Kristen Ashley Lee

INTRODUCTION

OFFICIANT (to congregation): Welcome everyone, please be seated.

Thank you all for making the commitment to be here today Saturday May 27, 2023 as Spenser and Samantha pledge their love for one another and make a truly wonderful commitment of their own.

Life is made up of a series of commitments: work, friends, family, community, even to ourselves.

But making this marriage commitment to the one you love can be the most fulfilling of one’s entire life.

Yes, it is a commitment of time, resources and emotion to another, but

Marriage is the commitment you also make to yourself.

You commit to bettering yourself each and every day working to be the best possible partner you can be for your beloved.

And It’s not just a commitment to give love, but also to allow yourself to be open enough to receive it back.

Many of us have experienced the seemingly counterintuitive feeling that giving feels a lot more rewarding than receiving. Your whole body, your mind, your heart is filled with content and joy when you give and see how positively it affects those who are receiving. A healthy, happy marriage consists of two partners who are wholeheartedly ready and willing to give and receive just as Spenser and Samantha so obviously are.

And so now is the time for Sam and Wendy to officially make the marriage commitment.

DECLARATION OF INTENT

OFFICIANT (to Spenser):

Do you, Spenser, take Samantha to be your wife? To not only give love, support and understanding, but also to fully accept these things as well?

Spenser: I do.

OFFICIANT (to Samantha):

And do you, Samantha, take Spenser to be your husband? To not only give love, support and understanding, but also to fully accept these things as well?

Samantha: I do.

VOW/RING EXCHANGE

OFFICIANT (to congregation): Wedding rings are our emotions brought into the physical world. They are a symbol of everlasting love, as well as a symbol to show the world that you have been fortunate enough to enter into this marriage commitment.

Each time you slip your ring on or off, remember this day and how you feel now and let each and every day of your marriage be full of the same love and adoration for each other you experience now.

And now the future couple will present each other with their rings as they repeat after me.

OFFICIANT (to Spenser):

Spenser:

Please accept this ring,

as a symbol of my love,

for you above all others.

It’s my promise,

that wherever our journey takes us,

I will be there for you whole heartedly.

With this ring,

I thee wed.

[groom places ring on bride’s finger]

OFFICIANT (to Samantha):

Samantha:

Please accept this ring,

as a symbol of my love,

for you above all others.

It’s my promise,

that wherever our journey takes us,

I will be there for you whole heartedly.

With this ring,

I thee wed.

[Bride places ring on groom’s finger]

CLOSING STATEMENT

OFFICIANT (to congregation): Marriage is that wonderful commitment that allows you to give of yourself fully and freely each and every day. For each new day is a new opportunity to make your partner feel loved and appreciated which in turn fills you with that special feeling of joy. When both partners commit to each other fully, marriage becomes a never-ending circle of love and support.

THE PRONOUNCEMENT

OFFICIANT (to congregation): And so marriage is one of the most selfless and at the same time wonderfully selfish commitments one can make and I am overjoyed to now officially introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. McCulliugan. You may now enjoy your first married kiss.