So after my dad and I finally reached the end of the aisle, it was time for the ceremony to begin! The following text is from the ceremony and is the traditional Presbyterian liturgy. These recaps serve as my own keepsake, so I want the full text to accompany the pictures. Please bare with all the words :)
Call to WorshipGod is love and those who abide in love, abides in God and God abides in them.
Giving of the Bride
Dr Jones: Who gives this woman to be wedded to this man?
My father: Her mother and I
Scripture1 John 4: 7-19
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
"We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
"We love because he first loved us."
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
"Love never fails."
Meditation [Reverend Dr. Jones gave a short & sweet message about marriage and the symbolism behind the wedding bands]Declaration of Intent
Matthew, having heard how God has given us the gift of marriage, do you take Jessica to be your wedded wife, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony?
Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor her and keep her, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep yourself unto her along, so long as you both shall live? Do you?
Matthew: I do
Jessica, having heard how God has given us the gift of marriage, do you take Matthew to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony?
Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor him and keep him, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep yourself unto him alone, so long as you both shall live? Do you?
Jessica: I do
Affirmation of FamiliesDo you, the families of Matthew and Jessica given them your blessing and promise to do everything in your power to uphold them in their marriage?
Families: We do
Affirmation of Congregation
Will all of you witnessing these vows do everything in your power to uphold Matthew and Jessica in their marriage?
Congregation: We will
Marriage vows
Vows are never to be taken lightly, especially when they are made before God in the company of other believers. They are like anchors that hold us steady in the storms and gales of life. If you are sincere in the words you say to each other, and if you will remember them as long as you live, they will prove important guides in seasons of distress and indecision. Moreover, the God who hears your vows will be present to aid you in keeping them whenever you repeat them in awareness of God's spirit.
Matthew and Jessica, since it is your intention to marry, join your hands together and with your promises bind yourselves to each other as husband and wife.
Matthew: I, Matthew, take thee, Jessica, to be my wedded 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, so long as we both shall live.
Jessica: I, Jessica, take thee, Matthew, to be my wedded 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, so long as we both shall live.
Exchange of RingsThese rings represent an unbroken circle, an emblem of eternity. They are symbols of a love which is complete, unbroken, beautiful and endless. May it so typify your love for one another.
Let us pray:
By your blessings, O God, may these rings be to Matthew and Jessica symbols of unending love and faithfulness, reminding them of the Covenant they have made this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
With this ring, I thee wed, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Prayer of DedicationLet us pray. Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation and giver of all grace, look with favor upon the the world you have made and redeemed, and especially upon Matthew and Jessica. Give them wisdom and devotion in their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a comfort in sorrow, a counselor in perplexity, and a companion in joy.
Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will and their spirits in your Spirit that they may grow in love and peace with you and with each other all the days of their lives.
Give them courage when they hurt each other, to recognize and confess their fault, and the grace to seek your forgiveness, and to forgive each other.
Make their lives together a sign of Christ's love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome brokenness, forgiveness heal guilt and joy conquer despair.
Give them such fulfillment of their mutual love that they may reach out to in concern for others.
Grant that all who have witnessed these vows today may find their lives strengthened and that all who are married may depart with their own promises renewed.
Up next- the end of the ceremony!
