Readings, Prayers, & Poems
A special verse or prayers is one of the ways of adding a certain flavor to your ceremony to help shape it into the event of your dreams. If you want to bring in a little religious flavor you may choose a Bible reading. Perhaps poetry is your love and you want to express your love through a favorite poem. For some a certain reading distills the very essence of relationship to you and you would like to share it to inspire your loved ones. One of the ways to truly honor a friend or loved one is to make them a part of the ceremony by sharing a reading, poem or prayer. This adds drama, warmth, connection and joy to your ceremony. The following is some suggested readings, poems and prayers that you may want to add to your ceremony.
Inspirational Readings
Bible Readings
Prayers
Poems
Inspirational Readings
"The Key to Love"
The key to love is understanding. The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word, but those unspoken gestures, the little things that say so much by themselves.
The key to love is forgiveness... To accept each others faults and pardon mistakes, without forgetting, but with remembering what you learn from them.
The key to love is sharing… Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together: Both conquering problems, forever searching for ways to intensify your happiness.
The key to love is giving… Without thought of return, but with the hope of just a simple smile, and by giving in but never giving up.
The key to love is respect… Realizing that you are two separate people, with different ideas: that you don’t belong to each other, that you belong with each other, and share a mutual bond.
The key to love is inside us all… It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients that will take you to its threshold; it is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work but the rewards are more than worth the effort…
And that is the key to love.
"What is Love"
By Susan Polis Schutz
Love is the strongest feeling known, an all encompassing passion, and extreme strength and overwhelming excitement.
Love is trying not to hurt the other person, trying not to change the other person, trying not to dominate the other person, trying not to deceive the other person.
Love is understanding each other, listening to each other, supporting each other, having fun with each other.
Love is not an excuse to stop growing, not an excuse to stop making your self better, not an excuse to lessen one’s goals, not an excuse to take the other person for granted.
Love is being completely honest with each other, finding dreams to share, working towards common goals sharing responsibilities equally.
Everyone in the world wants to love. Love is not a feeling to be taken lightly. Love is a feeling to be cherished, nurtured and cared for. Love is the reason for life.
"Let Us Walk Together"
Let us walk together yet not as one, but such that our shadows are separate and distinct, such that our souls are unbound and free. Let us share our time, yet do not give all your time, nor take all of mine for in order to develop to the fullest, to be free, we must have solitude and individuality.
Let me wander in solitude, when I need to be alone, yet be near, when I need you. Let us share our love. Give freely of your love, but do not smother me, my soul must breathe a free air. Take my love, but do not demand it, for love given of obligation, is stale and without life. Let us share our lives.
Share my life, but do not try to shape it. Let me share your life, but do not let it revolve around me. Let us share ourselves. Accept me as I am; do not attempt to change me to fit your dreams. Respect me for what I am, not for what I was or one day may be. Share yourself with me, but do not allow me to limit your freedom or bind your soul. Let us share our minds, thoughts, goals, values and dreams. Let us develop these within ourselves without restriction or loss of freedom.
Thus our two free souls, may wander together as they develop in freedom. As we share our lives, as we walk through life together, know my love is yours, but not my soul for it must be free.
Anne Morrow Lindburgh
When you love someone you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is impossibility. The only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity, in freedom, in the sense that dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.
The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. One must accept the security of the winged life, of ebb and flow, of intermittency.
"On Marriage from The Prophet"
By Kahlil Gibran
And what of Marriage, Master? And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the sores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but each one of you be alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together: for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.
"To Know Yourself"
By Swami Satchidananda
A wedding is between two reflections of God. Two pairs of eyes see one vision. They are dedicated to serve one another and the humanity at large. Two minds come together to help each other realize their true nature. Going side by side with the right partner is a good way to reach God quickly. When a husband’s and the wife’s love for each other blends together and becomes love of God, marriage is a divine institution.
From "Letters to a Young Poet"
By Rainer Maria Rilke
For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation. Loving does not at first mean merging, surrendering, and uniting with another person – it is a high inducement for the individual to ripen, to become something in himself, to become world, to become world in himself for the sake of another person; it is a great, demanding claim on him, something that chose him and calls him to vast distances.
