Gathering Words

We are gathered here together as families and friends to celebrate the fact that Wife and Husband have shared twenty-five years of marriage together.

For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, they have found the strength in their love and commitment to endure and to enjoy all that has come their way.

They have not only shared a marriage, but have raised three sons as well: Son 1, Son 2, and Son 3.

They have formed a family of individuals who  love and  care for each other and who can count on one another to be there when needed. So, Wife, Husband, and Son 1, Son2, and Son 3, today we celebrate you as a family as well.

Wife and Husband,as Reverend        reminded you twenty-five years ago, “Marriage and the union it  symbolizes who will witness our changes and growth, and who will affect these changes and shape our maturation as well.

Wife and Husband have learned through their years  together that the essence of a marriage relationship is the openness to another  person in his or her entirety as lover, companion, and friend.

They joined their lives  together in search of something greater and richer, and created a life that transcended their solitary paths.

They found that really loving one another with depth and passion is the greatest treasure.

It has added richness and profound meaning to  their lives.

They have discovered that love is one of life’s greatest joys. By simply giving of themselves to each other, honestly  and courageously, they have both been infinitely enhanced.

As  companions  in  day-to-day  life, Wife and Husband have taken pleasure in  sharing  their time and their thoughts and feelings.

They have delighted in reporting in on their separate adventures in the world, which have become the rhythm of life between these devoted partners as they have built their life together.

In this marriage, two lives are intimately shared; and the blending of the two has not diminished either one.

Rather, it has enhanced the individuality of each partner.

As this marriage has matured, it has taken on a life of its own. And within it, Wife and Husband have individually evolved while growing in understanding of each other.

This wonderful intimacy has mirrored a depth of inner knowing that has awakened levels of awareness they never knew existed.

To be awakened in this way is a priceless gift.

When we give of ourselves into a loving Marriage Partnership, we do not abandon ourselves; we do not shed our individuality; for that is what brought us together in the first place.

Each of us knows that a marriage is not created by law or a ceremony; but rather it occurs in the hearts of two human beings.

It grows out of loving, caring, and sharing ourselves with each other. And so it is that Wife and Husband have connected their hearts and souls one to the other, drawing upon the depths of their being, into the deep well of human need— the need to live united, and loving, and complete.

So, in witnessing this ceremony today, we are observing only an outward sign of an inward  union that exists between Wife and Husband.

Today, they have come before us to publicly reaffirm their love; to promise to continue to nurture themselves, each other, and this union; and to acknowledge its centrality in their lives.

They do so knowing that marriage is at once the most tender, yet challenging, of all relations in life.

One of the great joys of this day is the joining  together as  a  community  of  family  and  friends. Wife and Husband are filled with gratitude to each and every one of you for the loving, caring, friendship, and support that you have given them throughout their marriage.

Being able to share this day with you, surrounded by your love and support, is a treasured blessing.

Candle Ceremony

Every human being possesses a special light that burns within  them. When two spirits, destined to be together, find each other,their streams of light flow together, and a single, brighter light goes forth from their union. When a family is formed as an extension of this union, the light is intensified by the light that flows from the children, as well. When people love one another with devotion and freedom, they kindle the awareness of that spark in each other as nothing else quite can  do.

Wife, Husband, and Son 1, Son 2, and Son 3, in your commitment to one another, you kindle one another’s divine light, and promise always to do your best to see that light in each other; to nurture and tend that spirit in one another as best you can, especially in difficult times, when it may be hardest to do, and the times when one of you may doubt or forget the existence of that light within one another.

Wife, Husband, and Son 1, Son 2, and Son 3, take these candles now, and as you light them, symbolically enter the sacred trust to honor the divine spirit in one another. Now, bring your individual flames together, symbolizing the new and greater flame of your family, remembering that just as this union is made stronger  by your strength as  individuals, so are you as individuals made stronger by the strength of this union.

Renewal of Vows and Ring Exchange

Wife and Husband, please join hands to renew your marriage vows.

You have traveled a long way together to reach this place today.

In rededicating yourselves to each other, this marriage, and your family, you are affirming that:

You are friends and choose to remain so. You are lovers and choose to remain so. You are individuals and choose to remain so. And you are partners and choose to remain so.

Wife and Husband, as you place these rings on each other’s fingers, please reaffirm your marriage vows.

Husband:

Wife, I feel blessed to have found you as my partner and I look forward to sharing the rest of my life with you.

Wife:

Husband, I feel blessed to have found you as my partner and look forward to sharing the rest of my life with you.

Final Blessing

Officiant:

Wife and Husband, twenty-five years ago you entered this marriage with hope, commitment, and a newfound love.

Today, you stand before us reaffirming  a  commitment that has stood the test of time, that has strengthened you as  individuals, and taught you about the power of love in your lives.

It is an honor and a  blessing for each of us to be here with you today, celebrating your love and commitment to each other and to your  family.

May you continue to find delight in each other, and may your love continue to grow and to nurture you all the days of your lives.

I wish you the strength to continue to keep the vows you have made and the good fortune to find ever greater tenderness, joy, and comfort in the love you share.

Support each other, your marriage, and family with patience, understanding, and honesty.

May your home continue to be a place of peace and health, filled with blessings and joy.

May you endlessly delight one another. May you love and fulfill each other always. Go in peace.

Live  in  joy. Thanks be to God.

Congratulations and God bless you! You may now kiss!