Wedding

Wedding Prep

The Pastor’s Wedding Manual Rehearsal Information

Bride’s name:_________Phone no._________

Groom’s name:_________Phone no._________

Date & Time of Rehearsal:_________

Date & Time of Wedding:_________

Please give the names of the following:

1. Organist:_________

2. Soloist:_________

3. Any other musicians:_________

4. Person who will direct your wedding:_________

5. Maid or Matron of Honor:_________

6. Bridesmaids:

(1)_________

(4)_________

(2)_________

(5)_________

(3)_________

(6)_________

7. Flower Girl:_________

8. Any other female participants:_________

9. Best Man:_________

10. Ushers:

(1)_________

(4)_________

(2)_________

(5)_________

(3)_________

(6)_________

11. Ring Bearer:_________

12. Any other male participants:_________

It is important that all participants in the wedding be present at the rehearsal. It is not advisable, however, for too many people who are not participating in the wedding to attend the rehearsal. This is sometimes distracting and time-consuming.

How will your attendants enter the church?

a. Ushers together and bridesmaids single file_________

b. Ushers and bridesmaids paired together_________

c. Other (please explain)_________

Will they use:

(a) Center aisle_________

(b) Side aisle_________

(c) Other (please explain)_________

Will you use the kneeler?

Will you use the cross?

Will you use the three-candle ceremony?

Will you have printed programs?

Will you use an aisle carpet?

(If the flower girl is to drop petals, you must have an aisle carpet.)

Give name of usher who will seat bride’s mother:

Give name of usher who will seat groom’s mother:

Give names of two ushers who will light candles:

Give names of two ushers who will unroll aisle carpet:

How many songs will you have?

Where will they be in the ceremony?

Where will the soloist stand?

Do you plan to stand facing the choir loft or facing the congregation? Or a combination of the two?

Please list or describe anything else you plan to do that will be a variation from the traditional wedding.

The Wedding Ceremony Questionnaire

This is to be completed and turned in to the church office at least one week before the rehearsal. It will be used at the rehearsal and then given to the minister performing the ceremony.

Name of bride and groom:

Date of wedding:

Do you want the traditional ceremony?

Do you want the traditional ceremony with some variation?

If so, please explain:

Will you write any personal or special vows?

If so, are these to be used instead of or in addition

to the regular vows?

Do you plan to say anything to each other?

Do you plan to say a word of thanks to your parents?

Do you plan to have the three-candle ceremony?

Please briefly give the order to be followed for the

service, being sure to include songs, etc.:

If you are planning anything special or different, please describe briefly.

Mark 10:6–9 (NKJV)

6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Genesis 2:18 (NKJV)

18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Ephesians 5:22–33 (NKJV)

Marriage—Christ and the Church

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

7

(The service begins with the minister reading Psalm 95:1–7, NASB.)

O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our

salvation.

Let us come before His presence with

thanksgiving;

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God.

And a great King above all gods,

In whose hand are the depths of the earth;

The peaks of the mountains are His also.

The sea is His, for it was He who made it;

And His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For He is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture,

And the sheep of His hand.

The Processional:

Invocation by the Minister:

Dear Father and Lord: With praise, joy, thanksgiving, and blessing we enter into this time of worship. Praise You for Your goodness. Praise You for Your love. Praise You for Your provision for Your children. Praise You for Christian homes and Christian marriage. Praise You for making this day possible in the life of_________ (man’s name) and_________ (woman’s name.) Praise You for leading them to this holy and sacred moment. Now may we recognize Your love and Your presence as vows and lifetime commitments are made. All that we are we yield to You. Our emotions, our thoughts, our hopes, our dreams, are Yours. Bless this ceremony and all who share in it, that Your name might be exalted. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Minister’s Charge to the Couple:

_________ (man’s name) and_________ (woman’s name), today you will begin your life together. You will make vows to Christ and one another. You have every intention of living together faithfully for the rest of your married lives. I can assure you that the vows and commitments you make today will be severely tested along the pathway of life. Those challenges can either make or break your marriage. Be confident that with God’s assistance not only can your marriage endure, but it can prosper.

In Joshua 1, there is an account of a man who faced an uncertain future. God gave Joshua three assurances to help him. I believe those same assurances will uplift you as you begin your life together.

First, God told Joshua to depend on the written page of His Word. In chapter 1, verses 6–8, he was told to practice its commands, meditate on it day and night, and not to let it depart from his mouth. He was told to try it, think about it, talk about it.

A man once said to a dedicated Christian, “I don’t understand it. There is a difference between us. What is it?”

