Edward Ernest Elster

INVOCATION

Officiant to Family and Friends

We are gathered on this day to witness and celebrate the marriage of Vincent & Nancy. We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to acknowledge and strengthen a bond that already exists. This ceremony is a public affirmation of that bond and as their dearest family and friends, it is our honor and privilege to stand witness to this event.

Officiant to Couple

Seeing that no moment is without meaning, we ask that you take this marriage as the beginning of your lives together. Today signifies the creation of a new home and a new family for you both. May you be fulfilled by each other’s love and friendship. May you be overjoyed by the promises you are about to make and the life together you will create.

Remember that in every marriage, there are good times and bad, times of joy and times of sorrow. Marriage is a journey – a time of adventure and excitement enhanced by the love, trust, dedication and faith you share in one another.

DECLARATION OF INTENT

(“Please face each other and hold hands”)

Officiant to Couple

May the promises you make to one another today, be lived out to the end of your lives. Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys, but today is the day it all begins.

Vincent and Nancy, do you, with your family and friends as your witnesses, present yourselves willingly and of your own accord to be joined in marriage?

Couple Responds

[We do]

Officiant to Couple

Will you promise to care for each other in the joys and sorrows of life, come what may, and to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together?

Couple Responds

[We will]

EXCHANGE OF VOWS

Officiant to Vincent

Vincent, please repeat after me.

I, Vincent, take you Nancy, to be my wedded wife

I give to you in the presence of these witnesses

My promise to stay by your side,

In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,

As well as through the good times and the bad.

I promise to love you without reservation,

Comfort you in times of distress

Encourage you to achieve all your goals,

Laugh with you and cry with you,

Grow with you in mind and spirit

Always be open and honest with you,

And cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

Officiant to Nancy

Nancy, please repeat after me

I, Nancy, take you Vincent, to be my wedded husband

I give to you in the presence of these witnesses

My promise to stay by your side,

In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,

As well as through the good times and the bad.

I promise to love you without reservation,

Comfort you in times of distress

Encourage you to achieve all your goals,

Laugh with you and cry with you,

Grow with you in mind and spirit

Always be open and honest with you,

And cherish you for as long as we both shall live

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

Officiant to Couple

Having this love in your heart, you have chosen to seal your vows by exchanging rings.

From the earliest times, the circle has been a sign of completeness. The rings that you have chosen to wear have neither beginning nor end, much like your love for one another. They are a symbol of the words that you speak today. May these rings be from this day forward, your most treasured adornment, and may the love they symbolize, be your most precious possession. As you wear these rings, may they be constant reminders of these glad promises you are making today.

Officiant to Vincent

Vincent, please place the ring on Nancy’s left hand and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a symbol

of my love and faithfulness to you.

Officiant to Nancy

Nancy, please place the ring on Vincent’s left hand and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a symbol

of my love and faithfulness to you.

Officiant to Couple

Vincent and Nancy from this moment forward you will never be alone. You will carry with you the love of another person, giving you a completeness and renewed lightness. May your life together be immersed in love and excitement. May you strive to enrich each other in every possible way. And may you work to bring the peace you find to this world.

PRONOUNCEMENT

Officiant to Couple

Vincent and Nancy, on this 13th day of July 2024, you’ve expressed your love to one another through the commitment and promises you’ve made here today.

Therefore, in accordance with the laws of the State of Arizona and the power vested in me therein and by American Marriage Ministries, but mostly by the love that the two of you share, it is my genuine honor to pronounce you husband and wife.

Officiant to Vincent

You may now kiss the bride.

Officiant to Family and Friends

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is indeed my honor to be the first to introduce you to: Mr. and Mrs. McGinnis.

RECESSIONAL

Ceremony ends.