Traditional Baptist Wedding Ceremony Script

Processional

• Guests are seated. Grandparents and mothers / parents enter first and are seated up front to honor their presence. Next, the pastor or minister (who we have designated as ‘officiant’) enters and stands waiting at the altar. 
• The wedding party enters: Groom and best man, followed by bridesmaids and groomsmen / ushers, maid of honor, the flower girl/s and ring bearer, and the bride with her father / escort.) 
• Guests may stand while the bride makes her walk down the aisle.

Invocation / Service of Worship

The Officiant to the Congregation

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of God, family, and friends to witness a joyous occasion - the union of [Bride] and [Groom] in Holy Matrimony. 

The sacred covenant of marriage is a sanctuary and a home. It must not be entered into lightly, but reverently, discreetly, soberly, and advisedly, with God’s guidance and blessing. 

We rejoice today as [Bride] and [Groom] receive one of God’s greatest gifts – a loving partner to grow with, to share life’s joys and challenges with, to build a family with, and grow old with, and to journey with in faith throughout all of their days. 

So let us pray, asking for His blessing on this marriage.

Oh, Heavenly Father, bless this couple as they give themselves to one another in this holy bond of marriage. Guide them with patience and love, lighting their path brightly as they walk together in your Spirit. Bless this union with a love that is pristine and pure, and a desire to live in faith that is strong as your own. Amen.

Presentation of the Bride 

Officiant to the Congregation

Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Bride’s father or parent

I do. 

• The bride’s father will present the bride’s hand to the groom and be seated. If both parents wish to show the bride their support, they may answer together, “We do.” The officiant’s question can also be said in an updated way, for example, “Who supports this bride in marriage?”

Scripture Reading

Officiant to the Couple

[Bride] and [Groom], in John 15:9-12, it’s written “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

This is the spirit of love you must carry in your hearts today – the promise to love one another as Jesus Christ has loved each of us, honestly and completely. 

Homily

• We recommend you draft a personalized homily or sermon that considers the couple’s unique love story. Begin with a meaningful Bible passage on the nature of love of commitment, and then expand using your own wisdom and experiences. 
• Discuss the blessings of marriage, the importance of faithfulness and honesty, how to ensure a happy and harmonious home life, and the ways in which they should honor each other as husband and wife. Share passages and insight on the importance of family, devotion to God, and, if the couple wishes to have children, on the ways in which marriage creates a home for generations to come. 
• Reflect on the couple’s individual and shared journeys in faith, and how their belief in God has strengthened their relationship. Incorporate who they are as individuals, any service they do within the church, who they have become in their walk with Jesus, how far they have come together and their growth as a couple, and any specific readings the couple asks you to include. 

For inspiration on what to read during this section, visit:

10 Popular Bible Verses about Marriage, Love, & Commitment.

Declaration of Intent

Officiant to the Congregation

[Bride] and [Groom], as you stand here before friends, family, and God, I ask you to declare your intentions to join in the sacred covenant of marriage.

Officiant to the Bride

[Bride], Have you come here freely and without reservation to marry?

• Bride answers “I have.” 

Do you take [Groom] to be your husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him, as long as you both shall live?

• Bride answers “I do.”

Officiant to the Groom

[Groom], Have you come here freely and without reservation to marry?

• Groom answers “I have.” 

Do you take [Bride] to be your wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?

• Groom answers “I do.”

Exchange of Vows and Rings

• The couple may wish to write their own personal wedding vows. If so, they will exchange these now. 

Officiant to the Congregation

[Groom] and [Bride] will now exchange rings as a symbol of their commitment and endless devotion. 

[Groom], you may place the ring you’ve chosen on [Bride’s] hand. 

And [Bride], you may place the ring you’ve chosen on [Groom’s] hand.

• The couple exchanges wedding rings.

Officiant to the congregation

This marriage unites not just [Groom] and [Bride], but all of the families sitting here today. They ask now for your blessing. Do you promise to support [Groom] and [Bride] in their marriage, to keep them in your prayers, to hold them up with love, and to rejoice in companionship in Jesus as they walk this path together? 

• The congregation answers, “We do.”

Unity Ceremony

• This is an appropriate time to include a unity ceremony if the couple wishes to. For example, the couple may choose a candle lighting ceremony, sand pouring ceremony, or another personalized ritual.  

Closing Prayer

The Officiant to the Congregation

Father, bless this marriage and bestow your spirit in the hearts of the [Groom] and [Bride]. Let the divine light illuminate their path as they build a joyous life built on profound love, compassion, devotion, and your eternal wisdom. It is written in Genesis that “a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” And so it is today, with these two. 

Let [Bride] and [Groom] be a comfort to each other, and bless them with patience, so they may always find strength and endurance to fulfill the promises they have made here before You and us all. Amen.

• All present pause for a brief moment of silent prayer.

Pronouncement of Marriage

The Officiant to the couple

[Bride] and [Groom], having witnessed your marriage vows in the eyes of God and before all who are assembled here, by the authority invested in me by American Marriage Ministries and the State of [Name of State], I pronounce you husband and wife. 

You may kiss the bride!

• The couple kisses or embraces.

The Officiant to the congregation 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce you for the first time to Mr. & Mrs. [COUPLE'S MARRIED NAME]!

Recessional

• End of the Ceremony