Marriage Address #1

Marriage is the essence of human relationships.

It challenges us to be of one accord without abandoning the truth of our individuality.  It challenges us to not lose ourselves in one another, but rather to walk side by side heading in the same direction.

As with all relationships, marriage is an endless presentation of choices about how we want to be with one another.

Each choice results in either more unity or more separation.

Choose into that unity, Bride and Groom, every chance you get.

Sacrifice your judgments, expectations, and any other ways that you have learned to separate yourselves from  each other.

Share the gifts of your friendship, humor, vulnerability, sensitivity, and kindness.

Be sure to find ways each day to protect, affirm, and support each other, and to treasure the balance and shared values that you have found with each other.

 

Enjoy  the intertwining of your independence with your intimacy. I wish you the courage to keep your loving hearts open to each other for the rest of your lives.

God bless you.

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The following two paragraphs are an alternative to the first two paragraphs of Marriage Address #1.

 Marriage Address #1a

Marriage is the essence of human relationships.

It challenges us to be of one accord without abandoning the  truth of our individuality.

It challenges us to recognize ourselves in one another, and to admire and respect each  other while walking side by side heading in the same direction— sometimes so close together that there will be only one set of footprints.

As with all relationships, marriage is an endless presentation of choices about how we want to be with one another.

Each choice presents an opportunity for more unity. Choose into that unity, Bride and Groom, every chance you get.

Marriage Address #2

Bride and Groom, demonstrate your love for yourselves and each other through  caring  and sharing.

Stretch your love large enough to embrace whatever life brings to you.

Let it fill you, surround you, comfort and protect you.

Let your hearts be truly safe and at home with each other. Be generous in expressing your  love.

Be open to receive love from each other. Be flexible and forgiving with each  other.

Let your relationship be a catalyst that transforms you into the expression of your highest selves.

Remember that your relationship is alive and ever-changing and  that  your  love  is  a  miracle, always inviting you to grow, to learn, to blossom, and to  expand.

How you regard each other and how you behave toward each other will determine the destiny of your union. It is your creation together, your sacred responsibility.

Be kind to your relationship. Nourish it with tender loving care, and, above all else, keep your love alive.

Treat it as the precious blessing it is.

Do not just be married or in love; but let your marriage be an active process of loving each other.

The quality of your marriage is up to you.

Both of you as individuals and together as a couple will choose what kind of marriage you will create, promote, and allow through your thoughts, feelings, and actions each day.

In the hardest of times, always remember to reach for the Godness— the goodness inside yourselves and each other— to the Oneness of our Lord’s most loving message of “When two or more are gathered in my name, there I am also.”

May you always honor the sanctity of your union and thus be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

Marriage Address #3

Bride and Groom, your marriage will, no doubt, be filled with surprises.

Some you will welcome, while others will test the strength and flexibility of  your bond.

Your life together will present many opportunities to refine and deepen your love and to explore the profound depths of your being. May you be compassionate with each other and nurture yourselves, each  other, and this union with tender loving care.

May your love create a safe haven for you both on the journey that lies ahead of you.

Lead with your hearts and take the time to do the simple things that will nurture your  love.

Deeply listen to each other— to your dreams and to your frustrations. Be helpmates. Be playful in finding ways to give your love anew to each other every day.

Let your love be an inspiration to others to reach for what is good within us all.

May your love be so abundant that you have plenty to share with the rest of us as well.

It is your love that has brought us together here  today.

May it grow deeper and sweeter with each passing year.

Marriage Address #4

A true marriage is the ultimate relationship because it offers the opportunity of limitless intimacy between two people.

It is a great and challenging  adventure into the depths and heights of human caring, affection, trust, and understanding.

For those who take its sacred vows, their  lives  are intermingled as the waters of two streams become one, flowing together into a mighty  river.

A true spiritual marriage is a journey of  transformation into the profound mysteries of life and creation. In marriage, two become one, and that one is far more complex and dynamic than the simple addition of the  two.

In marriage, we do not give ourselves to another, but rather surrender into something greater while maintaining our balance and well-being as individuals.

Together, we co-create a shared identity we call “we.”

A truly sacred marriage union is a vehicle for self-realization that allows us to know our true selves by reflection through our loved one.

Thus, marriage is a divine instrument through which we come to know God’s presence in each other and in the world around us.

Bride and Groom, you have come here today to surrender into the co-creation of something wholly new and transcendent your precious, sacred, and unique journey as Marriage Partners.

Today, you step into a much fuller experience and expression of the mysteries and miracles of  love.

Your precious, blessed, and sacred union is lovely in its innocence, mighty in its strength, and abundant with possibilities. It belongs to you both.

Over time you will give it an identity. We wish for you the wisdom, strength of character, and divine creativity to make this a happy marriage, a safe harbor, and a joyful journey to share.

Marriage Address #5

Marriage is a magnificent opportunity to share one’s life with another and to enjoy the adventures  inherent in this most intimate of human relationships.

Today, we gather here to rejoice with and for Bride and Groom  as they embark on this voyage of discovery. Bride  and Groom, from this day forward, this date,      , will always have special meaning for you as the day you vowed to love and to cherish each other in all ways, always.

Each year when you come upon your anniversary I encourage you to rededicate yourselves to the vows you make here today.

Take stock of where you are in your marriage and how you are doing as Marriage Partners.

Express your gratitude to each other for the ways that you have effectively loved and  supported  one another, and forgive yourselves and each other for any judgments that have come between you.

Show each other that you can be trusted and counted on as a comfort when facing difficult  times, and celebrate abundantly the successes and joys life brings your way.

Let your love lead the way and be more important than anything else.

Then, your lives  together will be filled with blessings and  joy.

Marriage Address #6

Bride and Groom, this bond you share is a true miracle and a blessing from God.

Treasure it and carefully tend it each day.

You breathe life into each other and provide a safe and sacred harbor where you are able to shed all of your worldly illusions while witnessing, receiving, and  cherishing the precious truth of one another.

Generously shower each other with the gifts of your faith, strength, honesty, beauty,  and complexity.

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This Marriage Address is customized to acknowledge the creation of a family with children from previous marriages.

 Marriage Address #7

Bride and Groom, you began as best friends, and now that friendship has grown into a loving and abiding commitment.

Remember that the strength and power of the love you share with each other and with your children stand upon your health and well-being as individuals.

Be aware of your needs as individuals and lovingly communicate them to each other.

Teach the other how to love you and care for you as well.

Tenderly nurture your children so that they always feel your love and know that they are safe and cared for.

Celebrate your love for each other and for the children each and every day.

Remember that God’s infinite wisdom brought you together and will continue to light your path all the days of your lives.

Share the gifts of your friendship, your patience, and your tenderness. Always nurture this partnership with your incredible ability to communicate with each other, and your abiding respect for each other’s strength, wisdom, freedom, and differences.

Continue to bless each other with your eternal honesty and your delight and gratitude for the glory of being able to share your destiny.

Remember to let each of your children know every day how precious they are to you.

Surround each other and your children with your tender loving care.

I wish you the courage to keep your loving hearts open to each other for the rest of your lives.

God bless you.