Rev Lucinda Martin
Wedding Officiant
Rancher’s Wedding Ceremony
Invocation:
Bride and Groom we welcome you to this very special occasion. Take a
moment to look at each other. Take a deep breath and allow yourself to
be right here, right now.
Now look at this community of family and friends gathered here for you.
You are truly surrounded by those you love and those who love you.
Please join me as we take a moment and take a breath right into our
hearts. You may close your eyes if you wish. We breathe in the beauty of
Mother Nature surrounding us. We acknowledge the sun a
manifestation of God, the sacred source of all life. From the east, where
the sun rises, signals hope for the union about to take place.
Welcome
Good afternoon and welcome family and friends. On behalf of Bride and
Groom, thank you for being here. I am so honored to be a part of this
wedding celebration. I am Lucinda Martin and I am an ordained
Interfaith Minister. As such, I am educated and believe in the beauty
and validity of all paths to the One Source of all life. I am so happy that
the power of love brings us together tonight to celebrate the love of Bride
and Groom. This ceremony was specially created to reflect the journey
and the lives of Bride and Groom.
Remembering Loved Ones
We have learned from an excerpt of, Corinthian’s 13, a bible verse about
love; “Love is patient and kind; Love is not jealous or boastful; it is not
arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable
or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the truth. Love
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all
things. Love never gives up. Love is eternal. Love never ends.”
We acknowledge the loved ones who surround you now, and the love that
never ends from those who were close to you, but are not here today and
would rejoice with you if they were. Your love for them and their love
for you has no end.
We speak a word in loving remembrance of friends and family unable to
be with us here today and know they are sending their love in support of
your special day, today.
Optional:
We speak a special word in loving memory of (Bride’s family
member/name)
We speak a special word in loving memory of Groom’s (family
member/name)
We go into silence now, allowing for the loving presence of our ancestors.
Blessing
Groom and Bride, there is a lovely poem created by the author of,
“All I need to know I learned in kindergarten”. This is a marriage
blessing he wrote, I wish to share with you on your special day.
Marriage Blessing (Text by Robert Fulghum)
May the sun of many days and years shine upon you;
May the love that you have for one another grow and hold you close;
May the good, true light within you guide your way on together;
May your dreams come true, and when they don’t, may new ones arise.
And long, long, years from now, may you look at one another and be able to say,
“Because of you, I have lived the life I always wanted to live – because of you I have become the
person I longed to be.”
Minister’s Address
This wedding ceremony does not mark the start of a relationship, but
recognizes and deepens the bond that already exists.
Some loves seem clearly destined – paths cross in unexpected and unlikely
ways that seem nearly inconceivable, yet so right that they seem
inevitable as well. Bride and Groom, your relationship has that quality
about it. Like a convergence of larger forces, acting across time and
place, to bring you together. And from that first moment of surprise and
recognition, your two richly diverse stories have become one story and
you have developed a love that is both tender and strong.
The life of a rancher requires one to be very strong. It is a passion for
living and working with nature. In part, it is a desire to experience a
sense of freedom like hawks circling in the sky, high above.
The two of you embrace a lifestyle requiring a strong work ethic. I found
a poem that speaks to your relationship I would like to share. It is called,
“Cowby Heart” written by Neal Lewing;
Cowboy heart, like it says in the Bible,
Treats his sweetheart like an equal.
Nothing so hard as a job that’s simple.
He tends the cookfire, she sets the table,
She beds the younguns, he guards the stable.
Raise a little Cain, if he’s able.
Go to town, rein down,
Swing your partner ‘round and ‘round.
Denim bibs, gingham gown.
Jaw against a hitchrail, visit pals in jail,
His chin stubbled, her cheek, pale
With blush, atwinkle at his shirttail.
He’ll woo her, wow her, whisk her away,
Be her sunshine on a rainy day.
Trade bales of cash for bales of hay.
For all he doles, how little, how much,
She’s ramrod, equal, proud, tough;
His strength her smiling touch.
She’ll teach kids in private sessions;
Sage wisdom, his valued lesson:
If life’s a pest, count your blessings.
When cowboy heart gets stole, I reckon
It ain’t the size of a man’s Stetson
But what’s inside the thing it sets on.
Bride and Groom, you will make promises to each other today, and your
intention will be to sustain today’s happiness throughout your days
together as you create a home filled with love, spontaneity, joy,
friendship, laughter, and growth. This is no easy task.
