Aloha, We want your ceremony to be spirtually meaningful and appropriate for you both.
If you want to replace or add scripture or blend elements from any of these sets
of vows or any of our other vows, please feel free to let us know.
Sample # 1 Traditional Christian Service
Aloha and Welcome
Let us come together into the quiet of prayer:
We are here to celebrate the marriage of and . We ask through the infinite wisdom of our Lord that they each may find kindness, caring, and joy through this union that will serve as a safe haven for them. We ask that together they may build a life that brings them balance, health, happiness and wisdom as they venture together through the trials and triumphs to come. May they strengthen their bond of love and find a gentle peacefulness in being together. We ask for a blessing of renewal and devotion to the loving relationships in all our lives. May we comfort each other with our love and compassion today and every day. Amen
We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to the words which shall unite
and in marriage.
Exchange of Leis
and , life is given to each of us as individuals, and yet we must learn to live together. Love is given to us by our family or by our friends. We learn to love by being loved. Learning to love and living together is one of the greatest challenges and blessings of life - and is the shared goal of a married life.
Now that you understand of what you are about to partake are you ready to make the promises of marriage?
, do you take to be your Wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, as your partner in life, holding only unto her? ("I do")
, do you take to be your Husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, as your partner in life, holding only unto him? ("I do")
Presentation of the Rings:
"Wedding rings are an outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual grace and the unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this man and this woman in marriage."
Minister: Repeat after me:
I , take thee , to be my Wife- to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you forevermore.
I , take thee , to be my Husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you forevermore.
and , as the two of you come into this marriage uniting you as husband and wife, and as you this day affirm your faith and love for one another, I would ask that you always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive, take responsibility for yourselves, and live each day that you may share it together - as from this day forward you shall be each other's home, comfort and refuge, your marriage strengthened by your love and respect for each other.
On Friendship
I love you, not only for what you are but for what I am with you.
I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but what you are
making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out. I love you for putting your hand onto my heart and choosing to see all the light and radiant things that dwell within me. You have done it without a touch, without a sign. You have done it by being yourself.
or, you may replace the Friendship passage above with the following:
Reading: Marriage is a Promise of Love
Marriage is a Promise of Love and it is a commitment to Life
To the best that two people can find and bring out in each other
it offers opportunities for sharing and growth.
A physical and emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.
Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of lifes most important relationships
A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, and, listener.
There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life.
Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger.
Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes that life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing love through all the many seasons of life.
When two people, such as yourselves, pledge to love and care for one another in marriage, they create a spirit unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written words could ever do.
Marriage is a promise, a potential, made in the hearts of two people who love and it certainly does take a lifetime to fulfill.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, our hearts are filled with great happiness on and wedding day, as they come before You pledging their hearts and lives to one another. Grant that they may ever be true and loving, living together in such a way as to support each others highest potential. Fill their hearts with kindness, understanding, compassion and joy. Help them to remember to be each other's sweetheart, helpmate, best friend and guide, so that together they may meet the cares and problems of life more bravely. And with the passage of time, may they find great contentment in the rich joy of senior companionship. May the home they are creating today truly be a place of love and harmony, where Your Spirit is always present.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up his countenance unto to you, and give you peace and happiness. Amen
and , in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Holy Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, the joining of your hands and the giving of these rings, I now declare you to be Husband and Wife. Whom God hath joined together, let no one put asunder.
You may seal your vows with a kiss.
Congratulations to you both, Mr. and Mrs.
Sample #2 ~ Christian Service – God is Love
The Greeting:
We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of and ,
in Holy Matrimony. The union between a man and a woman can provide the
harmony, peace, happiness and support each one needs to fulfill their highest
potential.
and , this is a special moment. A time of total recognition
that can only be given in love. By bringing your total presence to this
special moment, you can experience the fulfillment you represent for one
another. This requires respect, mutuality, communication, passion, humor
and a deep abiding friendship.
Today you have reached a new time in your lives. A new beginning. It is
time to make vows that will enable you to both face lifes uncertainties and
challenges, with that which you are now certain about: Your love for one
another.
On Friendship:
I love you, not for what you are but, for what I am when I am with you.
I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but what you are
making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out. I love
you for putting your hand onto my heart and choosing to see all the light
and radiant things that dwell within me. You have done this without a touch,
without a sign. You have done this by being yourself.
Lei Exchange:
Minister: And now, one at a time, the couple will exchange leis to symbolize
their lives being woven together by love, celebration and harmony. Please
repeat after me:
GROOM: , I offer you this lei as a symbol of my love and to join my
life with yours. Aloha.
BRIDE: , I offer you this lei as a symbol of my love and to join my
life with yours. Aloha.
TRADITIONAL WEDDING PRAYER
Prayer: Let us now bow our heads in prayer:
Dear Father, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ,
to come among us, to be born of a human mother and to make the way of the
cross to be the way of life. We thank you, also, for consecrating the union
of man and woman in his name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out
the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman. Defend them
from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other
be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders and a crown upon
their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in
their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their
life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where
saints feast forever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and
ever. Amen.
Expression of Intent:
Minister: and , now that you understand what you are about to
partake, are you ready to make the promises of marriage?
Couple: Yes, we are.
Minister: Then let us proceed. Please turn to one another and join hands.
Minister: In the presence of God and these witnesses, do you ,
take , to be your lawfully wedded wife and do you promise in faith
to share your life and heart with her, to pledge your love and friendship
without reserve and to care for her in sickness and in health, in laughter
and in tears, for the rest of your earthly life?
