Processional

[PRIEST] We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of Frances and James. There are many things to say about marriage. Much wisdom concerning the joining together of two souls has come our way through all paths of belief, and from many cultures. With each union, more knowledge is gained and more wisdom gathered. Though we are unable to give all this knowledge to these two who stand before us, we can hope to leave with them the knowledge of love and its strengths and the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time. The law of life is love unto all beings. Without love, life is nothing, without love, death has no redemption. Love is anterior to Life, posterior to Death, initial of Creation and the exponent of Earth. If we learn no more in life, let it be this.

Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles - its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs. With full understanding of this, James and Frances have come here today to be joined as one in marriage.

Blessing of the Family

Others would ask at this time, who gives the bride in marriage, but as a woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and taken, I ask simply if she comes of her own will and if she has her family's blessing.

Frances, is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?

[BRIDE] Yes, it is true.

[PRIEST] With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you?

[FATHER] She comes with me, her father, and is accompanied by all of her family's blessings.

First Reading

One of the great powers of love is balance; it helps us move toward transfiguration. When two people come together, an ancient circle closes between them. They also come to each other not with empty hands, but with hands full of gifts for each other.... When you really love someone, you shine the light of your soul on the beloved.... You can invoke the healing of the third force of light between you; this can bring forgiveness, consolation, and healing in stony times....

A person should always offer a prayer of graciousness for the love that has awakened in them. When you feel love for your beloved and the beloved's love for you, now and again you should offer the warmth of your love as a blessing for those who are damaged and unloved. Send that love out into the world to people who are desperate, to those who are starving, to those who are trapped in prison, in hospitals, and into all the brutal terrains of bleak and tormented lives. When you send that love out from the bountifulness of your own love, it reaches other people.. This is the deepest power of prayer.

Prayer is the act and presence of sending this light from the bountifulness of your love to other people to heal, free, and bless them. When there is love in your life, you should share it spiritually with those who are pushed to the very edge of life.... If you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times.

In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.... Love is the source, center, and destiny of experience.

~ From Anam Cara by John O'Donohue

Second Reading

You cannot possess me, for I belong to myself.
But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give.
You cannot command me, for I am a free person.
But I shall serve you in those ways you require
and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.

I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night
and the eyes into which I smile in the morning.
I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup.
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care.
I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine.
I shall not slander you, nor you me.
I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel we shall do so in private
and tell no strangers our grievances.

This is my wedding vow to you.
This is the marriage of equals.

~ Celtic Wedding Vow by Morgan Llywelyn

[PRIEST] Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that which I am about to say. Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, as time doth pass remember...

Like a stone should your love be firm. Like a star should your love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass quickly.

Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, for God is with you always.

Exchanging of the Rings

[GROOM] It is my wish.

[PRIEST] Frances, if it be your wish for James to be bound to you, place the ring on his finger.

Frances, I have not the right to bind thee to James, only you have this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in his hand.

[BRIDE] It is my wish.

[PRIEST] James, if it be your wish for Frances to be bound to you, place the ring on her finger.

Vows

I, (full name), in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take thee, (full name), to my hand, my heart, and my spirit - to be my chosen one. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in love and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself.

Blessing

An Irish Blessing for Weddings
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon the fields.

May the light of friendship guide your paths together.
May the laughter of children grace the halls of your home.
May the joy of living for one another trip a smile from your lips,
A twinkle from your eye.

And when eternity beckons,
At the end of a life heaped high with love,
May the good Lord embrace you
With the arms that have nurtured you
The whole length of your joy-filled days.

May the gracious God hold you both
in the palm of His hands.
And, today, may the Spirit of Love
find a dwelling place in your hearts. Amen.

Closing

The Reception

Our First Dance

That afternoon kinda went by in a whirl!

It ended all too quickly!