Excerpt from "The Bridge Across Forever"
By Richard Bach
A soul mate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for whom we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.
"Marriage Joins Two People In The Circle Of Its Love"
By Edmund O’Neil
Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal. It is a physical and an emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.
Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. And there may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child.
Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, commitment is stronger, even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly.
Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing a love that is deeper than life. When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique unto themselves, which binds them, closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people who love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfill.
"Art of Marriage"
By William Peterson
The little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in the thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
"What Is Love"
Author Unknown
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.
"On Friendship"
By Roy Croft
I love, you not for what you are, but what I am, when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.
I love you for putting your hand into my heaped up heart and passing over all the frivolous and weak things that you cannot help seeing there, and for drawing out into the light all the beautiful and Radiant things that no one else has looked quite far enough to find….
I love you because you have done more than any creed could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy. You have done it without a touch, without a word without a sign. You have done it by being yourself. Perhaps that is what being a friend means after all.
"Why Marriage?"
By Mari Nichols
Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person, with all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body…
Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me, Who won’t hold them against me, Who loves me when I’m unlikable, Who sees the small child in me, and Who looks for the divine potential of me…
Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night with someone who thanks God for me, with someone I feel blessed to hold…
Because marriage means opportunity to grow in love in friendship…
Because marriage is a discipline to be added to a list of achievements…
Because marriages do not fail, people fail when they enter into marriage expecting another to make them whole…
Because, knowing this, I promise myself to take full responsibility for my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness. I create me, I take half of the responsibility for my marriage Together we create our marriage….
Because of this understanding the possibilities are limitless.
"The Promise"
By Heather Berry
Within this blessed union of souls, where two hearts intertwine to become one, there lies a promise. Perfectly born, divinely created, and intimately shared, it is a place where the hope and majesty of beginnings reside. Where all things are made possible by the astounding love shared by two spirits. As you hold each other’s hands in this promise, and eagerly look into the future in each other’s eyes, may your unconditional love and devotion take you to places were you’ve both only dreamed. Where you’ll dwell for a lifetime of happiness, sheltered in the warmth of each other’s arms.
“Looking For Your Face”
By Rumi
From the beginning of my life I have been looking for your face, but today I have seen it. Today I have seen the charm, the beauty, the unfathomable grace of the face that I was looking for. Today I have found you, and those who laughed and scorned me yesterday are sorry that they were not looking as I did. I am bewildered by the magnificence of your beauty, and wish to see you with a hundred eyes. My heart has burned with passion and has searched forever for this wondrous beauty that I now behold. I am ashamed to call this love human, and afraid of God to call it divine. Your fragrant breath, like the morning breeze, has come to the stillness of the garden. You have breathed new life into me. I have become your sunshine, and also your shadow. My soul is screaming in ecstasy. Every fiber of my being is in love with you. Your effulgence has lit a fire in my heart, and you have made radiant for me the earth and sky. My arrow of love has arrived at the target. I am in the house of mercy, and my heart is a place of prayer.
"Friendship"
By Judy Bielicki
It is often said that it is love that makes the world go round. However, without doubt, it is friendship which keeps our spinning existence on an even keel. True friendship provides so many of the essentials for a happy life-it is the foundation on which to build an enduring relationship, it is the mortar which bonds us together in harmony, and it is the calm, warm protection we sometimes need when the world outside seems cold and chaotic. True friendship holds a mirror to our foibles and failings, without destroying our sense of worthiness. True friendship nurtures our hopes, supports us in our disappointments, and encourages us to grow to our best potential. (Bride) and (Groom) came together as friends. Today, they pledge to each other not only their love, but also the strength, warmth and, most importantly, the fun of true friendship.
“Time In A Bottle"
By Jim Croce
If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I'd like to do, is to save every day ‘till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you. If I could make days last forever; if words could make wishes come true; I'd save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you. If I had a box just for wishes, and dreams that had never come true; the box would be empty, except for the memory of how they were answered by you. But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them. I've looked around enough to know that you're the one I want to go through time with.