Groom: I do.
Minister: In the presence of God and these witnesses, do you ,
take , to be your lawfully wedded husband and do you promise in faith
to share your life and heart with him, to pledge your love and friendship
without reserve and to care for him in sickness and in health, in laughter
and in tears, for the rest of your earthly life?
Bride: I do.
Exchange of Rings:
Minister: May I hold and bless the rings?
These rings are the outward and visible sign to all of the love and devotion
that exists between you and of your covenant of Holy Matrimony. They are
sacred circles, symbolizing eternal love. Love with no beginning, love without end. May they always remind you of the promises and commitments you
have made here today. May the gracious Lord bless these rings and your
union of love now and forever more. Amen.
Mahalo. (Rings handed to the bride and groom)
And now, , as you place the ring on finger, please
repeat after me:
Groom: In faith, I give you this ring as a symbol of my never-ending love and with
all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. From this day forward, you
shall not walk alone. My heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your
home.
And now, , as you place the ring on finger, please
repeat after me:
Bride: In faith, I give you this ring as a symbol of my never-ending love and with
all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. From this day forward, you
shall not walk alone. My heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your
home.
Pronouncement:
Minister: God is love and those who abide in Him abide in love. As you
two go forward with a song in your heart and peace in your souls, may God’s
presence shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the love between
you last forever. May God bless and keep you. Amen.
and , it is your faith in God and your love for each other that
has brought you to this moment. And, in the days and years to come, may
you joyfully fulfill your sacred covenants remaining forever steadfast in
your love.
Please turn to one another and join hands. In the presence of God and those
of us gathered here today, by the power vested in me by the State of Hawaii,
it is my great honor and joy to pronounce you husband and wife.
You may now seal your vows with a kiss.
(Congratulations and warm wishes of Aloha)
May all present please come forth and join me in congratulating the
newly wed couple:
Mr. and Mrs.________________.
Sample # 3 Christian Hawaiian Vows
GREETING ~ Oli Aloha
Onaona I ka hala, me ka lehua E hale lehua, no ia na ka noe
O kau no ia, e anoi nei E halia nei, hoi o ka hiki mai
A hiki mai no olua, a hiki pü nö me ke aloha, Aloha e! Aloha e! Aloha e!
The Oli Aloha is a chant, which offers a word of greeting. It says, in part, this is the sight for which I have longed. Now that you are here, love has come. Aloha and welcome
We gather today in the spirit of love, the spirit we know intimately in these islands as the spirit of Aloha. It is the same spirit that brought you <groom> and <bride> together. We celebrate this new and exciting moment in your life’s journey, and embrace now this moment and the wonders of creation
surrounding us.
There is so much beauty to behold here in Hawaii. Trade winds, fragrant flowers, singing of the birds, sunsets. But I would like to take a moment to focus on the ocean. This ocean has been here a long time flowing with a sense of awe and life giving power. The ocean does so because it is alive and constantly changing. The ocean brings life and cleanses all it touches with its ebb and flow. So I invite you to be like the ocean. Be open to changes, be excited about new challenges and share these moments with each other.
LEI EXCHANGE( optional)
Here in Hawai’i we exchange flower leis, signifying our open hearts and love for one another. The beautiful lei, with all of it’s hand picked flowers, are twined and carefully bonded together with love. A reflection of your love and aloha for each other. As you exchange these leis, you will now begin to weave your own lei of life. And now, with loving aloha, please present your leis to one another.
READING - I Corinthians 13:4-7 optional
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful. It is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on it’s own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in the wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends. So faith, hope and love abide, but the greatest of all is Love.
*DECLARATION OF INTENTION **
______, do you here in the presence of God and these witnesses, declare your commitment to ______ and choose her/him as the one with whom you wish to spend the rest of your life? Do you give yourself to her/him and accept the gift of self, which she/he gives to you? Do you also pledge to endure all of the difficulties of life even as you look forward to sharing the joys to be experienced together?
(Groom and Bride respond: I do)
EXCHANGING OF VOWS
I, ______, promise you my love without any limits,
To accept the things you believe in
And to always try to understand you;
To trust in your love for me and pray it will grow stronger every day;
To plan with you and dream with you;
To laugh with you in joy, to grieve with you in sorrow,
To grow with you in love,
To do my best to show you how much I love you with all my heart,
For as long as we both shall live. Amen
EXCHANGE OF RINGS
Blessing of rings:
These rings are an outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual grace, may they always remind you of the vows you have shared here today and blessings you have recieved and will continue to receive. May these rings remind you of the journey of an open heart and unconditional love. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ with much gratitude for all Gods blessings. Amen
______, I give you this ring, as a symbol of my love, knowing that love is precious and fragile, yet strong. Let this ring be a reminder, of all that I have pledged to you here today and the blessings of our love.
CLOSING MARRIAGE CREED
<bride> and <groom>, you are finally united in matrimony. May you go forth with Gods blessings on your journey. May you trust each other, trust life and not be afraid. May you be given the gift of memory of this moment, day, and place for the rest of your lives. We say in these islands, the spirit of aloha, love is reflected in all the beauty surrounding us, but I say to you <bride> and <groom> that the beauty and spirit of aloha is reflected intimately in the joy and happiness in your faces.
DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
And now in oneness with the Spirit of Love, of Aloha, of God, and in accordance with human law, it is my great honor and pleasure to pronounce you <groom>, and you <bride>, husband and wife
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Mr. and Mrs. <groom> and <bride> <last name>
You may seal your vows with a kiss.