Tannatha Ann Pallen

HANDFASTING WEDDING CEREMONY SCRIPT

Officiant:

Welcome everyone as we gather to celebrate the marriage of Vincent

and Mary.

Vincent and Mary have gathered today before their family and friends

to make a statement of their commitment to each other and to their

love. We celebrate the coming together of the families of Vincent and

Mary. It is said that through others, we are somebody. Through this

marriage, we broaden our family circle, remember our heritage, and

recall those who gave us life. We call upon our family and friends who

we are blessed to have in our lives, and our parents who guided us

along the road to adulthood. We call upon family and friends who

could not be here with us today; we know that they are here in spirit

and we ask that they be with us in our thoughts. As we begin this

ceremony we invite you to participate fully with your thoughts and

prayers, inviting you to call on whatever name you call your higher

power, asking for a blessing of this couple and their married life. Bless

this couple, their love, and their marriage as long as they shall live in

love together. May they each enjoy a healthy life filled with joy, love

and stability.

Be blessed by the element of air. May you be blessed with

communication, intellectual growth, and wisdom.

Be blessed by the element of fire. May you be blessed with harmony,

vitality, creativity, and passion.

Be blessed by the element of water. May you be blessed with

friendship, intuition, caring, understanding, and love.

Be blessed by the element of earth. May you be blessed

with tenderness, happiness, and compassion.

Officiant continues:

Love has its seasons, the same as does the Earth. In the winter of love,

there is parting, and sorrow. But love remains, as do the stark and bare

tree trunks in the snow, ready for the renewal of love in the spring as life

and love begin anew.

In the spring of love is the discovery of each other, the pulse of the

senses, the getting to know the mind and heart of the other; a

blooming like the buds and flowers of springtime.

In the summer of love comes the strength, the commitment to each

other, the most active part of life; the sharing of joys and sorrows, the

learning to be humans who are each complete and whole but who can

merge each with the other, as the trees grow green and tall in the heat of

the sun.

In the autumn of love is the contentment of love that knows the other

completely. Passion remains, and ease of companionship. The heart

smoothes love into a steady light, glorious as the autumn leaves.

Exchange ofVows (RINGS!!!)

Vincent Alexander Giammatteo, Do you accept Mary Rose DeMott as

your wife, and with this ring promise to stand by her in sunshine and in

storm, in darkness and in light, through good times and bad, providing

for her happiness before your own, to cherish and respect her as long

as you both shall live? (Response: I do.)

Mary Rose DeMott, Do you accept Vincent Alexander Giammatteo as

your husband, and with this ring promise to stand by him in sunshine

and in storm, in darkness and in light, through good times and bad,

providing for his happiness before your own, to cherish and respect

him as long as you both shall live? (Response: I do.)

Presentation of the Handfasting Cords/Ribbons

Officiant: The couple will be celebrating today with an ancient

handfasting ritual. I ask that Vincent and Mary please join their hands,

left hand to left hand, and right hand to right hand, forming the symbol

for infinity.

I will now present the 13 cords, each color representing an aspect of the

foundation of this union

Red for passion

Orange for encouragement

Yellow for joy

Green for fertility

Blue for devotion

Purple for power

Black for wisdom

White for purity

Gray for balance

Pink for romance

Brown for grounding

Silver for inspiration

Gold for longevity

Handfasting Ritual and Celebration of the Hands

Officiant continues: I will bind these cords now, as we all wish blessings

upon the couple and their union made this day. Tying these cords means

that the couple is no longer two separate entities but joined as one,

bound together in mutual love.

[The officiant ties a figure eight knot with the cords, and the couple

remains bound together. The officiant then says these words...]

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of

love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you

promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are

the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your

future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish

you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you

like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief

fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the

tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and as in today, tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children, the hands

that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that

will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the

hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for

yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Declaration of Marriage

[Officiant removes the cords, forming a perfect figure-eight for the

couple to have as a keepsake]

Officiant: Your hands have been bound and fasted, with this cord as

proof of your commitment to each other. As this is a union of family and

friends, I turn to those gathered here before us and ask if you give this

marriage your blessing. Please answer, "We do!"

Guests: We do!

With the power invested in me by American marriage ministries and the

state of Florida I now pronounce you husband and wife Please seal this

union with a kiss!

Family and friends, please join me in celebrating the newly

married couple!