The man humbly but honestly replied: “There is only one letter’s difference: the letter L. You love the world, and I love the Word.”

Second, God displayed His winning power when He enabled Joshua and the people to cross the Jordan River on dry ground even though it was at flood tide. The third chapter of Joshua records this mighty miracle. God’s reason for this exhibition of His power is seen in verse 7 (NASB) when He said, “That they may know that just as I have been with Moses, so I will be with you.”

God’s power is changeless. You will need His power in the multitude of pressures that will face you. The strains and stresses of the world will drive you to give up, give in, or to live a life reinforced by His power.

Hundreds of years later, Jesus said to His disciples, “You shall receive power” (Acts 1:8, NASB). They did. You will too as you allow the indwelling Christ to be dominant in your life and in your home.

Third, God demonstrated His nearness by revealing His wonderful presence to Joshua in the fifth chapter. Joshua was engaged in a military campaign when a man with a drawn sword confronted him. That man identified himself as “captain of the host of the Lord” (v. 14). Joshua immediately fell down and worshiped the living Lord.

You will find as the years come and go that the Lord Jesus will meet you in your troubles and your joys, laughter, and your heartaches. He will identify Himself as He did to Joshua and to His disciples when He said, “It is I; be not afraid” (Matt. 14:27). As you develop your spiritual life together, you will sense His wonderful presence. To paraphrase an old hymn: He will walk with you, He will talk with you, He will tell you you are His own. The wonderful presence of our living Lord Jesus Christ, His winning power, the written pages of His Word are God’s candles of hope and strength for you in a dark world. Believing you are committed to His lordship in your lives, it becomes my privilege to ask:

Minister: Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Father, family member, or friend responds: “I do,” “We do,” or “Her mother and I do.”

(Couple faces each other with both hands joined, and the man repeats the following vow to the woman.)

I,_________ (man’s name) take you,_________ (woman’s name), to be my cherished wife. I promise you, with all my heart, to walk beside you, in days of adversity, and in days of great happiness, to provide an income for material needs, a shoulder to cry on, and a heart that understands. I will rejoice with you, I will weep with you, I will create life with you in reverence. I commit my love to you; I will grow with you in trust, share possessions, communicate openly and honestly with you. I will be the spiritual leader of our home, I will be faithful to you and you alone until Christ calls me home, and I will seek to create a climate where you can find refuge from fear and strength in a troubled world.

(The woman repeats the following vow): I,_________ (woman’s name), take you_________ (man’s name), to be my cherished husband; I give to you the love in my heart, the hope in my soul, the faith of my spirit. I look to you as leader in our home. I submit joyfully to your leadership; I promise full cooperation in building a Christian home. I will support you in your aspirations, pray with you in your trials, share your burdens, and labor with you to make our marriage a joy. I will live close to my Lord, so you may trust me at all times. I will laugh with you in the happy times, comfort you in the sad days, and create life with you in reverence. With you, I will honor our Savior and Lord all of our days.

Ring Service

Minister: (Holding one of the rings up for all in the congregation to see, says:) The ring is a symbol of the love you have for each other. Its unending circle represents love’s eternal quality and the gold speaks of the purity of real love. It will be a ceaseless reminder of this hour and as a seal of the vows you take, you will now give and receive rings.

Do you,_________ (man’s name) give this ring to_________ (woman’s name) as a visible symbol of your vows and love for her?

(Man responds:) I do.

(Minister asks man to repeat after him:) This ring I give to you as a promise of keeping my vows and loving you, today, tomorrow, and so long as we shall live. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(Minister receives ring for the groom from maid of honor and gives it to the woman and asks her:)

Do you,_________ (woman’s name), give this ring to_________ (man’s name), as a symbol of your love and vows to him?

(Woman responds:) I do.

(Minister asks woman to repeat after him:) This ring, I give to you, as a promise of keeping my vows, and loving you, today, tomorrow, and as long as we shall live. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(At this point there can be a solo, congregational hymn, pastoral prayer or the lighting of the unity candle.)

Minister:_________ (man and woman’s names), God’s Word teaches, “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NASB). Because you have received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, because you are committed to building a Christian home, because you have pledged your faith in and love to one another, because you have sealed these marital vows by giving and receiving rings, acting in the authority vested in me by the laws of this state and looking to heaven for divine sanction I pronounce you husband and wife in the presence of God and these assembled witnesses.

May the peace of God rule in your hearts and your home.

Minister to groom:_________ (man’s name), you may now kiss your bride and wife.

After this, the minister says: I am delighted to present to you Mr. and Mrs._________.