“I Am Love"
Some say I can fly on the wind, yet I haven’t any wings. Some have found me floating on the open sea, yet I cannot swim. Some have felt my warmth on cold nights, yet I have no flame. And though you cannot see me, I lay between two lovers at the hearth of fireplaces. I am the twinkle in your child’s eyes. I am hidden in the lines of your mother's face. I am your father's shield as he guards your home. And yet… Some say I am stronger than steel, yet I am as fragile as a tear. Some have never searched for me, yet I am around them always. Some say I die with loss, yet I am endless. And though you cannot hear me, I dance on the laughter of children. I am woven into the whispers of passion. I am in the blessings of Grandmothers. I embrace the cries of newborn babies. And yet… Some say I am a flower, yet I am also the seed. Some have little faith in me, yet I will always believe in them. Some say I cannot cure the ill, yet I nourish the soul. And though you cannot touch me, I am the gentle hand of the kind. I am the fingertips that caress your cheek at night. I am the hug of a child. I am love.
"On Love"
By Thomas A. Kempis
Love is a mighty power, a great and complete good. Love alone lightens every burden, and makes rough places smooth. It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable. Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing wider, nothing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God. Love flies, runs and leaps for joy. It is free and unrestrained. Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil, attempts things beyond its strength. Love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. It is strange and effective, while those who lack love faint and fail. Love is not fickle and sentimental, nor is it intent on vanities. Like a living flame and a burning torch, it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle.
“I Love You”
By Roy Croft
I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you, for the part of me that you bring out. I love you, for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart, and passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help dimly seeing there, and for drawing out, into the light, all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find. I love you, because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life, not a tavern, but a temple. Out of the works of my every day, not a reproach, but a song. I love you, because you have done more than any creed could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy. You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign. You have done it by being yourself. Perhaps that is what being a friend means, after all.
“Love Is Friendship Caught Fire”
By Laura Hendricks
Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses. Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals. If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough.
"A History of Love"
By Diane Ackerman
Love. What a small word we use for an idea so immense and powerful. It has altered the flow of history, calmed monsters, kindled works of art, cheered the forlorn, turned tough guys to mush, consoled the enslaved, driven strong women mad, glorified the humble, fueled national scandals, bankrupted robber barons, and made mincemeat of kings. How can love’s spaciousness be conveyed in the narrow confines of one syllable? Love is an ancient delirium, a desire older than civilization, with taproots spreading into deep and mysterious days. The heart is a living museum. In each of its galleries, no matter how narrow or dimly lit, preserved forever like wondrous diatoms, are our moments of loving, and being loved.
From "The Irrational Season"
By Madeleine L'Engle
Ultimately there comes a time when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. It is indeed a fearful gamble. Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created. To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take. If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation. It takes a lifetime to learn another person. When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling."
Author Unknown
Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.
When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship – as they threaten all relationships at one time or another Remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong.
In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives.
Remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there.
And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.
"Foundations Of Marriage"
By Regina Hill
Love, trust, and forgiveness are the foundations of marriage. In marriage, many days will bring happiness, while other days may be sad. But together, two hearts can overcome everything... In marriage, all of the moments won't be exciting or romantic, and sometimes worries and anxiety will be overwhelming. But together, two hearts that accept will find comfort together. Recollections of past joys, pains, and shared feelings will be the glue that holds everything together during even the worst and most insecure moments. Reaching out to each other as a friend, and becoming the confidant and companion that the other one needs, is the true magic and beauty of any two people together. It's inspiring in each other a dream or a feeling, and having faith in each other and not giving up... even when all the odds say to quit. It's allowing each other to be vulnerable, to be himself or herself, even when the opinions or thoughts aren't in total agreement or exactly what you'd like them to be. It's getting involved and showing interest in each other, really listening and being available, the way any best friend should be. Exactly three things need to be remembered in a marriage if it is to be a mutual bond of sharing, caring, and loving throughout life: love, trust, and forgiveness.
Bible Readings
1 Corinthians 13 (New International Version)
If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor, and surrender by body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
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 record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Modern Version of Paul to the Corinthians
Psalm 1
Blessed are the man and the woman who have grown beyond themselves and have seen through their separations. They delight in the way things are and keep their hearts open, day and night. They are like trees planted near flowing rivers, which bear fruit when they are ready. Their leaves will not fall or wither. Everything they do will succeed.