You have demonstrated to me an understanding of “you reap what you
sow”; a willingness to roll up your sleeves and do what it is necessary to
create an enduring relationship. You have decided that together, you
will work hard and celebrate the joys of your harvest.
As a mature couple, you realize that your future will also hold challenges
and moments of doubt and darkness. It’s not a matter of whether or not
those challenging storms will come – it is a matter of realizing that they
will come, and deciding to face those moments hand in hand, with your
hearts turned toward each other.
A marriage that lasts is one that is continually evolving and in which
each person is individually developing, while growing in understanding
of the other. It is remembering that when storms come, behind the dark
clouds the sun always shines. This is faith.
Intent
The vows you will speak, the rings you will exchange are done in a
matter of minutes. The promises and the tokens of your love will last a
lifetime.
And I now ask,
Bride, do you come here of your own free will to be united in marriage,
promising your love, faithfulness, and friendship, for as long as you both
shall live?” Please answer, “I do.”
Groom, do you come here of your own free will to be united in marriage,
promising your love, faithfulness, and friendship, for as long as you both
shall live?” Please answer, “I do.”
Personal Vows
Groom, have you any words you wish to speak to Bride at this time?
“Yes.”
Bride, have you any words you wish to speak to Groom at this time?
“Yes.”
Blessing of the Hands
A hand blessing is a ritual that is meant to draw you closer to one
another. The hands are a connection to the heart, and a hand blessing
symbolically brings two hearts together. Today, we bring the hearts of
Bride and Groom together.
Bride and Groom, please face each other and place your left palms
together. Now place your right palms together to complete the infinity
circle.
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant
with love, that are holding yours, as you promise to love one another all
the days of your lives.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you
through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your
eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when
fear or grief racks your mind.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through
difficult times.
These are the hands that will give you support and encourage you to
chase your dreams.
These are the hands of your best friend, that will work alongside yours,
as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share
your innermost secrets and dreams.
Together, everything you wish for can be realized.
Rings and Vows
Tom, may we have the rings, please?
The wedding ring is a symbol of unity, a circle unbroken without
beginning or end. Made of precious metal, these rings will endure
forever. As you wear them let them be symbolic of your promise to each
other today, to create a partnership that is whole and unbroken, a
partnership that will forever endure.
Please repeat after me:
I, Groom, take you, Bride, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one
true love. I will cherish our friendship and love today, tomorrow, and
forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry
with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and worst, through
the difficult and the easy. What may come, I will always be there. As I
have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my heart to keep.
I, Bride, take you, Groom, to be my husband, my partner in life and my
one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love today, tomorrow, and
forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry
with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and worst, through
the difficult and the easy. What may come, I will always be there. As I
have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my heart to keep.
Group Vow optional
Family and friends, Bride and Groom have asked you here to witness this
ceremony, their vows to one another, and they want you to know this is
not a one-time engagement. No relationship happens in a vacuum. You
have been the community that has birthed, nurtured, loved, and
supported Bride and Groom as individuals and as a couple. Now you are
being asked to enter into this covenant with them. You are being asked
to continue to serve as their companions and advisors, as they move into
this new phase of their partnership.
So, family and friends, to the best of your ability, do you promise to love
and support this couple, to laugh with them, to cry with them, counsel
and care for them? If so, answer we do. (“We do.”)
Reading.
“The Art Of Marriage"
by Wilferd A. Peterson
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created.
In the art of marriage 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 thoughtful ways.
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.
It is discovering what marriage can be, at its best.
Wine Ceremony
Bride and Groom, I ask you to share in the ritual of wine as a symbol of
this occasion – to remind you as long as you live, may you never be too
busy to celebrate whatever great occasions come to your lives.
May you always have reasons to celebrate, and always share drink
together from the cup of life. As you have shared the wine from a single
cup, so may you share contentment, peace, and fulfillment from the cup
of life.
(Minister hands cup to Groom - Groom offers the cup for the bride to drink, then
drinks from the cup himself and returns it to the Minister)
May you find life’s joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened and each of
its moments enhanced by true companionship and love.
Pronouncement
By this integrity and truth in the beloved company of family and friends,
it is my honor – and with absolute delight that I now pronounce you
husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
Most cherished family and friends, I now present to you
Mr. and Mrs. Groom Van Hessen