My Wedding Stuff - 1. Wedding Ceremony, December 29th, 2014

Wedding Ceremony, December 29th, 2014

Note: this is the text of our upcoming ceremony, and it incorporates much of the Office of Same-Sex Union as used by the Roman Catholic Church from about 750 AD to 1500 AD. We will have a minister officiate, and the following is what she says during the proceedings. Wish us luck…although after 22 years, I doubt there is much guess-work on what is on the horizon for us ;)

Welcoming:

We are gathered here in the presence of God, family and friends for the purpose of uniting in marriage, AC and SK.

SK and AC, no words of mine or any other person truly marry each of you to the other. Your marriage today is a continuation and reaffirmation of the bond you have already built over many years together. You do not enter this lightly, but with the love and acknowledgement of what it means already.

You are partners standing together to cushion the difficulties of life, and you rejoice in your partner's strengths, and accept his shortcomings. Nurture this next step of your relationship carefully and celebrate it often, as you grow old together in joy and fulfillment.

Opening Prayer:

O Lord Our God, Ruler of all and creator of mankind after thine own image, and who did bless thy holy apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be partners, and likewise thy holy martyrs Serge and Bacchus to be united, not bound by the bonds of blood but by the Holy Spirit. Send down, most gracious Lord, the Holy Spirit upon these thy servants, SK and AC, whom you have found worthy to be joined before thy sight. Grant them thy grace to love one another unashamed, in joy, and without injury all the days of their lives. Allow them the aid of the holy Mother of God and of all thy saints. For You are our unity, our certainty, and our bond of peace, now and forever.

Invocation:

We now unite our hearts and minds with SK and AC –

We know not what the future may bring into your lives, but we ask that together you may be equal to the needs of your tomorrows as you have been in the past.

May you continue to have patience in time of strain, strength in time of weakness, courage in time of disappointment, vision in time of doubt, and above all, an ever-abiding love.

May the love in your hearts and the greatness of life's possibilities give you joy, and the assurance of your friends' good wishes give you peace and strength.

Second Prayer:

O Lord Our God, who did command us to love one another and to forgive each other's failings, do Thou, Ruler and most kind lover of good, bless and consecrate these thy servants who love one another with a love of the soul and who have come before thy Grace to be blessed. Grant unto them the unashamed fidelity and true love that Thou did vouchsafe amongst thy holy disciples and apostles, for to Thee belongs all glory, honor and worship. Amen. [1]

Vows:

Do you AC, take SK, to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forever?

Do you, SK, take AC, to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forever?

Ring Exchange:

These rings are made of precious metals, a symbol of the riches that reside in each of you: and as any metal is purified by the white heat of testing, so has your love been purified by the tests you have faced through the many seasons of your life. May you find ways to express daily the miracle of the love that the two of you share together.

AC, I give you this ring as a sign of my love, and I continue to choose you to share my life's journey. With this ring, I marry you.

SK, I give you this ring as a sign of my love, and I continue to choose you to share my life's journey. With this ring, I marry you.

As by these rings you symbolize your marriage bond, may their meaning sink into your hearts and further bind your lives together by devotion and closeness to one another. In mutual self-respect, and in ever-deepening love for each other, may you maintain a home filled with the spirit of faith, truth and goodness.

Closing:

And now, in as much as you, SK and AC, have given and pledged your love and faithfulness, each to the other, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you spouses for life.

Please welcome your marriage with a kiss.