Bette Kohlenberger

OFFICIANT TO THE RECEPTION

"Dearly beloved and honored guests,

We are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the joining of Kayne Corey and Erin Gusler in the sacred institution of marriage.

They are standing here before you today because they have decided to entwine their lives together. After today they will not just be a couple, they will be a family, a single entity held together by love and devotion.

And we are all here to bear witness to the creation of this new family, through the union of Kayne and Erin.

Today, they will affirm this bond to each other and in front of all of you. This affirmation means so much more because they are able to share it with all of you who are here today - their most beloved friends and family.

OFFICIANT TO THE COUPLE

Kayne and Erin today you are not only promising yourselves to each other, you are also committing to being strong for each other, to support and protect each other through all of the challenges you will face in this world.

Today is the day you will begin this new chapter in your lives. And so without further ado, let us begin your declaration of intent to marry, to join as one ship sailing through the sea of life.”

DECLARATION OF INTENT

OFFICIANT TO Kayne

"Do you Kayne take Erin to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, for as long as you both shall live?” Then respond with “I WILL”

Kayne RESPONDS WITH 'I WILL’.

OFFICIANT TO Erin

"Do you Erin take Kayne to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, for as long as you both shall live? Then respond with “I WILL”

Erin RESPONDS WITH “I WILL”

RING EXCHANGE

OFFICIANT TO THE COUPLE WHILE HOLDING THE RINGS IN MY HAND

“These rings are made of precious metal, but that same metal is also made precious by wearing them. Your wedding rings are special because they enhance who you are. They mark the beginning of your long journey together. Your wedding ring is a circle, a symbol of love never ending. It is the seal of the vows you have just taken to love each other without end.""A ring has no beginning or end. Its path is endless and a symbol of your endless love and respect for each other. By placing these rings on each other's fingers, you are promising to not just to love each other, but to honor each other, to be compassionate, patient, and understanding as you build your future together. You can both feel the love in this room. These rings represent this love. Not just your love for each other, but from everyone here today. Let these rings be a reminder of that love, what you are feeling today.”

OFFICIANT TO Kayne

Kayne, By placing this ring on Erin’s finger, you do this as a sign of your love that you have chosen her above all else.” Kayne place the ring Erin's finger and repeat after me:

Erin, you are my best friend and everlasting companion. (PAUSE FOR REPEAT) You have brought me the truest happiness I have ever known. (PAUSE FOR REPEAT) I take joy today in committing my life to yours."(PAUSE FOR REPEAT) I give you this ring as a symbol of my love (PAUSE FOR REPEAT) with the pledge to love and support you (PAUSE FOR REPEAT) today, tomorrow, always, and forever.”

OFFICIANT TO Erin

Erin, By placing this ring on Kayne’s finger, you do this as a sign of your love that you have chosen him above all else.” Erin place the ring on Kayne's finger and repeat after me:

Kayne, you are my best friend and everlasting companion. (PAUSE FOR REPEAT) You have brought me the truest happiness I have ever known. (PAUSE FOR REPEAT) I take joy today in committing my life to yours."(PAUSE FOR REPEAT) I give you this ring as a symbol of my love (PAUSE FOR REPEAT) with the pledge to love and support you (PAUSE FOR REPEAT) today, tomorrow, always, and forever.”

I found this poem by James Kavanaugh titled

“To Love is Not to Possess”

“To love is not to possess, to own or imprison, nor to lose one’s self in another. Love is to join and separate, to walk alone and together, to find a laughing freedom that lonely isolation does not permit. It is finally to be able to be who we really are no longer clinging in childish dependency nor docilely living separate lives in silence, it is to be perfectly one’s self and perfectly joined in permanent commitment to another and to one’s inner self. Love only endures when it moves like waves, receding and returning gently or passionately, or moving lovingly like the tide in the moon’s own predictable harmony, because finally, despite a child’s scars or an adult’s deepest wounds, they are openly free to be who they really are and always secretly were, in the very core of their being where true and lasting love can alone abide.”

OFFICIANT TO THE COUPLE

"Sustaining a healthy marriage takes love. It takes trust. It takes honesty. It takes patience. It takes teamwork, compromise, and understanding.

You will need to have faith in each other, to go forward together, into an unpredictable future. It will take dedication, to stay open to one another - and to learn and grow together.

Kayne and Erin, today you have stood before all of us and declared your intent to commit your lives to each other in marriage. You have made promises to each other and your family. Your road to this moment has not always been smooth, but you continued to fight for one another. I hope you will never forget the fight and perseverance it has taken to get to this moment. And I hope you will never forget the love and joy you feel today, because these are the values that will keep your marriage, family and bond to one another strong."

OFFICIANT TO THE GUESTS

“And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Oregon, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife.

OFFICIANT TO THE COUPLE

Kayne, you may now kiss your beautiful bride.

OFFICIANT TO THE GUESTS

Friends, family, it is my honor and privilege to introduce to you for the first time, Kayne and Erin Corey!”