Weddings of Toronto.com
Simple, Meaningful Marriage Ceremonies in Toronto _____________________________________________________
SMALL HOME WEDDING: Janet and Kate
(note: this wedding is approximately 19 minutes in length)
We have gathered here today to witness and celebrate the wedding of Janet Reid and Kate Murray
We rejoice with Kate and Janet that out of all the world they have found each other, and that they will henceforth find the deeper meaning and richness of human life in sharing it with each other.
Mary: introduces herself as Humanist Officiant, welcomes everyone
RING WARMING
Mary invites Sonya to come forward with the rings, and explain we will pass the rings among the guests, who are asked to 'warm them with their love for Janet and Kate'. (rings are tied together with ribbon). She asks that the last person put the rings into the box held by Jacob.
While this is started, Sonya reads the following poem:
To Love is Not to Possess
By James Kavanaugh
To love is not to possess,
To own or imprison,
Nor to lose one's self in another.
Love is to join and separate,
To walk alone and together,
To find a laughing freedom
That lonely isolation does not permit.
It is finally to be able
To be who we really are
No longer clinging in childish dependency
Nor docilely living separate lives in silence,
It is to be perfectly one's self
And perfectly joined in permanent commitment
To another--and to one's inner self.
Love only endures when it moves like waves,
Receding and returning gently or passionately,
Or moving lovingly like the tide
In the moons own predictable harmony,
Because finally, despite a child's scars
Or an adult's deepest wounds,
They are openly free to be
Who they really are--and always secretly were,
In the very core of their being
Where true and lasting love can alone abide
COUPLES STORY
MARY:
A fact known only to a few, is that Janet and Kate spent 48 hours together on their first date, and half way through that time (in the parking lot), Janet turned and looked at Kate and told her their lives would never be the same again. She always knew from that moment they would be together forever, and here they are three years later getting married!
WITNESS SUPPORT
Janet and Kate are thankful you have made the journey with them today to witness and celebrate this public declaration of the private commitment they have already made to one another. You know the happiness that this couple has found together, and you are witnesses to the pledges they will make to each other for the mutual service of their common life. They will need your love and support in the future, as well as on this happy day.
Do you now offer your blessing and support for this couple, and wish them the best of lives together? If so, please say 'WE DO'.
READINGS
Here are some readings on love, in honour of this wedding today.
Classical Chinese Poem
I want to be your friend forever and ever
When the hills are all flat
and the rivers run dry
When the trees blossom in winter
and the snow falls in summer,
when heaven and earth mix -
not till then will I part from you.
Old German poem
I am yours. You are mine.
Of this we are certain.
You are lodged in my heart, the small key is lost.
You must stay there forever.
A GOOD WEDDING CAKE, AUTHOR UNKNOWN (sent by Aunt Jane)
4lbs of love
1 lb butter of youth
1/2 lb of good looks
1 lb sweet temper
1 lb of blindness for faults
1 lb of self forgetfulness
1 lb of pounded wit
1 lb of good humour
2 tablespoons of sweet argument
1 pint of rippling laughter
1 wine glass of common sense
1 ounce modesty
Put the love, good looks, and sweet temper into a well furnished home
and mix well together with the blindness of faults. Stir the wit and good humour into the sweet argument, then add the rippling laughter and common sense. Work the whole together until everything is well mixed, and bake gently for ever.
INTENTION to MARRY
Janet and Kate, please face each other.
Janet, are you ready to enter into this marriage with Kate, believing the love you share and your faith in each other will endure all things?
JANET: I am.
Kate, are you ready to enter into this marriage with Janet, believing the love you share and your faith in each other will endure all things?
KATE: I am.
VOWS
Will you please join your hands?
The pledges you will now repeat are a statement of present intent and commitment. They cannot endure unless you make them endure, with the resources you will draw from deep within yourselves.
The hand offered by each of you is an extension of your self, just as is your mutual love. Cherish the touch, for you are holding not only your own, but another life in your hands.
KATE:
Life in its entirety is incomplete without you
I see my life in your eyes
When our lives intertwined I knew I loved you
So now with marriage we take the next step
We become a family, the family I’ve always known we were.
I love you.
