SEASHORE WEDDING CEREMONY

Greeting / Welcoming Words

Welcome to this beautiful place on this most special of days. BRIDE and GROOM would like to thank each of you for being here to share in this celebration of their commitment to each other.

As the tides ebb and flow so to, do the fortunes of life. Footprints in the sand are washed away, driftwood moves on its endless quest for a peaceful harbor. Only a deep and abiding love can withstand the tides of change in two lives.

The love of this couple, BRIDE and GROOM, is enduring and profound. We gather here to witness this love and the vows they will make to each other on this, their wedding day.

Reading

Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than verses on valentines, and romance in the movies.

We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, the most important thing in our lives. For love is the creator of our favorite memories, and the foundation of our fondest dreams.

Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that can never be spent, a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely of places.

And this radiance that never fades, this mysterious and magical joy, is the greatest treasure of all... one known only by those who love.

Wedding Vows

BRIDE and GROOM, please face each other and join hands.

Today you join yourselves together for life, as friends and lovers and as husband and wife. As the surface of the sea is sometimes calm and at other times storm-tossed, so also, is a marriage.

It will take great strength, courage and insight to overcome the power of the storms that may assail your marriage. Hold steadfast to your course, as you will always be warmly embraced by the sunshine and calm after the storm has passed.

As you take your eternal vows, pledge yourselves to each other this day, and promise to be as faithful and dependable as the tide. As each day passes, grow stronger, love deeper and always offer and accept forgiveness.

GROOM/BRIDE, if it is your wish to be the husband/wife of BRIDE/GROOM, then please repeat after me:

I, GROOM/BRIDE offer myself completely to you, BRIDE/GROOM, as your husband/wife in marriage. I cherish the relationship we share, and look to the future to deepen and strengthen it. I will be by your side in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph, in hardship and in ease, in sorrow and in joy. I will cherish and respect you, comfort and encourage you, trust and forgive you, honor and love you, all the days of my life.

Exchange of Wedding Rings

Do you have the rings?

These wedding rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the promises you have made today.

GROOM, please place the ring on BRIDE's left hand and repeat after me:

I GROOM, give you BRIDE, this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you, as powerful and endless as the sea.

BRIDE, please place the ring on GROOM's left hand and repeat after me:

I BRIDE, give you GROOM, this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you, as powerful and endless as the sea.

Benediction / Closing Blessing

BRIDE and GROOM...

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.

May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Pronouncement as Husband and Wife

Because you, GROOM and BRIDE, have showered your hearts with expressions of your love, and promised each other the joy of all your days, by the virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the state of California, it gives me great honor and pleasure to now pronounce you husband and wife.

GROOM, you may kiss your Bride!

After the kiss, GROOM and BRIDE turn to face their guests.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to be the first to introduce to you GROOM and BRIDE, husband and wife!