Deanna Marie Potochnic

Wedding Vows for Courtney and Nicholas

July 9th, 2022

Friends, family, and loved ones, we come together today, in the sight of the divine and of you as

witnesses to join Courtney and Nicholas in marriage. We gather around them now in this

wonderful place, and we look on with love and hope as these two begin their new life together as

one.

Marriage is a sacred institution in our culture. It is a tradition of partnership, of trust, and of

dependence on one another to navigate the sometime stormy seas of life. People have said that

marriage requires things like work, like commitment, and like sacrifice - and certainly all of those

things are true. No matter what it looks like in the end, however, a healthy marriage always needs

a solid foundation.

It begins with love, to be sure, but what does that mean? People say they love chocolate, is that

the same as the love we need for a solid marriage? Of course not. The love we need comes from

being willing to make those sacrifices. The love we need comes from being committed to working

through everything together, and maintaining open communications - even when it is difficult.

The love we need makes the work it takes to maintain it all worth it.

On top of that foundation of love - a mixture of work, sacrifice, and commitment - we can build

things like trust and intimacy, and all the beautiful things that makes a marriage worthwhile.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor

others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not

delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always

perseveres.

Courtney and Nicholas, are you ready to proclaim that foundation of love for one another in the sight of the havens and these witnesses?

Courtney:

Courtney, do you take Nicholas to be your lawfully wedded husband? Will you honor

and cherish him, love, trust, and commit to him, through joy and pain, sickness

and health, and whatever life may throw at you both, until death do you part?

Courtney: I do.

Nicholas

Nicholas , do you take Courtney to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you honor

and cherish her; love, trust, and commit to her through joy and pain, sickness

and health, and whatever life may throw at you both, until death do you part?

Nicholas: I do.

At this time, Courtney and Nicholas will exchange rings. The wedding ring is symbol of binding. A symbol of attachment and of belonging, not of possession, but of partnership.

Courtney. please repeat after me: Nicholas I promise to love you and commit to you my whole life. I promise to be there for you when you need me, to be honest with you, to be faithful to you and you alone, and to walk through the valleys of life together, just as we will stand atop mountains together, too,

Nicholas, please repeat after me: Courtney, I promise to love you and commit to you my whole life. I promise to be there for you when you need me, to be honest with you, to be faithful to you and you alone, and to walk through the valleys of life together, just as we will stand atop mountains together, too

Courtney and Nicholas, having proclaimed your love and commitment to one another in the eyes

of these loved ones, and with the power vested in me by the Universal Life Church and the state

of Illinois I am so happy to pronounce to you husband and wife

You may kiss your bride

Thank you all so much for joining us in this special moment in Courtney’s and Nicholas’s life!

I would now like to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Gray!