In response to a request from a How To Be A Wedding Officiant visitor, I have posted Word document files of the prewritten wedding ceremonies for free download.

You may find the Word document files helpful because you can modify the text and copy/paste in order to create your own customized wedding ceremonies.

These Word docx files can be found at the bottom of each ceremony page.

Here’s the list of ceremonies where you can find a free download of these helpful Word files:

• Your Lives Together In Jesus Christ Wedding Ceremony
• Thereto I Pledge You My Faith Wedding Ceremony
• Love's Divine Appointment Wedding Ceremony
• Promise Of Faithfulness, Helpfulness and Tenderness Wedding Ceremony
• For A Loving Universe Wedding Ceremony
• Father, Son and Holy Spirit Wedding Ceremony
• To Love And To Cherish Is My Solemn Vow Wedding Ceremony
• The Lord's Prayer Christian Wedding Ceremony
• The Outdoor Wedding Ceremony With A Tree Planting Ritual
• Everlasting Promise Vow Renewal Ceremony

Peace, Love and Joy To You!

Avary

If you don't know where to begin when it comes to starting your wedding officiant business, you may want to check out some of the helpful information offered in these pages listed below.

Ordination

Learn about online ordination and how to become a wedding officiant. See the article > Ordination And Marriage Laws.

Another helpful resource is the ULC page that lists Marriage Laws and Minister Requirements by state.

Checklist and Helpful Links

See the Checklist page and begin taking the steps in order to become a wedding officiant and start your business. The checklist helps you to organize your tasks/steps in a logical sequence and also has links to supplemental information pages and articles for corresponding topics.

Use the Helpful Links page to complete even more steps as it provides time-saving links for many promotional tools and resources. You will find links for listing your business with wedding directories such as Wedding Wire and The American Association Of Wedding Officiants as well as promotional tools such as submitting your site to Google Places, Yelp and many more!

If you complete these steps you will be well on your way to becoming a wedding officiant and starting a wedding officiant business!

Good Luck!

Avary

Here’s a lovely wedding ceremony that can be used for an outdoor wedding ceremony. It is very earthy and spiritual in its tone.

This wedding ceremony wording includes a tree planting unifying ritual that comes after the exchange of rings element in the ceremony.

You can download the PDF version of this ceremony for free.

It is enhanced with the fillable form feature and you can type in the bride and groom’s name once and then all the bride/groom fields on the the form are automatically filled in with the corresponding names.

This ceremony is nicely formatted for the wedding officiant script and makes a nice presentation to the bridal couple as well.

Scroll to the bottom of the ceremony to get the free PDF download.

In recent years it has become very popular for couples to add a unifying ritual element into their wedding ceremony.

As explained in the previous post > Tree Planting Ceremony – Unifying Ritual For A Wedding, the act of symbolically planting a tree is a unifying ritual in which the couple puts dirt and water into a potted sapling container and then later plants the tree at their home.

In preparation for the tree planting element of a ceremony you should have the following items located on a nearby altar or table; a sapling in a pot/container, a watering can, 2 gardening trowels and small container of soil.

The tree planting unifying ritual format can consist of the couple using the trowels to add some soil to the potted sapling. The bride and groom each use their trowel to put some additional soil in the potted sapling container and then together the couple uses the watering can to water the newly potted sapling. While the couple is conducting the actions of the symbolic tree planting the officiant may do some readings and/or there may be music and/or a song performed.

The format options listed below consist of the officiant making an opening statement then a verse reading followed by a closing reading. The opening is a statement explaining that now a tree planting unifying ritual will be taking place. The reading is a bible verse, poem or poignant quote. The tree planting ritual ends with a closing reading that illustrates the comparison of the planting, strengthening and growing of a tree to that of a thriving marriage.

Below are listed some wording options for the tree planting unifying element of a wedding ceremony.

Opening Options

(Opening Option 1)
Officiant:
In a further symbol of their bond of unity, _____________ and _____________ will now take part in a unifying ritual of symbolic tree planting.

(Bride and Groom begin adding the soil to the potted sapling and after the soil is put in they use the watering can to water the newly potted sapling.)

God of Love, bless this marriage and open our hearts and minds to hear your word as we read from Colossians, chapter 3, verses 12-14… So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Amen

Wedding Prayer Examples Part 2

Below is a list of wedding prayer examples. For the first part of the list, examples 1-7, see Examples of the Wedding Prayer.

The wedding prayer is said near the end of the wedding ceremony and is usually a prayer over the new marriage and may include a blessing, scripture or poetry.

8.
Officiant: Dear God we are grateful and joyous as you pour out your abundant blessings on this loving couple and their newly formed marriage. We pray that ____________ and ____________ will honor their vows and promises made here today and we remember the line of beautiful scripture that tells us, There is faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Amen 

9.
Officiant: God blesses you with happiness, prosperity and gives you peace. May your love for each other become deeper and more blissful as you carry onward in your sacred journey of married life. May you draw forth, each from the other, the highest and the best. May you be open and receptive to divine inspiration and guidance. May you express poise, patience and understanding with each other. May your lives blend together in harmony and joy and may your days be good and long upon the earth. Amen. 

The Wedding Prayer or Blessing is said near the end of the ceremony. It comes after the vows and the ring exchange.

