Aida Unita Johnson-Rapp

Celebrant:

Welcome to the wedding of Reina and John. I am Aida Johnson-Rapp, a certified Celebrant. I am honored to be here today, before all of you, friends and family of Reina and John, to perform this ancient and sacred ceremony marking the union of two people in marriage. Today, gathered here in the fullness of summer, the season of plenty, we celebrate a glorious and powerful expression of love and fulfillment for these two people who are creating a family.

Before we begin, I ask that you all take a moment to turn off your cell phones and personal devices. Thank you.

FAMILY & GUEST SUPPORTING VOWS

Celebrant:

I now ask the family of the Groom, who brings this man to stand beside this woman?

Groom’s Family:

We do.

Celebrant:

I ask the family of the Bride, who brings this woman to stand beside this man?

Bride’s Family:

We do.

Celebrant:

I now ask the parents, family members and all our wonderful guests if they are willing now and always to support and strengthen this marriage by upholding both Reina and John with their love and support?

All Witnesses and Guests:

We do!

Celebrant:

True love is a rare gift. Much has been written about it, many seek it, but few are so lucky as to find it. For Reina and John, their discovery of one another and the magic of their love was a simple occurrence. They met while at work and admired one another from afar until John explained to me that he finally worked up the courage to ask Reina out on a movie double date.

As the Persian poet Rumi proclaimed more than 800 years ago,

"Lovers don't finally meet somewhere, they have known each other all along."

Johns says that from that moment on, he knew that Reina was someone special for him. Reina said that she had a crush on John and thought he was a cutie. He was quiet and she wanted to get to know him more. After that date they both said, "we made it official and began dating."

To John, Reina is the most wonderful person he has ever known. He says that once they expanded their family with Michael, their beloved canine companion, he saw a different side of Reina as she showed her maternal side. He saw how great of a mother she could become, and he knew he wanted to start a family with her. he knew she was the right person.

For Reina she realized they had similar hobbies and from there they grew into having the same goals for life. She knew they could grow as a team, that they would always be there for one another and make each other better individually. She knew that she would never have to question if he loved her or not and vice versa. Reina says that John enriches her life every day in the best ways and couldn't imagine her life without him.

I want to share this piece of writing because not only is it romantic, it resonates beautifully about the meaning of love and what great relationships are all about.

“Love" by Ray Croft

I love you,

Not only for what you are

But for what I am When I am with you.

I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself but for what you are making of me.

I love you, for the part of me that you bring out; I love you,

for putting your hand into my…heart

and passing over

all the foolish, weak things that you can't help dimly seeing there,

and for drawing out into the light

all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked

quite far enough to find.

I love you because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life not a tavern

but a temple; out of works

of my every day, not a reproach but a song.

Celebrant:

Love makes burdens lighter because you can share them. It makes joys more intense because they, too, can be shared. Love fortifies you, helping you to reach out and become involved with life in ways you might never dare risk alone.

In marriage you promise to share all that the future may bring. It is our hope, mine, and that of the company here today, your family and friends, supporters of this union, we wish you all the blessings that life can bring – joy and gladness, love and companionship, happiness, and prosperity, all the days of your life.

THE MONITUM

Now I, Aida Johnson-Rapp, a certified Celebrant and American Marriage Ministries minister, am duly authorized by law to solemnize this marriage commitment between the two of you, Reina and John, according to the laws of Illinois. I am bound to remind you publicly of the solemn, the serious and the binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter.

Marriage, as most of us understand it, is a voluntary and full commitment of one person to another; it is made in the deepest sense, to the exclusion of all others, and is entered into with the desire, the hope, and the firm intention that it will last for life.

THE ASKING

Celebrant:

Reina and John please face each other and join hands.

Celebrant:

Reina and John, do you come here freely, and without reservation, to enter a relationship as husband and wife, as companions living together, as partners enjoying equality?

Couple:

We do.

Celebrant:

Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect one another, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow for the rest of your lives?

Couple:

We do.

THE VOWS

Now, the time has come to take your vows. You have gazed into one another’s eyes, you have gazed into one another’s souls, you have found in one another your other half, your heart’s desire. Now you will pledge before this company what you have already pledged in word and deed to one another. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – friend, companion, teacher, lover. Now, you will say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and you will be husband and wife.

Remember this moment; may it be emblazoned in your memory in joy and fulfillment.

Celebrant:

John, please repeat after me:

I, John take you Reina, to be my wife

I promise, before family and friends to commit my love to you

To be open and honest with you and work toward our mutual growth. To respect your individuality

To be with you through all of life’s changes; To nurture and strengthen the love between us for all the days of my life. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope and eternally to be made new each and every day.

Celebrant:

Reina, please repeat after me:

I, Reina, take you John to be my husband

I promise, before family and friends to commit my love to you

To be open and honest with you and work toward our mutual growth. To respect your individuality

To be with you through all of life’s changes; To nurture and strengthen the love between us for all the days of my life. This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, lived in hope and eternally to be made new each and every day.

EXCHANGING OF THE RINGS

Celebrant:

These rings, unending circles, are symbols of your inner spiritual bond: they have no beginning and no end. So may it be with your love.

Reina, please repeat after me:

John:

I give you this ring, and with it, all that I have and all that I am. Let it be a sign of my enduring love and faithfulness to you.

Celebrant:

John, please repeat after me:

Reina:

I give you this ring, and with it, all that I have and all that I am. Let it be a sign of my enduring love and faithfulness to you.

THE BLESSING

Celebrant:

Love is heartwarming. We witness love and we are uplifted; we witness love, and we find hope. This company here today has gathered to witness the union of these two people and in doing so, we are uplifted. We have found hope.

From the depths of our hearts, we wish them well, we pledge them our support, and offer them our blessings for his life, her life, and their lives together.

May beauty surround you both on the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion to the place where the river meets the sun. Go now to your dwelling, your home to enter into the days of your lives together. And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

ANNOUNCEMENT (Optional)

Before we begin this final section of the ceremony, Reina and John have asked me to make an announcement. At the conclusion of the ceremony, they would like you to. . . (Information for guests)

DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE

Celebrant:

Reina and John, you have committed yourselves to each other through sacred vows and honored each other with the gift of eternal love. Your life is now one. By this integrity and truth, in the beloved company of family and friends, it is my honor- and with absolute delight- that I now pronounce you HUSBAND and WIFE.

THE KISS

Celebrant:

Legend holds that a nuptial kiss unleashes great power in heaven and on earth. As a couple joined by this marriage ceremony, you may now kiss.

SIGNING OF WEDDING CERTIFICATE

I ask the Bride and Groom and your two witnesses, Alexis and Connor to move to the table to sign the Wedding Certificate before joining your family, friends, and guests in celebration of your union.

By the authority vested in me by American Marriage Ministries and the State of Illinois I now pronounce you wife and husband!