Dubois Wedding Ceremony

I. Processional.

Begins at 7:30.

Jerry and I go up first, followd by the bestman/groomsman and bridesmaids. (Who has the rings?)

Finally, the bride! (Bridal march or preferred)

“Who gives this woman away

II. Officiant Opening Remarks

Welcome, family and friends!

We are here today to celebrate the union of two, very special people!

Jerry Dubois and Gwen Gray.

Each of us this evening, have been drawn here by love, affection and respect.

Thank you for sharing this moment and be proud of yourself!

Because today you stand witness to an institution and a specific event that is blessed by Almighty God!

While He mantains the orbits of planets, while He orders the winds and the waves, while he hears the prayers of great and small across every timezone and everywhere, He is here, right now, in a very special way!

III. Exhortation

The Scriptures tell us that God created all that is.

And God does all things well.

God made man but you notice that He did not stop there.

The project was incomplete!

In Gen 2:18, we even get to hear his own counsel:

Genesis 2:18 KJV 1900

And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

I have been aware of this principle since I was a child.

I knew that God created man and woman to fulfill and complement each other.

But when I met the love of my life, I came to know this on a deeper level than that of the intellect.

I knew it deep down on the inside of me!

So does Jerry. So does Gwen.

It is that very knowledge that occasions our joy here today!

Jesus gave it reference in Mat 19:4-6

Matthew 19:4–6 KJV 1900

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Oh what a feeling!

To know that you are deeply loved for who you are!

To know that come what may, come the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, you have a best friend that will travel the road of life with you no matter what!

Now that feeling, is bone marrow deep.

Genesis 2:23–24 KJV 1900

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Contemporary culture does not give much import to the institiution of marriage, “Big deal” they seem to say.

But God still calls marriage important!

Foundational!

God designed marriage to bind one man and one woman until the very end.

He designed the family, the very building block of society to be built upon marriage, and so we see that what is happening here today, is more than just a few emotional words of celebration.

This is a covenant!

It is a type and shadow of Christ’s own love for the church!

Col 3:18 says:

Colossians 3:18–19 (KJV 1900)

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives...

A western mindset might attribute t a chauvenistic feeling to these words, but infact, the opposite is true!

Roman society required that wives “Obey” Their husbands.

Paul does not use that word.

He specifically outlines a complementary relationship in which wives grow to respect the leadership of their husband.

And then notice Paul makes it abundantly clear that: “Mr man, you love that woman, the way Christ loves the church!”

That means you gotta be willing to take a bullet for her.

“One God.”

“One Man.’

“One Woman.”

IV. Declaration of Intent and Exchange of Vows.

This now is the part of the ceremony called the delcaration of intent.

It is the legally binding part of the ceremony, where Jerry and Gwen verbally acknowledge that they are both present of their own volition and truly do want to marry one another.

Now they have elected to say their own vows.

Gwen, why don’t you hand your flowers to Sam, now you may face each other and hold hands

So Jerry, what have you to say? (Jerry says vows.)

Gwen… (Gwen says her vows.)

Jerry Dubois: Do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in (holy) matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

Man answers, "I do."

Gwen Gray: Do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in (holy) matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

Woman answers, "I do."

Very well.

Jerry, Repeat after me: “I Jerry Dubois, take you Gwen Gray, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

Gwen, Repeat after me: "I, Gwen Gray, take you Jerry Dubois, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

V. Ring Exchange.

The ring is a symbol of the promises they have made and of their never ending committment to each other.

Jerry, something tells me you wanna put that ring on her finger right now… Go for it!

Gwen, your turn!

VI. Pronouncement & First Kiss.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, As they have exchanged their vows before God and these witnesses, have pledged their commitment each to the other, and have declared the same by joining hands and by exchanging rings, I now pronounce Jerry and Gwen, Husband and wife!

Jerry, Kiss your bride already!