us, underneath us, around us all, are the outstretched arms of the Lord. It is into His hand that, above all else, we commit this union of husband and wife.
I have grown very found of (Groom) and (Bride), and find there love is true and infectious to people who our fortunate enough to be touched by their love.
For as we have been allowed to share in these wonderful days and these incredible moments of the forever joining of these two hearts and as this infectious love has touched us all, we now have a duty to this relationship, to force them together during the raining days, and as clouds pass, to point out, to the both of them, the sun will shine brightly again. It is now all of our duty as this wonderful new marriage journey begins.
Vows
Please Repeat after me:
I, (Groom), take you (Bride), to be my (wife), and commit to be your constant friend, and faithful partner. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer my solemn vow to love you unconditionally, maintain a tender heart, and preserve a childlike sense of humor through the challenging times we will face.
I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the (woman) you will become, and falling in love with you a little more every day.
Please repeat after me:
I, (Bride), take you (Groom), to be my (husband), and commit to be your constant friend, and faithful partner. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer my solemn vow to love you unconditionally, maintain a tender heart, and preserve a childlike sense of humor through the challenging times we will face.
I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the (man) you will become, and falling in love with you a little more every day.
Exchanging of the rings
Paul reads:
Just as a ring has no beginning or end, neither does the love that this couple shares…
From this day forward, you will be best friends, sole mates and stand by each others your side through what ever life may bring your way. From this day forward, through good times and bad, I will live together, grow and change together. I you commit to do all you can to keep our marriage strong and happy and alive with possibilities, from this day forward you walk together and find peace and happiness knowing you will walk it together, side by side, hand in hand, heart to heart"
Please repeat after me
1st Groom then Bride: Let this ring be a visible and constant reminder of my love for you. Wear it always as a symbol of my promises to you.
Add ring ceremony for Brides daughter
Sand Ceremony
(Groom) and (Bride), you have just sealed your relationship by the act of giving and receiving rings. This covenant is a relationship pledged between two people who agree that they will commit themselves to one another for the rest of their lives. The most beautiful example of a partnership is the marriage relationship. You have committed hereby today to share the rest of your lives with each other as a family.
Today, this relationship is symbolized and the joining of the family through the pouring of these three individual containers of sand, each representing you, all that you were, the family you came from, and all that you've become.
As these three containers of sand are poured into one, the individual containers of sand will no longer exist but will be joined together, representing you now and all that you will ever be. Just as these individual grains of sand can never be separated back into their original containers, so will your marriage and family be. From these two families, a new family has been created.
SONG MUSIC STARTS:
Music starts as bride and Groom pours the sand
IE: Bob Marly you're my angel
Closing Prayer and Thanking of Guests
Closing Prayer read by Paul
Pronouncement as minister
RECESSIONAL: Hear comes the bride
CLOSING after bride and groom has exited
" On behalf of (Groom) and (Bride), I would like to thank you for coming and sharing this most special ceremony, they wish you a magical evening. Please enjoy the refreshments and appetizers that await you at the Tiki Bar, thank you again.
(Paul points the way to Tiki Bar)
The meaning of marriage
True marriage is more than joining the bonds of marriage of two persons. In its right relation, it's the uniting of two souls already attuned to each other. When such a true bond already exists between man and woman, it is fitting that an outer acknowledgment be made. This acknowledgment is the prime object of this gathering and this ceremony. We are here to bear witness to the entry into the closer relationship of husband and wife of these beloved friends who are already one in spirit.
You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in all the world whom you love best. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities, and to share love.
At the end of this ceremony, legally you will be husband and wife, but you still must decide each and every day that stretches before you, that you want to be married. Make such a decision and keep on making it, for the most important thing in life is to love and be loved.
May you always need one another, not so much to fill the emptiness as to help each other know your fullness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all-important ways with each other, and not fail in the little graces. Look for things to praise, often say 'I love you' and take no notice of small faults. May you have happiness, and may you find it in making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it in loving one another.
Sample Poems
Thank You Led Zeppelin
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.
Kind woman, I give you my all, nothing more.
Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the days gone by.
My love is strong, with you there is no wrong,
together we shall go until we die.
And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for to me, you are the only one.
