Kendra Alanea White Haney

Ashley Paras & Ricky Alvarez

Welcome! Good afternoon, family and friends. We have joined here today to celebrate the wedding of Ashely Paras and Ricky Alvarez. On behalf of the bride and groom, thank you for joining us. By your presence, you celebrate with them the love they have discovered in each other, and you support their decision to commit themselves to a lifelong relationship.

My name is Kendra and I am a close friend of both the bride and groom. This is my first time officiating a wedding so there may be some speed bumps. I am truly honored to be celebrating with Ricky and Ashley today and even more so that they have entrusted me with such a special part of their day—so thank you both.

Ashely and Ricky, marriage is the promise between two people who love one another, who trust in their love, who honor each other as individuals in that togetherness, and who wish to spend the rest of their lives together. It enables the two separate souls to share their desires, longings, dreams, and memories, their joys and sorrows, and to help each other through all uncertainties of life.

A strong marriage also nurtures each of you as separate individuals and allows you to maintain your unique identity and grow in your own way through the years ahead. It is a safe haven for each of you to become your best self.

Today represents not only the joining of Ashely and Ricky, but also the joining of their families. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities and love. It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and to grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both.

Ashley and Ricky, do you present yourselves willingly and of your own accord to be joined in marriage?

We do.

Will you promise to care for each other in the joys and sorrows of life, come what may, and to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together?

We do.

Please face one another and join hands. I will now wrap your hands in this cord and tie a knot. This cord is symbolic of your unity and commitment to one another, the joining of two paths becoming one. By tying this cord, you are bound to your vows. Please repeat after me:

Ashely, I take you as you are/ loving who you are / I promise from this day forward/ To be grateful for our love and our life/ To be generous with my time, my energy and my affection/ To be patient with you and with myself/ To fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter/ To inspire you to grow as an individual / To love you completely/ These things I pledge to you

Ricky, I take you as you are/ loving who you are / I promise from this day forward/ To be grateful for our love and our life/ To be generous with my time, my energy and my affection/ To be patient with you and with myself/ To fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter/ To inspire you to grow as an individual / To love you completely/ These things I pledge to you

May this cord draw your hands together in love, never to be used in anger. May the vows you have spoken never grow bitter in your mouth. May this knot remain tied for as long as love shall last. As your hands are held fast by this cord, use those hands to hold tight to one another—through both good times and bad—and watch as your strength grows.

Ashely & Ricky, you have come here today of your own free will and in the presence of family and friends, have declared your love and commitment to each other. This knot is a symbol of your promises and your everlasting future together. By the power of your love and commitment to each other, and by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

You may now share your first kiss as husband and wife.