Wedding | Tolone - O'Meara

Marriage Ceremony July 5, 2019

Wedding of: Joseph Tolone & Samantha O’Meara

Mothers Escorted: (Song)

Bridesmaids Enter: (Song)

Bridal March (Song)

Opening Prayer

Who Gives the Woman to be Married to this Man?

Intent:

In the sight of God and in the face of this company, we are gathered together to join this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony.

The Bible teaches that marriage is an institution established by Heaven in the Wisdom and Kindness of God who said, “It is not good that man should be alone, I will make a helpmate for him and the two shall be one.”

In creation Adam was first formed, then Eve, that the woman might be for the man, setting forth the humility, modesty and gentleness that should characterize her kind.

Yet was man, in being made last of all creatures, set forth as the best and most excellent of all of God’s Creation.

So Eve, being made after Adam and out of him, set an honor upon the woman as being the Glory of the Man. Because the man is the head, she is the crown, a crown to her husband. The man is dust refined but the woman is dust doubly refined, one step further form the earth.

She is not out of the man’s head to dominate him, nor out of his feet to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him as heirs together of the Grace of Life; from under his arm to protected by him, and from near his heart to be loved by him.

Dear Family and Friends it is with great love and affection for Joseph and Samantha, that we have gathered together to witness and bless this union of marriage today. To this Sacred Moment they bring the fullness of their hearts as a treasure and a gift from God to share with one another along with their dreams, which bind them together in this lifetime commitment. They offer their gifts and talents, their unique personalities and spirits, which God will unite together into one being as husband and wife. We rejoice with them in thankfulness to the Lord for creating this union of hearts, built on faith in God, friendship, respect and love.

Joseph and Samantha you have made a very serious and important decision in choosing to marry each other today. You are entering into a sacred covenant as life partners in God. The quality of your marriage will reflect what you put into nurturing this relationship. You have the opportunity to go forward from this day to create a faithful, kind and tender Union. We Bless You this day in your decision and it is up to you to Keep those Blessings Flowing each and every day of your lives together. We wish for you the wisdom, compassion and constancy to create a peaceful sanctuary in which you can both grow deeper in love through all the days of your lives as husband and wife.

Joseph: Do you understand and accept this responsibility and do you promise to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy and happy marriage until death do you part?

Samantha: Do you understand and accept this responsibility and do you promise to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy and happy marriage until death do you part?

3.

READINGS:

Robert (Father of the Groom):

Michael (Father of the Bride):

BRIEF

Today is a day of gift giving. Joseph and Samantha you have come prepared to give each other the gift of your word in the form of vows, and of course the gift of love to each other. The gifts you are giving to each other and the gifts that many will give you today remind me of a scripture from the book of James that says Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Every good gift that is being experienced today is possible because of God. Everything good, lasting, meaningful and truly satisfying comes from above. From God. And we see in this one verse that unlike us – He does not change. He has never wavered in His love for you two and He never will.

As you two begin your life together today it is important to remember that you will have daily opportunities to give to each other. To give kindness, to give understanding. To give love and affection. You will have opportunities to give compliments and you should take every opportunity to do so. At times you will need to give each other the gift of healthy disagreement. And in those moments, be determined in your heart to also give each other the gift of safety and security.

There’s one final gift I want to mention to you this afternoon And every married couple in this room would echo these words – in the days and weeks and months and years to come you will give each other many opportunities to forgive each other.

When those times come I would encourage you to remember the words from James: every good and perfect gift comes from above. Just as God in Christ has forgiven you I charge you to allow God in you to forgive one another. At times it will not be easy or even possible in your own strength but today as you vow to love one another until the end of this life I beg of you to keep Christ at the center of your relationship.

4.

If you are willing I would ask you to repeat after me…

VOWS:

I Joseph (Samantha) take you Samantha (Joseph) to be my wedded wife (husband). I covenant before God and these witnesses, to be your loving and faithful husband (wife), in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and health. I Love You and I will be yours so long as we both shall live, so help me God.

Exchange of Rings:

What token is given?

The rings have been selected as their token. Let us meditate on the symbolism of these rings. In God’s Word we read of the Lord’s Covenant with Noah after the flood, that The Lord set this rainbow in the sky as a token and said, “”I will look upon this rainbow that I may remember this everlasting covenant.” From this we learn that it is well when we enter into a solemn agreement, to set aside some reminder. Thus these rings have been selected to be a token of this sacred marriage covenant. It is made of gold which is the least tarnishing of all metals, fittingly representing the ties that unite husband and wife. This ring is an endless circle symbolizing an unbroken union which is to continue until death.

Take this Ring, Joseph (Samantha): And place it upon the finger of your bride/groom and let it be a seal of your mutual affection and a memorial of this Sacred Service.

Repeat after me: “I give you this ring, as a visible and constant symbol, of my love and promise to you, as long as we both shall live, in the Name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit. Amen

5.

Prayer over Bride and Groom:

Charge:

Joseph, guard well this your Bride who now commits herself to your keeping and strive so to live in The Lord that no word or deed of yours shall cloud her heart with grief or dim her eyes with tears.

Samantha: You won over the heart of your groom not simply by your outward beauty, but you have captivated him with your inward beauty. Continue to cultivate that good, gentle, loyal and gracious spirit that you so strongly possess And to the both of you I would say, “Let not your voices lose those tender tones of affection, and let not your eyes forget the tender ray with which they have shone for each other during these days. And greatest of all, let God be enthroned above all else, at all times. “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

Pronouncement:

And now having heard you make these promises of your affections and taken these vows of fidelity

In The Name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit, whose Servant I am, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife!

You may Kiss Your Bride!

No longer Two but now One. Those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder.

I now present to You:

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Tolone

(SONG)