Nestor Alejandro Santa Cano

JuanJo & Deisi’s Wedding

Procession

Good evening, everyone. We are about to start the ceremony, so please wrap up your conversations and take your seats.

*Invocation*

N: Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today in the presence of God to witness and bless this union as JUAN and DEISIANY join together in Holy Matrimony.

N: Please take a seat

N: The sacred covenant of marriage was established by God to join together a man and woman in love and prosperity,

N: Genesis 2: 24

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

N: God designed marriage so that couples might weather the ups and downs of life with a constant friend, and build a family that’s made strong and joyful in faith.

N: According to God's plan for their lives, JUAN and DEISIANY have chosen each other, and we are gathered here to witness their vows of love and to offer our blessings and support for their marriage.

N: JUAN and DEISI met while playing volleyball during a graduate student gathering at Virginia Tech around two years ago. Their faith, closeness to family, and love for cooking delicious dishes (which I’ve had the privilege to enjoy!) made them an instant best match.

N: Over the past two years, they’ve traveled together, laughed together, and learned what it means to be partners, growing closer every step of the way.

N: Now they stand before us, ready to take the biggest step of all – into marriage.

N: If anyone present knows of any reason why this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.

[PAUSE HERE]

N: JUAN and DEISIANY, here in the presence of God, family, and friends, if either of you knows any reason why you should not marry, do now confess it.

[PAUSE HERE]

N: Let us pray.

N: "Heavenly Father, we ask for your blessings upon JUAN and DEISIANY as we celebrate this momentous occasion in their lives. Grant them happiness and contentment, as their two lives become one, as they create a new family and explore the depths of their love for one another.

N: Bless their families and friends and the relationships, which have supported, strengthened, and sustained them throughout their lives. Bless their home as a place of love and of peace.

N: In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

*Declaration of Intent*

N: JUAN, do you take DEISIANY for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?

J: I do.

N: DEISIANY, do you take JUAN for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?

D: I do.

*Vows*

N: Having stated their intentions to marry, let’s give JUAN and DEISI the opportunity to read the vows that they have written for each other.

J: [JUAN READS VOWS]

D: [DEISI READS VOWS]

*Ring Exchange*

N: You will now exchange rings as a symbol of these vows. As you look upon these tokens of your commitment, remember the promises you’ve made, and never despair, for life’s challenges and joys are all part of His great plan.

Please bring the rings.

The Groom’s Pledge

N: JUAN, if it’s in your heart, please repeat after me.

N & J: I, Juan Jose Monsalve Valencia, take you, Deisiany Ferreira Neres, to be my wife,

to have and to hold from this day forward,

to honor, to cherish, to sustain,

and to love with all my heart

in every situation, under every condition,

according to God’s Holy Word;

and thereto I pledge to you myself.

N & J: This ring I give you in token and in pledge

of my Christian faith and abiding love for you.

The Bride’s Pledge

N: DEISI, if it’s in your heart, please repeat after me.

N & D: I, Deisiany Ferreira Neres, take you, Juan Jose Monsalve Valencia, to be my husband,

to have and to hold from this day forward,

to honor, to cherish, to sustain,

and to love with all my heart

in every situation, under every condition,

according to God’s Holy Word;

and thereto I pledge to you myself.

N & D: This ring I give you in token and in pledge

of my Christian faith and abiding love for you.

[MOVE OUT OF THE WAY FOR RING EXCHANGE PICTURE]

*Wedding Coins*

N: Now let us do an exchange of the coins. The wedding coins (or arras in Spanish) are part of a unity ritual often celebrated in the Hispanic culture. The groom presents 13 coins to the bride as a symbol of his commitment to care for her and their home. the symbolism of the wedding coins represents a promise of prosperity in the couple’s marriage, as well as a promise to always protect each other’s wealth.

N: Parents of the groom, please bring the wedding coins as a symbol of economic stability in the new marriage.

N: These coins represent not only material possessions but abundant spiritual strength so that they may bless others. They are a reminder that they will mutually support each other, their community, and the world around them. As you hold the coins in your hands, remember that your blessings will no longer be separate but together.

*Closing Remarks*

N: JUAN and DEISI, as you stand here holding hands, I want to remind you that these are the hands of your best friend, a person vibrant with love, that will be there to catch you when you fall, that will lift you up when you are down, and celebrate the good times. From this day forward, remember to always hold each other’s hands.

N: I encourage you to always remember this Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 13, which gives us the best description of love:

N: 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. 5 It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things endure all things."

*Pronouncement and First Kiss*

N: JUAN and DEISI, remember to love each other faithfully, just as Christ loved the church, for marriage is a lasting promise of kindness, patience, forgiveness, and love. Trust in God with all your heart, and your path forward will be filled with joy and light for all the years to come.

N: By the power vested in me by the American Marriage Ministries and the beautiful state of Colorado, in the presence of God and the witness of friends and family, I now pronounce you married! LOS DECLARO MARIDO Y MUJER.

N: You may kiss! PODE BEIJAR A NOIVA

[MOVE OUT OF THE WAY FOR FIRST KISS PICTURE]

Recession