One of my greatest joys as a pastor is the honor of officiating weddings.

I will never forget the first wedding I ever performed. I was clueless about what to say. I had no idea what a wedding should even look like. Thankfully, I had some mentors who were able to point me in the right direction.

Below is the wedding sermon and ceremony script that I have used and refined over time. If you are performing your first wedding or looking to refine your own wedding sermon or ceremony, I hope you find it helpful.

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The Wedding of (Groom) & (Bride)

PROCESSION

(Pastor, groomsmen, and groom enter. Bridal party, flower girls, and ring bearer enter. Bride escorted by ____________ enter.)

WELCOME

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of (bride first and last) -and (groom first and last) in holy marriage.

On behalf of both families, I would like to thank you for being here on this special day.

PRAYER

Please join with me as we begin in prayer:

Father God, we are so grateful that you, the creator of heaven and earth, love us, care about us, and listen to our prayers. Lord, we ask that you would bless (groom) and (bride) today and every day in their marriage. Help them to keep you as the foundation of their lives, and to love one another in good times and bad. We ask all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

DECLARATION OF INTENT

(groom) and (bride), I ask you now in the presence of God and these witnesses to declare your intention.

(bride), do you take (groom) to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage?

Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both will live. If so, please say “I do.”

(bride): I do

(groom), do you take (bride) to be you wife, to live together in holy marriage?

Do you promise love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both will live. If so, please say “I do.”

(groom): I do

GIVING BRIDE AWAY

Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Father of the Bride: Her mother and I.

RESPONSE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS

At this time I would like to invite you as friends and family to be part of this ceremony. (bride) and (groom) have said that they are here today to join in the covenant of marriage. So I ask: will you as their friends and family commit to encouraging and helping them in their marriage – to be there in times of celebration and times of need? Will you commit to uphold them in prayer as they begin the rest of their lives together? If you agree to this commitment will you please respond by saying “we will.”

Audience: We will.

SCRIPTURE READING

(groom) and (bride) have asked me to read 1 Corinthians 13 from the Bible. This is the Word of God as written by the Apostle Paul:

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. … 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 13 NIV)

SERMON

As a pastor I have the joy of being a part of many wedding ceremonies. I get to sit down with couples and hear all about how they met, fell in love, and how their lives have been changed through their love for one another. And it is easy to see that (groom) and (bride) do love each other.

But what is love? Love is a very common word. We use it in many different ways. We say, “I love you,” to the person we care about most in the world, but we also say, “I love chocolate.” Certainly, we don’t love our significant other the same way that we love chocolate. Yet, we have no better words to express ourselves. So what is love, really?

As we heard in 1 Corinthians 13, love is patient, kind, and forgiving among many other things.

Love means being all these things, and notice that it is not about a feeling. Most people, when thinking about love, think about the emotion – the romance of falling in love and the desire to share every moment, and learn everything about this other person. We think of the kind of love we see in movies that usually end with a wedding like this.

But love is far more than an emotion. Emotions are fleeting. They are here one moment, and gone the next. Anyone who has been married longer than a day knows that the feeling of love comes and goes. Marriage is not easy because true love is more than a feeling; it’s a choice.

If you want your marriage to be strong and to last, you must choose every day to love the other. If you choose to do this, your marriage will be one of the most fulfilling, rewarding, and fruitful parts of your entire life.

The perfect example of love is found in Jesus, who sacrificed everything and humbled himself by taking on the form of a man, coming down from heaven to earth to die for us. He chose to give up his life so that all who believe in him could have life.

Jesus’ sacrifice was out of his great love for us. There is no greater love than to lay down your life for another. In the same way my hope is that you, (groom) and (bride), would lay down your lives for one another–giving of yourself to the other in the same way that Jesus gave his life for you.

(groom), each day choose to love (bride) by putting her desires ahead of your own. (bride), each day choose to love (groom) by putting his desires ahead of your own. This feeling of your wedding day will fade in time, and in those moments, you both must choose to love.

VOWS

(Traditional)

Now as a sign of their promise to one another (bride) and (groom) are going to exchange vows. Would you turn and face one another. We will start with you (groom). Repeat after me.

(groom): In the name of God – I (groom) – take you (bride) – to be my wife – To have and to hold – From this day forward – For better, or worse – For richer, or poorer – In sickness, and in health – To love and to cherish – All the days of my life – Until we are parted by death – This is my solemn vow.

(Bride) please repeat after me.

(bride): In the name of God – I (bride) – take you (groom) – to be my husband – To have and to hold – From this day forward – For better, or worse – For richer, or poorer – In sickness, and in health – To love and to cherish – All the days of my life – Until we are parted by death – This is my solemn vow.

(Written)

Now, as a sign of their promise to one another, (bride) and (groom) are going to exchange vows. (groom) and (bride) have written their own vows of marriage allowing us to see their heart for one another.

Would you turn and face one another. We will start with you (groom).

…

Thank you (groom). And now (bride) would you share your vows of marriage for (groom).

…

RING EXCHANGE

(groom) and (bride) will now exchange rings as a symbol of their commitment to each other. May I have the rings please.

(Best man hands rings to pastor)

These rings are a daily reminder and a public declaration of the promise you have made. Notice the circle of the ring has no beginning and no end. It is an eternal circle meant to represent your life-long vow to love each other. The ring is also made from purified precious metals. This is symbolic of the purity of your promise to remain faithful to each other.

(bride) please put this ring on (groom)’s finger and repeat after me:

With this ring – I thee wed – and pledge to you – my loyalty and love – in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Amen

(groom) please put this ring on (bride)’s finger and repeat after me:

With this ring – I thee wed – and pledge to you – my loyalty and love – in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Amen

OPTIONAL ELEMENTS

Unity Candle (optional)

Now, as a sign of their commitment to one another (groom) & (bride) are going to participate in a lighting of a Unity Candle. The individual candles represent their individual lives before they met. But their love for one another and their marriage today has joined them together as one. Just as God said when he created marriage, a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and the two become one (Gen 2:24).

(Bride and groom light unity candle)

Sand Ceremony (optional)

As a sign of their commitment to one another (groom) & (bride) are going to participate in a sand ceremony. The flowing sand and blending of the colors in the Sand Ceremony symbolize the bringing together of two lives into one. The separate sands once poured into the unity vase can never be put back into their separate vases. They are forever entwined just as the lives of the bride and groom. Just as God said when he created marriage, a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and the two become one (Gen 2:24).

(Bride and groom pour sand)

Bride and Groom Communion (optional)

As a sign of their commitment to one another and to the Lord, (groom) and (bride) are now going to take communion together. In taking of the bread and the cup they remember the great love that Jesus had for us in laying down his life for us. It is also a reminder of their responsibility to sacrifice themselves for one another.

(1 Corinthians 11:23-26, NIV) The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

(Bride and groom take communion)

BLESSING

May the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26, NIV)

PRONOUNCEMENT

As (groom) and (bride) have consented together to marriage, and have made their vows before God and these witnesses, and have symbolized their vows by giving and receiving rings, I now by my authority as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, pronounce you as husband and wife. May those whom God has joined, let no one separate.

KISS

You may now kiss the bride!

(Kiss)

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I be the first to present to you:
Mr. & Mrs. (groom) & (bride) (last name)!

RECESSIONAL

(wedding party exits)

CLOSING COMMENTS

On behalf of both families, I would like to thank you for coming, and invite you to celebrate with all us at… (details or directions to reception)

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