Lucell Armond Hanson

We will begin in 5-minutes

Please find your seats and silence your electronics

"The wedding party enters"

Groom and Best Man – will already be at the altar

"Music will start"

Maid of Honor will enter

Everyone, please stand

Bride and George will enter

Bride gets to the altar

Escort will sit down

Opening Prayer

Dearly beloved, and honored guests;

We are gathered here in the presence of God, family, and friends to unite Derek Turner and Kim Pruitt in holy matrimony. Marriage is an honorable estate, and is therefore not to be entered into lightly, but reverently, advisedly, soberly, and with God’s blessing. Today, they will receive God’s greatest gift; another person to share with, grow with, change with, be joyful with, and to stand with as one when trials and tribulations enter their lives. It is fitting, therefore, that we should on this occasion begin by asking for God’s blessing on this marriage.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we gather to celebrate your gift of love, and its presence among us. We rejoice that these two people have chosen to commit themselves to a life of loving faithfulness to one another. We praise you, Lord, for the ways you have touched our lives with loving relationships such as Kim and Derek’s, and we give thanks for the special love and friendship you have put in their hearts. Renew within us an affectionate and loving spirit.

Enrich our lives with the gracious gift of your love so that we may embrace others with that same love. May our participation in this celebration of love and commitment, give to us a new joy and responsiveness to the relationships that we cherish.

In your loving arms, we pray, Amen.

You may all be seated.

Definition of Commitment

Marriage is a joyous occasion. It is connected in our thoughts with the charm of love, the warmth of home, and with all that is pleasant, as being one of the most important events of our lives. Its sacredness and unity are the most significant and binding covenant known in human relations.

Derek and Kim, let me charge you both to remember that your future happiness is to be in mutual consideration, patience, kindness, confidence, and affection. It is the duty of each of you to find your greatest joy in the company of the other; to remember that your love pledged today must remain undivided for a lifetime.

It is your duty, Derek, to be to Kim, a considerate, tender, faithful, and loving husband: to support, guide and cherish her in prosperity and trouble; to thoughtfully and carefully enlarge the place she holds in your life; to constantly show to her the tokens of your affection, to shelter her from danger, and to love her with an unchangeable love.

It is your duty, Kim, to be to Derek, a considerate, tender, faithful, and loving wife; to comfort, guide and cherish him in prosperity and trouble; to give to him the unfailing pieces of evidence of your affection; and to continue making the place he holds in your heart, broader and deeper; to support him, value him and work with him to make your marriage the very best that it can be.

I call your attention to the seriousness of the decision which you have made and the covenant you are about to declare before God. The vows you are about to take cannot to be taken without careful thought, for in them you are committing yourselves exclusively to one another for as long as you both shall live.

Wedding Vows

If you are ready to assume the obligations and duties before God, as I have defined them, you will unite your hands and pledge your love and your lives to each other.

Derek, repeat after me.

I Derek, take you, Kim, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow.

Now Kim, please repeat after me.

I Kim, take you, Derek, to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow.

Exchange of Rings

Will the best man please present the rings?

You will now exchange rings as a symbol of the lifelong commitment and abiding love which you as husband and wife have promised to each other.

Groom, please place the ring on _____’s finger, and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.

And Bride, please place the ring on _____’s finger, and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.

Closing Prayer

Eternal God, help _____ and _____ to fulfill the promises they have made here today and to reflect your steadfast love in their commitment to each other. Give them kindness and patience, affection and understanding, happiness, and contentment. May their family and friends continue to support them in difficult days, so that their love for each other may continue to grow as long as they both shall live.

Let us all pray together.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On Earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

And the power, and the glory,

Forever and ever.

Amen.

Declaration of Marriage

Derek, and Kim, having witnessed your vows for marriage before God and all who are assembled here, by the authority invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!

(get out the way of the pictures)

Jumping of the broom

Derek and Kim have chosen to conclude their ceremony with the tradition of - jumping the broom.

Jumping the broom is an African American tradition dating back to the 1600s. Enslaved people in this country were not permitted to marry, so they jumped a broom as a way of ceremonially uniting.

As Derek and Kim jump the broom, they physically and spiritually cross the threshold into the land of matrimony. It marks the beginning of making a home together as one. It symbolizes the sweeping away of the old and the welcoming of the new; the sweeping away all negative energy, making way for all things that are good to come into their lives. Lastly, it is a call of support for the marriage from the entire community of family and friends.

“Lay the broom down”

Together, we will say “1, 2, 3, jump! Okay, ready….

Ladies and Gentlemen, family and friends, it is my honor to present to you,

Mr. And Mrs. Turner