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.
Excerpt from The Prophet Khalil Gibran
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days,
And you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow
Corinthians 13:1-13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Another great ceremony insert:
We are gathered here today to witness the coming together of two
People, (Groom) and (Bride), whose hearts and spirits
Are entwined as one. They now desire to profess before family
And friends, their intention to walk the road of life together.
To these two people, this marriage signifies the birth of a new spirit, a
Spirit which is a part of each of us, yet not of any one of us alone.
This "birth of Spirit" reminds us of spring, the season when all life is
Reborn and looms again. It is appropriate, therefore, that this wedding of
(Groom) and (Bride) be in the spring, and that it be
under the open sky, where we are close to the earth and to the unity
of life, the totality of living things of which we are part.
Poem: The Art of Marriage by Wilfred A. Peterson
The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you", at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
The courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
It should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or
Sacrifice,
But in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating
Gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have
Wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is finding room for the good and the beautiful
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is
Equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
Wine and Love Letter Box Ceremony
" Need Wooden Box, bottle of wine, sealed love , a small hammer and several nails.
" Bride (name) and Grrom (name) you have wrote each other a love letter to one another, expressing your most romantic thoughts about the good qualities that you found in your future partner, the reasons for falling in love with them and your hopes and dreams for the future. I will now have you place the sealed envelopes in this wooden box with the bottle of wine.
Minister Paul shall now nail the box and seal it shut
" This is your own romantic time capsule. After the wedding keep the box in a place of honor as a constant visual reminder of your love and commitment to each other.
The Wine Box should be opened on your 25th wedding anniversary. Then open the box, uncork the wine and unseal the envelopes that you wrote for one another before your wedding, and read the love letter while enjoying a glass of wine. The 25 year old wine and the love letter will remind you of all the reasons you choose this person as your partner and all the things that helped shape the life they've created together. In 25 years you will add another letter with the original and another bottle of wine for your 50th anniversary
"
" Never take your blessings of being together for granted. The romantic sentiments you wrote, the declaration of love, the clear thoughts about why you chose this person as your life partner will help ignite a new level or romance and love. This ritual is to remind you of your wedding day and your intention to love and cherish each other for as long as you both shall live.
Reading (Union by Robert Fulghum)
You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks - all those sentences that began with "When we're married" and continued with "I will and you will and we will"- those late night talks that included "someday" and "somehow" and "maybe"- and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart.
All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, " You know all those things we've promised and hoped and dreamed- well, I meant it all, every word." Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years.
Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this- is my husband, this- is my wife.
Sample Program to be handed out or set up on table at beach chapel, usually a bifold decorative stationary
Today I Marry My Friend
Adrianna Elena Smith
&
Ryan David Jones
Saturday, March 10th, 2010
The miracle of love is that it was given to us to share with others. On this day, we thank our family and friends for your love, support and encouragement. We are who we are today because you have touched us in your own unique way. We thank you for traveling to share our wedding day with us, especially those of you who have come from great distances.
We would like to thank our parents for giving us life, love, opportunity and for always supporting us wherever our dreams have taken us. A special prayer for those who could not be here with us today.
The Order of Service
Processional………………………………………………………………………....Steel Drums
Welcome
Statement of Intent
First Reading - How do I Love Thee .....................Monique Richy
Exchange of Vows
Second Reading - Corinthians 13......................................Flavio Garcia
Exchange of Rings
Unity Sand Ceremony
"Ave Maria".............................. ...............................As by Professional Wedding singer
Presentation of Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Jones
Recessional…………………………………………………………….…………….Steel Drums
The Wedding Party
Mother & Father of the Bride...............................Pilar and Roger Smith
Mother & Stepfather of the Groom…………....Jane and Bert Frank
Father & Stepmother of the Groom………….…David and Robyn Jones
Matron of Honor……………………………………………………………..…Olivia Bates
Bridesmaids……………………………………………………………..….…..Betty Jimenez
Tessie Rogers
Christine Jones
Best Man……………………………………………………………………………Steven Garndner
Groomsmen…………………………………………………………………………Michael Green
Clark Goodbuddy
Paul Smith
Minister……………………………………………………………………….………Paul E. Bates