Vikings Themed Wedding Ceremony Script

Casting the Sacred Circle

• Before guests enter the space or just before the processional, the Officiant will cast the sacred circle (if this aligns with the couple’s wishes). 

Housekeeping Announcements

• The Officiant makes any necessary housekeeping announcements, such as a cellphone and photography courtesy announcement. 

Procession

• The Officiant asks guests to stand for the bride's entrance (if desired, Modify to make this gender inclusive) and then asks them to be seated before beginning the welcome / invocation. 

welcome & Invocation

Officiant

Welcome family & friends, farmers, fishermen, warriors & shield maidens, both from near and far.

Whether you came by car, plane, or longship from Kattegat, thank you for gathering here today, as we begin this Celebration of Marriage for (Partner One) and (Partner Two). This marks the beginning of their new saga, joined before the Old Gods & yourselves.

Opening Blessing 

Officiant

Who offers their blessing on this union today?

• A guest stands to offer their blessing.

Officiant

(Name of Guest), thank you.

Today we shall weave Ways of the Old aspects, with nods to common traditions into (Partner One) and (Partner Two's) ceremony. As in the olden days of the Viking times, Community was at the heart of all challenges and celebrations, with a mutual sharing of moments like this, gathered together, sharing elations, food, drink & merriment. For a Viking Wedding, it is not just the joining of the couple who stands before us, but a uniting of the families to fortify their strength & allegiances. 

It is with this shared communal spirit that I ask of you today, their humble guests, do you now, all of you present, agree to continue to lend your blessings of support & encouragement to this couple?

• Guests answer in unison "Yes." 

(Partner One) and (Partner Two), is it your wish before the Old Gods, and these witnesses, to declare your marriage to one another?      

• The couple answers in unison "Yes." 

Charge to the Couple

Officiant

(Partner One) and (Partner Two), the promises you make today are sacred. They are the groundwork from which your marriage will grow and blossom over time.

Always keep one another close to your hearts, especially when you must journey apart. Respect and honor one another, your partnership, family, and hearth.

With your hearts true, may you weather any storms. May the Gods watch over you both and always guide you safely home.

Wedding Reading

• Choose a reading that is unique and relevant to the couple. This is also a good time to share insight into the couple's history, relationship, shared values, and love story. 

Exchange of Vows

• The following vows can be recited, read, or repeated by each party in turn.

Partner One to Partner Two

I take you, (Partner Two), as my (husband / wife / spouse),
To stand strong and equal by my side. 
By Destiny we are aligned,  
Our love eternal and true,
We will face challenges together, 
And find strength in our union.
By the Sun, Moon, & Stars, 
Our love is Blessed.
May we always be as happy as we are today.
May Odin give us knowledge on our way to come. 
May Thor bless our union with strength and courage.
May Frigg grant us family and prosperity.
May Loki never deny us laughter.
 

Partner Two to Partner ONE

I take you, (Partner One), as my (husband / wife / spouse),
To stand strong and equal by my side. 
By Destiny we are aligned,  
Our love eternal and true,
We will face challenges together, 
And find strength in our union.
By the Sun, Moon, & Stars, 
Our love is Blessed.
May we always be as happy as we are today.
May Odin give us knowledge on our way to come. 
May Thor bless our union with strength and courage.
May Frigg grant us family and prosperity.
May Loki never deny us laughter.

Declaration of Intent

Officiant

(Partner One) and (Partner Two), it's time to join hands, now. After I read your declaration of intent, please answer "I do."

(Partner One), before Odin & the Old Gods, do you take (Partner Two) as your beloved  (husband / wife / spouse), to have and to hold, through laughter and in sadness, through challenges and successes, poverty or riches, to love, honor, and respect, so long as you both shall live?  

• Partner One answers "I do."

(Partner Two), before Odin & the Old Gods, do you take (Partner One) as your beloved (husband / wife / spouse), to have and to hold, through laughter and in sadness, through challenges and successes, poverty or riches, to love, honor, and respect, so long as you both shall live?   

• Partner Two answers "I do."

Exchange of Rings

• In the time of Vikings, swords were exchanged between a bride and groom with wedding bands placed on their hilts or on the tips of their blades. The groom would gift the bride with an heirloom sword passed down within his family, honoring their Ancestors. The bride would offer a new sword, to represent the new family that would begin with their marriage.
• Couples may wish to use symbolic swords or daggers, placing the rings on the hilts or tips of the blades, or simply exchange rings in a traditional Western fashion. 

Officiant

Wedding rings are symbols of a couple's journey taken together, a completion of one story and beginning of another. They are forged by the fires of compassion, compromise, and love, and cannot be easily destroyed. 

The circle of each ring represents your infinite love for one another, and is an outward symbol of your love for all the world to see. As I hold these rings, may they be Blessed, and may they carry your eternal love with them.

Please repeat after me then place the ring on your spouse’s finger.

• Each partner will repeat the following promise / pledge in turn, placing the ring on the other's hand.

Partner One

I, (Partner One), present you, (Partner Two), with this ring as a symbol of our everlasting love. With this ring, I pledge my love to you.

