Quang Nguyen

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

Thank you all for coming on behalf of Hoang-Tuan & Minh-Châu. They’d like to express their love and their appreciation for all of you as family and friends that have come to this special occasion.

Thank you bride’s father. You may kiss your daughter and give her away.

Thank you all. You may be seated.

My name is Quang Nguyen. I don’t do this for a living, and you’ll figure that out really quick.

I’ve known Hoang-Tuan since he was a baby. Hoang-Tuan’s father and I are cousins and we were living together when I was attending a college in Danang, Vietnam in 1988.

Hoang-Tuan and I’ve also had a very good relationship since he came over to the US for studying and we met up many times when he was working in California. Last year we also came to visit Hoang-Tuan & Minhchau in Tampa, Florida.

Several months ago, his father called me from Vietnam and asked me to perform a wedding ceremony for Hoang-Tuan & MINH-CHAU. At first, I thought I would do like talk to bride family on groom family behalf. And after that Hoang-Tuan called me and asked me to apply for an ordained license on the internet. That’s why I’m standing here today 😀.

This is my first wedding. But I can guarantee you it will be official. This is gonna happen and my biggest desire for today is hope that we can do that.

We finally here gathered together as a community of family and friends to witness the marriage of Hoang-Tuan & MINH-CHAU.

Are you ready to start this thing Hoang-Tuan & MINH-CHAU? Are you sure you are ready?

Hoang-Tuan & MINH-CHAU, look at these people. These people love you and care about you, and they care about you as a married couple. They have travelled from all over to get here. They cancelled other plans to be here because… they care about you… Take this in.

Ladies and gentlemen,

you’re not here simply as observers. You are invited by Hoang-Tuan and MINH-CHAU to be participants in their lives, in their marriage from this day forward. We are called to rejoice in their happiness, to help them when they have trouble, and to remember them in our prayers. At this time, I’d like to ask all of you that… we are gathered here today as family and friends of Hoang-Tuan and MINH-CHAU, will you commit yourselves to uphold this marriage, to do your part in helping them keep their commitment to one another, to love them, to care for them, and pray for them? If so, please respond by saying “we will”. Fabulous!

(Now you can turn back around)

Hoang-Tuan and MINH-CHAU, a wedding ceremony is also an opportunity to make a covenant, not only between the two of you, but also the two families (I know your parents are best friends, school fellows, is that correct?). So, by the two of you standing here before two families and witnesses, you’re committing to getting married. You’re making a commitment to spending the rest of your lives together. I want to confirm your intentions by asking you each a question.

Now I’ll start with you, Hoang-Tuan. Do you Hoang-Tuan… of your own free will… choose to marry MINH-CHAU on this day, to join with her… as husband and wife for all the days of your life? If so, say “I do”.

So, do you MINH-CHAU … of your own free will… choose to marry Hoang-Tuan on this day to join with him… as husband and wife for all the days of your life? If so, say, “I do.”

There we go.

Hoang-Tuan and MINH-CHAU! What we are doing here today is one of the few things that is common to the entire human experience, in every period of history, in every generation, in every culture, every religion, every nation, every tribe has placed a value on what we’re doing here today.

Now we’re gonna get to the main part of our service: The marriage vows.

What I want you to do is I want you to turn and grab each other’s hands and look into each other’s eyes as best as you can (it’s just the two of you).

Hoang-Tuan, I want you to repeat after me:

I, Hoang-Tuan, take you, MINH-CHAU (pause), to be my wedded wife (pause). With deepest joy, I receive you into my life (pause). That together we may be one (pause). So, I will be to you (pause). A faithful, sacrificial husband (pause). Always will I be mindful (pause) of my responsibility to your union (pause). I promise you my deepest love (pause), my unselfish devotion (pause), my most tender care (pause). Therefore, MINH-CHAU, from this day forward (pause), no matter what may lie ahead of us (pause), I pledge to you, my life (pause). As a loving and faithful husband (pause).

Now MINH-CHAU repeat after me. You ready?

I, MINH-CHAU, take you, Hoang-Tuan (pause), to be my wedded husband (pause). With deepest joy, I receive you into my life (pause). That together we may be one (pause). So, I will be to you (pause) a faithful, sacrificial wife (pause). As you have pledged to me, so I pledge to you (pause). To respect you (pause). To learn from you (pause). And ever desire to please you (pause). Always will I be mindful (pause), of my responsibility to our union. I promise you my deepest love (pause), my unselfish devotion (pause), my most tender care (pause). In confidence (pause), I yield to your leadership (pause), as we join our lives together (pause). Therefore, Hoang-Tuan, from this day forward (pause), no matter what may lie ahead of us (pause), I pledge to you, my love (pause). As a loving and faithful wife (pause).

You made it! Good job!

Hoang-Tuan and MINH-CHAU stay right there. Can I have those rings?

The ring is a symbol of a commitment which binds two of you together. There are two rings because there are two people. Each makes a contribution to life of the other, and to their new life together.

May these rings symbolize your inherent wholeness and unity with one another, giving you the strength to happily honor your commitments to each other. May these rings bind two of you together in your peace and grow in your love.

Hoang-Tuan, take this ring and place it on her left hand. As you do, repeat after me: MINH-CHAU, I give you this ring (pause). As a symbol of my never-ending love (pause), and faithfulness (pause), and as I place it on your finger (pause), I commit myself to you (pause), from this day forward (pause), with all that I have, and all that I am.

Now MINH-CHAU take that. Place it on his left finger and repeat after me: Hoang-Tuan, I give you this ring (pause), as a symbol of my never-ending love (pause), and faithfulness (pause), and as I place it on your finger (pause) I commit myself to you (pause) from this day forward (pause), with all that I have and all that I am.

Now Hoang-Tuan and MINH-CHAU, as much as you’ve consented to join together in the state of matrimony… and having pledged and sealed your vows by giving and receiving of these rings … in the presence of the two families and the witnesses, so by the power vested in me, (and by some quirky things in the law that lets me do this), I now pronounce you: man and wife. Hoang-Tuan, you may kiss your bride.

Let me just offer a prayer of closing and benediction. Please pray with me.

The Four Great Vows:

Living beings are infinite in number (pause). I vow to liberate them from their suffering (pause)

The afflictions of emotion (pause) and delusion are innumerable (pause), I vow to end them (pause)

The ways of practice are limitless (pause), I vow to learn and practice them (pause).

The path of Awakened One is the highest (pause), I vow to realize it.

The Three Refuges:

I take refuge in the Buddha (pause), the one who shows me the way in this life.

I take refuge in the Dharma (pause), the way of understanding and of love.

I take refuge in the Sangha (pause), the community that lives in harmony and awareness.

Now you can turn around and I wanna say thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time it is my privilege to introduce you … to Mister and Mrs. Hoang-Tuan Nguyen.