Ruth said: Ruth 1: 16-17
Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: For whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
Song of Solomon: Solomon 2: 8-10, 8: 6-7
The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is comely.
My beloved is mine, and I am his.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.
Paraphrased From "The Art of Happiness"
By the Dali Lama
I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, we all are seeking something better in life. Building a strong relationship is based on the qualities of affection, compassion, and mutual respect as human beings. Basing a relationship on these qualities enables us to achieve a deep and meaningful bond. It opens up unlimited possibilities and opportunities for connection. When each Remembers – So long as space remains, So long as sentient beings remain, I will remain In order to help, in order to serve, In order to make my own contribution. Marriages grow stronger with every passing day.
"The Eight Verses on Training of the Mind"
By
Langri Thangpa
Whenever I associate with someone, may I think myself the lowest among all and hold the other supreme in the depth of my heart…
When I see beings of wicked nature, pressed by violent sin and affliction, may I hold these rare ones dear as if I had found a precious treasure…
When others, our of envy, treat me badly with abuse, slander and the like, may I suffer the defeat and offer the victory to others…
When the one whom I have benefited with great hope, hurts me very badly, may I behold him as my supreme Guru…
In short may I, directly and indirectly, offer benefit and happiness to all beings…
Prayers
Native American Blessing to the Four Directions
Today we call in all the powers of the 4 directions, and ask them to bless and watch over you.
May the powers of the East illuminate your path and bless you and your home with Grandfather Sun’s first light. May it be your inspiration for keeping life fresh and new.
Let the powers of the South protect the child within each of you. Always honor and trust with joy. Let laughter be your giveaway.
May the powers of the West walk with you giving you the strength to release that which no longer serves you, and the vision needed to meet all of your new goals.
The North blesses you with the wisdom of when to speak and when to listen and reminds you to be grateful for every blessing everyday, and to keep forgiveness in you heart. May your words always be sweet upon your lips.
Above the Great Star Nation reminds you; you came from the stars and to the stars you will return. We give our blessing to guard and guide you through your dreams.
The powers below bless you by keeping you grounded and on your path and reminding you to always walk softly on Mother Earth, as she is your heart beat and sustenance.
The powers within honor your hearts joy and help you be faithful to your personal growth.
Pipe to right.
May you always accept our protection by walking in courage.
Pipe to left.
May you receive abundance as well as nurture yourselves and others.
To Sky.
May the Great Spirit watch over you as long as the grass grows, and the waters flow.
Apache Marriage Blessing
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your life together.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
Spirit of Love
Spirit of Love and Life; out of this whole world, these two souls have found each other. Their destinies shall now be woven into one design, and their perils and their joys shall not be known apart.
_____ and _____ may your home be a place of happiness for all who enter it. A place where the old and young are renewed in each other’s company. A place for growing and a place for sharing. A place for music and a place for laughter. A place for prayer and a place for love.
May those who are nearest to you be constantly enriched by the beauty and the bounty of your love for one another. May your work be the joy of your life that serves the world, and may your days together be happy and long upon the earth. Amen
Lord's Prayer
Our Father who art in Heaven, hollowed will be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, one earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from all evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Celtic Wedding Blessing
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace. May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase. Be no worse than the happiest day of your past. May your hands be forever clasped in friendship and your hearts joined forever in love. Your lives are very special, God has touched you in many ways. May his blessings rest upon you and fill all your coming days.
Sufi Prayer
Beautiful if sung!
May the blessings of God rest upon you
May His peace abide with you
May his presence illuminate your heart
Now and forever more.
"Blessings For a Marriage"
By James Dillet Freeman
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you patience, tolerance and understanding.
May you always need one another – not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with the two of you.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces. May you look for things to praise, often say, “I love you” and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart, may you both have the good sense to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery, which is the awareness of one another’s presence – no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities. May you have happiness, and may you find it make one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.
Amen.
