Traditional Wedding Order of Service

PROCESSIONAL

Groom, Pastor

Bridal Party

Bride

PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE

Presentation of the Bride

Minister: “Who gives this woman in marriage?”

Father: “Her mother and I do.”

Father kisses his daughter and gives her to the groom.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Our Lord Jesus said: “From the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh” (Mark 10:6–8).

PREFACE

We have come together here in the sight of God and in the presence of this congregation to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable state of life, instituted in the beginning by God himself, signifying to us the spiritual union that is between Christ and the church.

Christ adorned and beautified matrimony with his presence and with the first sign by which he revealed his glory at a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and Holy Scripture demands that all should hold it in honor.

It is therefore not to be entered upon unadvisedly, lightly, or merely to satisfy physical desires, but prayerfully, with careful thought and with reverence for God, duly considering the purposes for which it was ordained.

It was ordained for the procreation of children and that they might be brought up in the nurture and instruction of the Lord, to the praise of his holy name.

It was ordained so that those to whom God has granted the gift of marriage might live a chaste and holy life, as befits members of Christ’s body.

And it was ordained for the mutual companionship, help, and comfort that the one ought to have to the other, both in prosperity and adversity.

CHARGE

___________ and _________ (full names), today you are presenting yourselves before this congregation to declare your intention of uniting your lives voluntarily and honorably for the service of God and man. You are making a double dedication: to each other, in a lasting and indivisible union that shall endure for the remaining years of your lives, and to God, that he may make you his dual instrument for the accomplishment of his purpose both in and by your personalities. The achievement of this purpose will require appreciation of each other’s abilities and virtues, forgiveness of each other’s faults, and unfailing devotion to each other’s welfare and development. There must be on your part a united consent to the purpose of God as he progressively reveals it to you by his Word and by his Spirit, and an unhesitant acceptance by faith of the challenges that he sets before you.

I charge you, therefore, first of all to consider that your promises to each other are made in the presence of a God who remembers your pledges and who holds you responsible for performing them. They must be kept inviolable before him.

I admonish you to keep in mind that each of you is the object of Christ’s redemption and should be valued accordingly. Neither should be neglected or belittled by the other. Esteem each other as God’s gift for mutual aid, comfort, and joy, and as a repository of complete confidence and trust.

I encourage you to share willingly and sympathetically your joys and worries, your successes and your struggles, and to be neither conceited by the former nor depressed by the latter. Whichever may prevail, cling closely to each other, that defeats may be met by united strength, and victories by united joy.

I charge you to make your home a place where you can have a refuge from the storms of life, not only for yourselves, but also for others who may be your guests. Let it be a haven for the weary, a source of uplift for the discouraged, and a convincing testimony to a cynical world.

In short, recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as head of the house, the ruler of your destinies, and the object of your deepest affection. If you do, he will confirm your marriage by his guidance and will overshadow it by his peace.

I charge you to love each other, to support each other, and to serve him with sincere hearts and determined wills until your mutual service for him shall be completed.

CONSENT

Minister: “(G)________, Do you take (B)_______ as your wife, to live together as God has ordained, in the holy state of matrimony? Do you promise to love her, cherish her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

Groom: “I do.”

Minister: “(B)________, do you take (G)________ as your husband, to live together as God has ordained, in the holy state of matrimony? Do you promise to love him, obey him, honor and protect him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

Bride: “I do.”

VOWS

Groom: “I, (G) _________, take you, (B)__________, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.”

Bride: “I, (B)________, take you, (G)__________, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.”

RINGS

Minister: “Lord, bless these rings, that as (G)________ and (B)_________ wear them, they may abide in you and continue in your favor until their lives shall end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Groom (repeating after the minister): “(B)_________, this ring I give you, in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love.”

Bride (repeating after the minister): “(G)_________, this ring I give you, in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love.”

PRONOUNCEMENT

Minister: “Forasmuch as (G) ___________and (B) ____________ have consented together in holy wedlock and have witnessed the same before God and this people and have pledged their faith to each other and have declared the same by the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce them husband and wife together, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.”

KISS

Minister: “You may kiss your bride.”

PRAYER FOR THE COUPLE

BENEDICTION

This concludes our service. I’ll pronounce and benediction over you from the Scriptures and then we will present you to your family and friends:

Minister: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.”

PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my joy to present to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. _____jacob andrew Carlson ___________ and ______________

RECESSIONAL