Ceremony Script

This is not my post on the ceremony, but I noticed I can't upload word documents so I am going to cut and paste our ceremony script below in case anyone is interested :) Stay tuned for the recap of the day of the wedding and wedding ceremony to come later tonight!

Brian, Eric + all groomsmen (except for brothers who will be escorting) start at the front

In order: Eric, Josh, Mike, Jake, Dave, Shea, Andy, Duong

Eric’s Parents Down the Aisle

Mom Down the Aisle -escorted by Jake

Bridal Party Entrance:

Shannon

Ashley

Tiffany

Courtney

Katie

Caroline

*Bridal Party stand up on bride’s side

Kelly and Dad enter

BRIAN: Good evening. We are here today to witness and celebrate the marriage of Kelly and Eric, who stand here to pledge their love and commitment to each other.

Eric and Kelly, love is one of life’s greatest experiences. When it is combined with real friendship, it is infinitely improved, and the two of you are so fortunate to have found in one another, not only love, but a lifelong friend.

It is fitting for us, the people who are closest to Kelly and Eric, to be here, because for this marriage to flourish, it needs not only the commitment of Kelly and Eric, but it needs the support of all of us, not just today, but in the future as well.

As Eric and Kelly are joined, so are their families and friends, united through them. Kelly and Eric have chosen you, their friends and loved ones, to be here on this day as witnesses to their marriage. It is their decision to bind themselves by marriage, and their lives will be strengthened and enriched by the support you give them.

BRIAN: (To Moms and Dads) Will you support Eric and Kelly in their marriage?

Moms and Dads: We will

BRIAN: (To Kelly’s Mom and Dad) Will you welcome and embrace Eric as a member of your family?

K Mom and Dad: We will

BRIAN: (To Eric’s Mom and Dad) Will you welcome and embrace Kelly as a member of your family?

E Mom and Dad: We will

BRIAN: To all of the friends and family here, will you support Eric and Kelly in their marriage, standing beside them in rough times, yet never standing between them?

Everyone: We will

Thank you. And now, Kelly’s cousin Kristen will do a reading.

KRISTEN:

WHY MARRIAGE?

~ By: Mari Nichols-Haining ~

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 with this understanding

The possibilities are limitless.

BRIAN: Eric and Kelly, I shall now speak to the two of you…

BRIAN: Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?

US: Yes, We Seek to Enter.

BRIAN: Will you cause her pain?

ERIC: I May

BRIAN: Is that your intent?

ERIC: No

BRIAN: Will you cause him pain?

KELLY: I may

BRIAN: Is that your intent?

KELLY: No

BRIAN: Will you share each other's pain and seek to ease it?

US: Yes

BRIAN: And so the binding is made. Join your hands

*First cord is draped across the bride's and groom's hands* (Caroline)

BRIAN: Will you share his laughter?

KELLY: Yes

BRIAN: Will you share her laughter?

ERIC: Yes

BRIAN: Will both of you look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?

US: Yes

BRIAN: And so the binding is made.

*Second chord is draped across the couple's hands* (Josh)

BRIAN: Will you burden him?

KELLY: I may

BRIAN: Is that your intent?

KELLY: No

BRIAN: Will you burden her?

ERIC: I may

BRIAN: Is that your intent?

ERIC: No

BRIAN: Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?

US: Yes

BRIAN: And so the binding is made.

*Drape third chord across the couple’s hands* (Katie)

BRIAN: Will you share his dreams?

KELLY: Yes

BRIAN: Will you share her dreams?

ERIC: Yes

BRIAN: Will you dream together to create new realities and hopes?

KELLY: Yes

BRIAN: And so the binding is made.

*Drape fourth chord across the couple’s hands* (Mike)

BRIAN: Will you cause her anger?

ERIC: I may

BRIAN: Is that your intent?

ERIC: No

BRIAN: Will you cause him anger?

KELLY: I may

BRIAN: Is that your intent?

KELLY: No

BRIAN: Will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?

US: We Will

BRIAN: And so the binding is made.

*Drape fifth chord across the couple’s hands* (Courtney)

BRIAN: Will you honor him?

KELLY: I will

BRIAN: Will you honor her?

KELLY: I will

BRIAN: Will you seek to never give cause to break that honor?

US: We shall never do so

BRIAN: And so the binding is made.

*Drape sixth chord across the couple’s hands* (Jake)

BRIAN: The knots of this binding are not formed by these chords but instead by your vows. Either of you may drop the chords, for as always, you hold in your own hands the making or breaking of this union.

BRIAN: Now, Kelly’s cousin Kate will do a reading

KATE: From "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"



"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."



"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.



"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."



"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"



"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

BRIAN: Do you, Eric, take Kelly to be your wife,

To be her constant friend,

her partner in life, and her true love?

To love her without reservation,

honor and respect her,

protect her from harm,

comfort her in times of distress,

and to grow with her in mind and spirit?

ERIC: I do



BRIAN: Do you, Kelly, take Eric to be your husband,

To be his constant friend,

his partner in life, and his true love?

To love him without reservation,

honor and respect him,

protect him from harm,

comfort him in times of distress,

and to grow with him in mind and spirit?

KELLY: I do

BRIAN: The wedding ring is a symbol, in visible form, of the unbroken circle of your love, so that wherever you go, you may always return to your shared life together. May these rings always call to mind the power of your love.

BRIAN (to Mike or Josh): Will you please give the ring to Kelly?

KELLY: I give you this ring as a reminder that I love you, every single day of our lives

ERIC: I give you this ring as a reminder that I love you, every single day of our lives

BRIAN: This is a special moment for Eric and Kelly, but it is also a special moment for you who gathered here with them. For it is with you that they have chosen to share their joy in having found one another. You are all participants together in the magic of this precious moment of love. In recognition of this sharing, you and I are going to marry Eric and Kelly.

I will say the pronouncement one line at a time, and you will repeat it after me. When we are finished, I will say one more sentence, which is what the law requires. Then I’ll give them the opportunity to have their first married kiss. Are you ready?

(all except the couple)

We have gathered today in friendship and in love

To celebrate the love which has brought you together

And the love that unites us all

May your joy be great

And may you provide comfort to one another in times of sorrow

With great Affection,

We now pronounce you husband & wife

(Minister, acc. to state law)

By the power given to me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may begin your journey with a kiss.

Bride and Groom Walk Out Together

Caroline and Josh

Katie and Mike

Courtney and Jake

Tiffany and Dave

Ashley, Shea, and Andy

Shannon and Duong

Begin Receiving Line- Bridesmaids and Groomsmen help to direct Guests