Angels' Prayer
Spirit of love and life, out of this whole world _______ and_______ have found each other. Nourish their minds with your wisdom. Enrich their hearts with your love and feed their souls with your peace. Give them the courage and inspiration to honor joyfully the (wedding/commitment) vows they have made here today.
______ and ______, may the wings of angels uphold you through all of life. May you live forever in love and happiness with one another.. May your hearts be full, and may your lips stay sweet. May your love grow stronger with each passing day. May your home be a place of happiness for all who enter it, and may you live long and happily in each others arms.
Amen.
Prayer adapted from "Illuminata"
By Marieanne Williamson
Dear God: Please make of this relationship a great and holy adventure. May their joining be a sacred space. May the two of them find rest here, a haven for their souls. Remove from them any temptation to judge themselves or each other, or to control each other. May they surrender to You their conflicts and burdens. Help them to not forget your divine presence in their life. Bring them together in heart and mind as well as body and guide them in the ways of oneness. May this relationship be a burst of light. May this bond be a channel for Your love and healing, a vehicle of Your grace and power. As lessons come and challenges grow, let them not be tempted to forsake each other. May they remain young and grow wise in this relationship. Bring them what you desire and show them how you would have them be. Thank you, God
Prayer Option 2
Let us Pray: Dear God, thank you for this joyous day. Thank you for Your Light that has entered ______ and______life. Thank you for all the miracles and blessings. Please bless this union. Help ______ and ______ find the perfect place in this world for their love to flourish. Let the radiant light of their love shine on all those around them. May all their future creations be blessed. God, bless them with the inner gifts of trust, compassion, forgiveness and truth that they may live and grow together in love and peace. Amen.
Prayer Option 3
Dear God, whose nature is love we ask that you look upon _____ and ______ with favor as they desire to make their vows before you. We are grateful for all the miracles that led to this union. Please grant that this be more than an outward union, but also the blending of hearts, spirits and purposes. Bless _____ and _____ with your grace and beauty and the inward properties of truth, integrity, trust, forgiveness and cooperation, that they may live out their lives together in peace, harmony and love. Amen.
Poems
"On Love"
By Thomas Kempis
Love is a mighty power,
a great and complete good.
Love alone lightens every burden, and makes rough places smooth.
It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders
all bitterness sweet and acceptable.
Nothing is sweeter than love,
Nothing is stronger,
Nothing higher,
Nothing wider,
Nothing more pleasant,
Nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God.
Love flies, runs and leaps for joy.
free and unrestrained.
Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds.
Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil,
attempts things beyond its strength.
Love sees nothing as impossible,
it feels able to achieve all things.
strange and effective,
while those who lack love faint and fail.
Love is not fickle and sentimental,
nor is it intent on vanities.
Like a living flame and a burning torch,
it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle.
"True Love"
Author Unknown
True love is a sacred flame that burns eternally,
and none can dim its special glow or change its destiny.
True love speaks in tender tones and hears with gentle ear,
True love gives with open heart and true love conquers fears.
True love makes no harsh demands, it neither rules nor binds,
and true love holds with gentle hands the hearts that it entwines.
"This Day I Married My Best Friend"
Author Unknown
This day I married my best friend
the one I laugh with as we share life’s wondrous zest,
as we find new enjoyments and experience all that’s best.
The one I live for because the world seems brighter
as our happy times are better and our burdens feel much lighter.
The one I love with every fiber of my soul.
We used to feel vaguely incomplete, now together we are whole.
"From This Day Forward"
From this day forward, let us laugh together, and plan together,
let us find our favorite places, and go together….
Let us enjoy the sunshine, and the rain,
being alone together, and in crowds together…..
From this day forward, together,
let us love.
"Eskimo Love Song"
Author Unknown
You are my husband (wife)
My feet shall run because of you
My feet shall dance because of you
My heart shall beat because of you
My eyes see because of you
My mind thinks because of you
And I shall love because of you.
"These I Can Promise"
Author Unknown
I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway;
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart’s devotion;
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that’s ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.
Call me at (303) 450-5242 or today to discuss your unique custom wedding!
Photos on this page taken by GreenEarth Photography.