JANET
Kate, You are my timeless romance, my sweetest dream,
the laughter in my life,
No matter the distance, no matter the time,
I shall cherish you and hold you close to my heart,
I promise to share in all the joys and concerns the world offers us,
and to love and support you for as long as I live
MARY: Repeat after me:
In the presence of these witnesses, I, (Name),
take you, (Name), to be my wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
For better or worse, for richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish,
until we are parted by death,
and with my earnest and complete devotion,
I give you my love.
THE RING CEREMONY
(receiving the rings)
These rings, round like the sun, and the earth beneath us, are a symbol of perfection and peace, and a sign of the commitment which binds these two together They are an outward sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts. They have been 'warmed' by the love of your friends and family. I now ask you to offer this gift to each other.
Janet, what gift do you offer that you will perform your vows?
Kate, do you receive this ring in pledge of the same?
KATE: I do.
Janet places ring on Kate’s finger
I give you this ring, that you may wear it, as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. I pledge you my love, and respect, my laughter and my tears. With all that I am, I honour you.
Kate, what gift do you offer that you will perform your vows?
Janet, do you receive this ring in pledge of the same?
JANET: I do.
Kate places ring on Janet’s finger
I give you this ring, that you may wear it, as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. I pledge you my love, and respect, my laughter and my tears. With all that I am, I honour you.
MARY: Now SAY TOGETHER, holding hands
Today, tomorrow, forever, my love surrounds you. May this ring remind you of my constant heart. A commitment made in love, kept in faith, lives in hope and eternally made new.
MARY:
May every blessing and grace be yours,
as your lives are now bound in each other’s keeping
CLOSING BLESSING
IRISH BLESSING
You are the star of each night,
You are the brightness of every morning,
You are the story of each guest,
Your are the report of every land,
No Evil shall befall you, on hill nor bank,
In field or valley, on mountain or in glen.
Neither above, nor below, neither in sea,
Nor on shore, in skies above,
Nor in the depths.
You are the kernel of my heart,
You are the face of my sun,
You are the harp of my music,
You are the crown of my company.
DECLARATION
Kate and Janet:
You have spoken your promises. You have exchanged the signs of your commitment each to each. It is thus with great pleasure that I declare that you have married each other in the presence of these witnesses. I now pronounce you married.
KISS/EMBRACE
PRESENTATION
I now have the great honor to present to you the new couple: Janet and Kate!
SIGNING OF MARRIAGE LICENSE follows
Weddings of Toronto.com |
SMALL HOME WEDDING: Janet and Kate We have gathered here today to witness and celebrate the wedding of Janet Reid and Kate Murray(note: this wedding is approximately 19 minutes in length) We rejoice with Kate and Janet that out of all the world they have found each other, and that they will henceforth find the deeper meaning and richness of human life in sharing it with each other. Mary: introduces herself as Humanist Officiant, welcomes everyone RING WARMING Mary invites Sonya to come forward with the rings, and explain we will pass the rings among the guests, who are asked to 'warm them with their love for Janet and Kate'. (rings are tied together with ribbon). She asks that the last person put the rings into the box held by Jacob.While this is started, Sonya reads the following poem: To Love is Not to Possess By James Kavanaugh To love is not to possess, To own or imprison, Nor to lose one's self in another. Love is to join and separate, To walk alone and together, To find a laughing freedom That lonely isolation does not permit. It is finally to be able To be who we really are No longer clinging in childish dependency Nor docilely living separate lives in silence, It is to be perfectly one's self And perfectly joined in permanent commitment To another--and to one's inner self. Love only endures when it moves like waves, Receding and returning gently or passionately, Or moving lovingly like the tide In the moons own predictable harmony, Because finally, despite a child's scars Or an adult's deepest wounds, They are openly free to be Who they really are--and always secretly were, In the very core of their being Where true and lasting love can alone abide COUPLES STORY MARY:A fact known only to a few, is that Janet and Kate spent 48 hours together on their first date, and half way through that time (in the parking lot), Janet turned and looked at Kate and told her their lives would never be the same again. She always knew from that moment they would be together forever, and here they are three years later getting married! WITNESS SUPPORT Janet and Kate are thankful you have made the journey with them today to witness and celebrate this public declaration of the private commitment they have already made to one another. You know the happiness that this couple has found together, and you are witnesses to the pledges they will make to each other for the mutual service of their common life. They will need your love and support in the future, as well as on this happy day.Do you now offer your blessing and support for this couple, and wish them the best of lives together? If so, please say 'WE DO'. READINGS Here are some readings on love, in honour of this wedding today. Classical Chinese Poem I want to be your friend forever and ever When the hills are all flat and the rivers run dry When the trees blossom in winter and the snow falls in summer, when heaven and earth mix - not till then will I part from you. Old German poem I am yours. You are mine. Of this we are certain. You are lodged in my heart, the small key is lost. You must stay there forever. A GOOD WEDDING CAKE, AUTHOR UNKNOWN (sent by Aunt Jane) 4lbs of love 1 lb butter of youth 1/2 lb of good looks 1 lb sweet temper 1 lb of blindness for faults 1 lb of self forgetfulness 1 lb of pounded wit 1 lb of good humour 2 tablespoons of sweet argument 1 pint of rippling laughter 1 wine glass of common sense 1 ounce modesty Put the love, good looks, and sweet temper into a well furnished home and mix well together with the blindness of faults. Stir the wit and good humour into the sweet argument, then add the rippling laughter and common sense. Work the whole together until everything is well mixed, and bake gently for ever.
