Opening Prayer

Let us begin by welcoming the presence of God within each of us. As we lift into the loving that joins us together as  one, let us surround Partner A and Partner B with our love, our prayers, and our best wishes for them on this day of celebration and throughout their journey together as life partners.

We are here because we love Partner A and Partner B.

We rejoice that they have found each other and that through each other, they have come to know the power of love as they have never known it before.

We celebrate this union of their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls and wish them great joy.

Gathering Words

If you ask most couples who have a strong and abiding love what they like most about their partners, usually they will say that they don’t have to pretend to be  anything other than what they are. They are able to express themselves without fear of being judged or rejected.

There is room in the relationship for both of them to be unique individuals.

They are free to surrender to the possibility of profound intimacy— to be known and loved without condition.

For quite some time now, Partner A and Partner B have known and loved each other. They have been strengthened by their love and have received many blessings through its beauty and tenderness. They have learned that they can depend on each other and on the power of their love, and that through each  other they are becoming better  people.

Today, they come before us to declare their commitment to each other as  life partners, vowing to share the trials and triumphs of their shared life. They are declaring to each other and to all of us present that they will be by each other’s side no matter what life brings their  way.

Love has gathered us here today.

We are here to celebrate the love that Partner A and Partner B have for each other, as well as the love that each of you has given them throughout  their lives.

As families and friends, you are the ones who have taught Partner A and Partner B how to love.

You have shown them the blessings that come through loving one  another.

Having planted this seed of love in them, we are now gathered to support them as they embark upon their voyage of discovery as  life partners.

We are here to see them off on this journey. Let us also be there to see them through.

Friendship Circle

Partner A and Partner B have expressed to me the importance of actively involving all of you in their celebration today.

So, we are going to share a ritual, the Friendship Circle, that originated in the Quaker tradition.

In a moment, I’m going to ask you all to get up and form a circle around the chairs.

Then, anyone who wishes to may share their thoughts and feelings about Partner A and Partner B joining their lives together.

You may want to offer them your blessing or to share a story about them, or a reflection of a time you have shared together.

Whatever comes forward is just fine.

So now, let us form our circle of family and friends.

(Everyone forms a circle and the Officiant invites guests to begin their sharing.)

 Candle Ceremony

This flame you ignite before us today is strong and shining brightly.

May you tend it well so that it may shine throughout your lives.

May the warmth of the love it symbolizes forever bring you  courage, reassurance, and comfort and fill you both with strength and joy.

Commitment Vows

Please join hands to share your vows.

Partner A:

I, Partner A, choose you, Partner B, in the presence of our friends and families, to be my partner from this time forward; to love you, to be a comfort and safe haven in your life, to hold you close, to listen deeply when you speak, to nourish you with my gentleness, to uphold you with my strength, to weigh the effects of the words I speak and the things I do, to never take you for granted, and to always give thanks for your presence in my life.

Partner B:

Dearest Partner A, I choose you to be my partner for life, to be by your side through our life’s journey together. You are my best friend. You are my precious love. You are the one I choose to spend my life with. I promise to cherish you, to honor you, to love and respect you. I promise to comfort and encourage you, when we are healthy and when we must endure sickness; when we are filled with the joys of success and when we are burdened with sorrows.

Partner A, I promise to love you without condition for all the days of my life.

Ring Exchange

Officiant:

May I have the rings, please?

These rings are a symbol that has been carried forward from antiquity. They are simple and strong. They are round like the sun and the moon, like the eye, and like the embrace of love. As circles, rings remind us that as we give our love, so it comes back around to us, and we give and receive love around and around in the circle of  love.

May your commitment rings always serve as a reminder to you that your love, like the sun and moon, illumines; that your love, like the eye, lets you see clearly; and your love, like an embrace, is a grace upon this world.

Partner A, place this ring on Partner B’s finger.

Partner A:

Partner B, with this ring I am giving you my promise to always love you,

cherish you, honor you, and comfort you. I will always be grateful to God for your presence in my life.

Officiant:

Partner B, place this ring on Partner A’s finger.

Partner B:

Partner A, from the moment we met, I knew I wanted to spend my life with you. With this ring, I pledge myself to  you, to our union, and to our everlasting love.

Final Blessing

Officiant:

Now that Partner A and Partner B have joined themselves to each other by solemn vows, and by the giving and receiving of rings, By virtue of the authority vested in me by the First Nation Church and the Knights of St. Valentine and in accordance with the laws of the State of the Maryland, I pronounce that they are partners for life. Congratulations and God bless you!