It can be a prayer for the new marriage along with a blessing over the new marriage.

Prayers, blessings and scripture are often used in the Wedding Prayer element of a wedding ceremony.

Here's a list of 7 examples of the Wedding Prayer and/or Blessing...

1.
Gracious God, hear our prayer of marriage blessing and grant ____________ and ____________ a spirit of unconditional love in their relationship and bless us all with loving hearts and minds as we pause to read the timeless and enduring words of 1st Corinthians chapter 13 verses 4 thru 7. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. Amen.

2.
A Wedding Prayer by the poet Robert Louis Stevenson. Lord, behold our family here assembled. We thank you for this place in which we dwell, for the love that unites us, for the peace accorded us this day, for the hope with which we expect the morrow, for the health, the work, the food, and the bright skies that make our lives delightful; for our friends  in all parts of the earth. Amen.

Traditionally this is the “Presentation of the Bride” or “The Giving Away of the Bride”. It is the time in the ceremony when the minister asks, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man” and the bride’s father says “I do”.

In contemporary weddings the minister may ask both sets of parents “Who gives these individuals to be given in marriage”? The parents answer “We do”. Other scenarios may have a different relative, family representative or child of the bride or groom that “gives them away”.

Some people may view this element as outdated and sexist and may choose to not include it in their ceremony. This is due to times in the past when the woman was considered as property and was given away in arranged marriages. Unfortunately there are many parts of the world where that is still the case. We are blessed to live in the United States of America, where women have equal rights and most people are not forced into arranged marriages.

It’s fun for everyone!

Even if you are already married you can use the build a wedding ceremony form.

Use it just for fun!

A romantic and fun thing to do with your significant other... you can both create a ceremony and then read them aloud to each other!

It’s easy to use the Build A Wedding Ceremony automated tool. Just select your favorite option from each element category and then click the submit button. You will receive your ceremony via email. It’s a great way to celebrate an anniversary or special date with your spouse or significant other.

Create as many ceremonies as you wish, as often as you want.

Officiants can use it as a tool in their business. Wedding couples can create a ceremony to bring to their officiant.

Try it out today! Go to the Build A Wedding Ceremony website.

It's Free, It's Fun, It's Helpful!

The exchange of the rings during a wedding ceremony takes place immediately after the blessing of the rings.

The officiant performs the blessing of the rings and then the bride and groom exchange rings as they pledge vows of faithfulness and fidelity to one another.

Below is a list of 12 examples for the exchange of rings element in wedding ceremony.

Examples of The Exchange Of The Rings In A Wedding Ceremony:

1.

Officiant: To Groom:

________ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat after me, these words:

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once.

I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of God.

Officiant: To Bride:

_________ will you take this ring and place it upon ________’s finger, and as you do, repeat after me, these words:

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once.

I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of God.

The Rings part of the wedding ceremony typically consists of two wedding ceremony elements; The Blessing Of The Rings, followed by The Exchange Of The Rings.

For the Blessing Of The Rings element of the ceremony, the officiant prays a blessing over the rings. It is also common for the officiant to speak of the symbolism and meaning of the rings, such as how the rings are an outward sign of the couple’s commitment to one another. The unending circle of a ring symbolizes faithfulness and love without end.

Here's an example of the ring portion of the wedding ceremony. It is adapted from the Book of Common Prayer.

Blessing Of The Rings

Officiant: May we now have the rings?

The designated person gives the rings to the Officiant. Or in a smaller/simpler ceremony without a Best Man or Ringbearer the Officiant will already have the rings.

Officiant: Bless, O Lord, this ring, and grant that he who gives it and she who shall wear it may remain faithful to each other, and abide in thy peace and favor, and live together in love until their lives’ end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Exchange Of The Rings

Officiant:  To Groom: ________ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat after me, these words:

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once

With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee honor; and all my worldly goods with thee I share: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Officiant:  To Bride: ________ will you take this ring and place it upon _____’s finger, and as you do, repeat after me, these words:

The following can be broken down line by line instead of said all at once

With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee honor; and all my worldly goods with thee I share: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen

The Officiant joins their right hands together and says, Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.

Now that you are familiar with the flow of the Blessing of the Rings and Exchange of Rings portion of the wedding ceremony here is a list of 7 blessings examples you may want to use. These are the Blessings Of The Ring element that is spoken right before the Exchange of Rings. Stay tuned to my blog for examples of the Exchange of the Rings and you can mix and match them to suit your needs.

7 Examples of the Blessing Of The Rings for a Wedding Ceremony:

1.

Officiant: To the Best Man or Ringbearer: May we now have the rings?

The designated person gives the rings to the Officiant. Or in a smaller/simpler ceremony without a Best Man or Ringbearer the Officiant will already have the rings.

Officiant: Heavenly Father, bless these rings. Grant that ____________ and ____________ may wear them with deep faith in each other. May they do your will and always live together in peace, love and abiding joy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!

2.

Officiant: To the Best Man or Ringbearer: May we now have the rings?

Officiant: The circle is the symbol of the sun, earth, and universe. It is the symbol of peace. Let this ring be the symbol of unity and peace in which your two lives are joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever you go, return unto one another and to your togetherness.