INTENTION to MARRY Janet and Kate, please face each other. Janet, are you ready to enter into this marriage with Kate, believing the love you share and your faith in each other will endure all things? JANET: I am. Kate, are you ready to enter into this marriage with Janet, believing the love you share and your faith in each other will endure all things? KATE: I am. VOWS Will you please join your hands?The pledges you will now repeat are a statement of present intent and commitment. They cannot endure unless you make them endure, with the resources you will draw from deep within yourselves. The hand offered by each of you is an extension of your self, just as is your mutual love. Cherish the touch, for you are holding not only your own, but another life in your hands. KATE: Life in its entirety is incomplete without you I see my life in your eyes When our lives intertwined I knew I loved you So now with marriage we take the next step We become a family, the family I’ve always known we were. I love you. JANET Kate, You are my timeless romance, my sweetest dream, the laughter in my life, No matter the distance, no matter the time, I shall cherish you and hold you close to my heart, I promise to share in all the joys and concerns the world offers us, and to love and support you for as long as I live MARY: Repeat after me: In the presence of these witnesses, I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death, and with my earnest and complete devotion, I give you my love. THE RING CEREMONY (receiving the rings)These rings, round like the sun, and the earth beneath us, are a symbol of perfection and peace, and a sign of the commitment which binds these two together They are an outward sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts. They have been 'warmed' by the love of your friends and family. I now ask you to offer this gift to each other. Janet, what gift do you offer that you will perform your vows? Kate, do you receive this ring in pledge of the same? KATE: I do. Janet places ring on Kate’s finger I give you this ring, that you may wear it, as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. I pledge you my love, and respect, my laughter and my tears. With all that I am, I honour you. Kate, what gift do you offer that you will perform your vows? Janet, do you receive this ring in pledge of the same? JANET: I do. Kate places ring on Janet’s finger I give you this ring, that you may wear it, as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. I pledge you my love, and respect, my laughter and my tears. With all that I am, I honour you. MARY: Now SAY TOGETHER, holding hands Today, tomorrow, forever, my love surrounds you. May this ring remind you of my constant heart. A commitment made in love, kept in faith, lives in hope and eternally made new. MARY: May every blessing and grace be yours, as your lives are now bound in each other’s keeping CLOSING BLESSING IRISH BLESSINGYou are the star of each night, You are the brightness of every morning, You are the story of each guest, Your are the report of every land, No Evil shall befall you, on hill nor bank, In field or valley, on mountain or in glen. Neither above, nor below, neither in sea, Nor on shore, in skies above, Nor in the depths. You are the kernel of my heart, You are the face of my sun, You are the harp of my music, You are the crown of my company. DECLARATION Kate and Janet:You have spoken your promises. You have exchanged the signs of your commitment each to each. It is thus with great pleasure that I declare that you have married each other in the presence of these witnesses. I now pronounce you married. KISS/EMBRACE
I now have the great honor to present to you the new couple: Janet and Kate! PRESENTATION SIGNING OF MARRIAGE LICENSE follows |