"SYMBOL OF LOVE" TWO ROSE CEREMONY

In the Two Rose ceremony, the Bride and Groom give each other a rose. Two long-stemmed roses are all that is necessary and can be presented by the mother(s) and/or father(s) of the Bride and Groom, for instance, or can be placed on a small table where they can be easily retrieved by the best man and/or Maid of Honor.

GROOM and BRIDE, your gift to each other for your wedding today has been your wedding rings, which shall always be an outward demonstration of your vows of love and respect and your commitment to each other.

You now have what remains the most honorable title, which may exist between a man and a woman... the title of "husband and wife." For your first gift as husband and wife, that gift will be a single rose.

In the past, the rose was considered a symbol of love and a single rose always meant only one thing... it meant the words "I love you. "So it is appropriate that for your first gift – as husband and wife – that gift would be a single rose.

ROSE & WATER CEREMONY

In the Rose & Water ceremony, the Groom will need to have a rose and the Bride will need a vase with water in it. Before the ceremony, the vase and rose should be placed in an easily accessible spot... on a small table nearby, for example. The best man, the Maid of Honor, or the family member should get the rose and the vase and present them respectively to the Groom and Bride just prior to this part of the ceremony.

This is a day steeped in tradition, a time when we are surrounded by symbols: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Today, BRIDE and GROOM begin a new tradition, a custom which now becomes uniquely their own.

GROOM, please repeat after me: BRIDE, I give you this rose. Because it grew from a tiny seed, becoming stronger and larger until it burst into flower, it symbolizes the way my love for you has grown. (Groom gives Bride the rose.) Each year on our wedding anniversary, I will give you another rose. In so doing, I'll remember this day and renew the vows we've made.

BRIDE, please repeat after me: GROOM, I give to you this vase of water. (Groom takes and holds it.) Because water is the one element without which we would perish, it symbolizes the importance of your love in my life. Each year on our anniversary, I will refill this vase, offering it to you as a symbol of my ever renewing love. (Bride puts the rose in the vase and they hold the vase together.)

GROOM, please repeat after me: Without water, the rose would die. My gift is enhanced by yours, just as my life is enhanced by ours.

BRIDE, please repeat after me: Without the rose, the vase of water would not be beautiful. My gift is lovely because of yours, just as my life is better because of you.

(Bride and Groom then hand the rose and vase to the Minister, Maid of Honor, best man or family member.)

BRIDE and GROOM, on each anniversary, as you give and receive the rose and the water, remember with joy this day when you pledged your love and your lives to each other. May this be only the first of many cherished traditions in a home filled with happiness.

THE GIFT OF A ROSE

Flowers are the messengers of our most profound feelings. They have a language of their own, and as gifts they are capable of expressing all shades of feelings and passions. The rose is especially noted, as it has been known for thousands of years as the flower of love. Throughout the ages the giving of a rose was an unmistakable way of saying “I love you” and today you will each exchange a rose as not only a symbol of your love and commitment on this day, but as a promise of love remembered in the days ahead. Today you both will receive and give the promise and healing power of your love for the future of your marriage.

As you now give each other your gift of a rose, know that you are giving of your very hearts. As you accept your rose, know that you are receiving a most precious pledge of another’s unconditional love... for all of your future days together. I now ask that you exchange your roses.

As you have pledged your hearts together today with the giving of these roses, you have also given each other the gift of “future love”. In all relationships, from time to time, storm clouds gather and it can be difficult to say the words of healing that each wants to say. If that should ever happen within your marriage, I ask that you remember this day, the love you now have for each other, and the giving of these roses. Then I ask that one, or both of you, take a rose and place it in a special place you have chosen for such a time and let it speak the words you cannot speak. These words are “I still love you”, “I care”, and most of all “I have not forgotten that my heart is yours”.

And I ask that each of you accept this rose, or roses, as either apology or forgiveness and from that day on pledge to renew your love and commitment for each other with the same passion and strength you feel on this day of your marriage. Always letting your love for each other light the path to a wonderful, happy future… and marriage.