Partner two

I, (Partner Two), present you, (Partner One), with this ring as a symbol of our everlasting love. With this ring, I pledge my love to you.

Handfasting Unity Ceremony 

Officiant

In the early Celtic traditions, formal weddings and wedding rings were mostly reserved for the nobility or the wealthy.  Meanwhile, the common folks of the villages would simply declare a couple as wed, following a Hand-fast ceremony, similar to what we are doing today.

A clansman would perform the ceremony by wrapping ribbons and strips of Tartan fabric around the couple’s hands. After slipping their hands out from the entwined ribbon or cord, the couple would pull the ends of the ribbon toward themselves to make a knot, which is where we get the phrase “Tie the Knot." 

Officiant to Couple

Please join your left hands.

• The couple hold hands. In some Pagan traditions, the left hand is considered malignant or bad luck, or is only used when performing a handfasting with a mistress, Paramour, or second partner. If the couple prefers, they can cross hands or hold right hands Instead.

Is it also your wish today that your hands be fast, in the Ways of old?”  

• The Couple answers in unison "Yes." 

You were asked to choose ribbons in 3 colors for your hand-fast cord, to be woven together as a tangible symbol of the values and virtues that you hold dear in your lives and in your union. You chose (Color One), (Color Two), and (Color Three). 

These colors represent the following qualities: 

(Color One), symbolic of (color symbolism here.)

(Color Two), symbolic of (color symbolism here.)

(Color Three), symbolic of (color symbolism here.)

• We have included examples for the colors Red, Green & Black below. Use these colors or choose your own for a custom experience.

Red, symbolic of fire and passion, that your love may always be bright, warm, and passionate. 

Green, of delicate leaves, symbolic of growth, that your love may be fruitful and vibrant, and your happiness abundant. 

Black – pure love, wisdom, success, strength – as a charred log gains strength from the fire it endured

• The Officiant wraps the cord, ribbon, or fabric around the couple's hands, tucking the ends through so that a knot will form as they slip their hands out following the hand blessing.

Blessing of the Hands

• This blessing is based on a traditional hand blessing, author unknown.
• Officiant places their hand on or above the couple's wrapped hands. 

Officiant to the couple

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. Together, everything you wish for can be realized.

This hand-Fast cord of three braided ribbons symbolizes so much. It is your life, your love, and the eternal connection that the two of you have found with one another. The true bonds of this handfasting are not formed by these ribbons, or even by the knot connecting them. They are formed instead by your vows, by your pledge, your souls, and your two hearts, now bound together as one.

May your Hands be forever clasped in friendship, 
and your hearts joined forever in Love!

• The Officiant and Couple may wish to add an additional Unity ritual/s before or after the handfast, but we recommend that the handfast always follow the ring exchange. This also makes it easier to place the rings.

Closing Blessing

Officiant

Blessed Be this marriage, with the gifts from the four cardinal directions.  

Blessed be this marriage with the gifts from the East, 
New beginnings that come each day with the rising sun, communication of the heart, mind, body, and soul.

Blessed be this marriage with the gifts of the South,
The light of the heart, the heat of passion, and the warmth of a loving home.

Blessed be this marriage with the gifts of the West,
The rushing excitement of a raging river, the soft and pure cleansing of a rainstorm, and a commitment as deep as the ocean itself.

Blessed be this marriage with the gifts of the North, 
A solid foundation on which to build your lives, abundance and growth of your home, and the stability to be found by holding one another at the end of the day.

The circle is now open, but never broken. 
As above, so Below. As within, so without.

Pronouncement

Officiant to Couple

(Partner One) and (Partner Two), by the power vested in me by American Marriage Ministries, and before the Universe & Old Gods, I happily declare you officially (husband and wife / wives / husbands / spouses) and partners for life! 

You may kiss! 

Drinking Horn Toast & Offering 

• The Officiant will pour mead into drinking horns and hand them to the couple. If the couple prefers, an alternative may be used, such as wine or a nonalcoholic beverage. However, mead or honey wine is traditional.

Officiant

Let us raise our drinking horns. First, we Thank the Old Gods for their Blessings over our festivities today. We give our offering of a first drink of this sweet mead to them.

• Each one pours a swallow’s worth of mead to the ground from each horn & then raises them into the air. 

Officiant to the couple

Now to you two, we are here to honor you and the unique love you share, a pillar of strength and a rock-solid bond.

May your love continue to be one of the great tales, spoken of long after you've left us in this world, for the great hall of Valhalla. 

(Partner One) and (Partner Two), may you enjoy a lifetime of sunrises and sunsets together. May your partnership continue to grow stronger through the years to come. And may the Gods always keep you safe.    

'Til Valhalla, SKAL!  

• "Skal," a traditional Nordic toast, should be shouted. Then all take a drink and replace the horns.

Please turn toward your guests.

Officiant to guests

It is my greatest honor to introduce to you for the first time, (Mr. and Mrs. / The Smiths / the couple's preferred titles.)

Congratulations to you both!

Recession

• Ceremony ends. The Officiant closes the sacred circle, and the guests gather for a feast and celebration long into the night. 

(This script has been lightly edited from the original for formatting and flow.)