Paige Thompson

Welcome

Welcome family and friends. We are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the marriage of Greg and Trena. This is not the beginning of a new relationship but an acknowledgment of the next chapter in their lives together. Greg and Trena have spent years getting to know each other, and we now bear witness to what their relationship has become. Today, they will affirm this bond formally and publicly.

Josh and Ana will mark their transition as a couple not only by celebrating the love between themselves, but by also celebrating the love between all of us—including the love of their parents, fur babies, siblings, and extended family. Without that love, today would be far less joyous.

Reading

I will now read the Apache Wedding Prayer which speaks simply, yet profoundly to Josh & Ana’s connection.

Apache Wedding Prayer

Josh & Ana

Now you will feel no rain,

for each of you will be shelter for the other.

Now you will feel no cold,

for each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there will be no loneliness,

for each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two persons,

but there is only one life before you.

May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead

and through all the years.

May happiness be your companion,

and your days together be good and long upon the earth.

The I Do’s – Declaration of Intent

So, now we are at the heart of your ceremony, the part of your wedding day where everything shifts. On one level, you’ll walk away from this ceremony and nothing will have changed – still the same deep love, still the same commitment, still the same life you’ve been building together. And, on another level, something will be profoundly different – rather than just a couple in love, you will be legally married, and you will have made official vows and promises to one another, with witnesses, in sacred trust.

Please hold hands to give your consent and vows in marriage.

Please face one another and hold hands.

From the moment you first met each other… to the moment when you knew your love was the real thing… to the moment when you decided to make it official… these are the moments that have led you to this moment where it is time to give your consent in marriage.

Josh, we’ll start with you:

Josh, do you take Ana to be your wife, your best friend and love for life?

I do.

Ana, do you take Josh to be your husband, your best friend and love for life?

I do.

The Vows

You have consented to the sacred bond of marriage, and now it is time to share vows - promises that will guide you in the years to come.

Josh, please share your vows with Ana by repeating after me:

Ana, I promise to be your loving Husband.

From this day forward,

I promise to share my life with yours…

to love you,

to laugh with you,

and to build our dreams together

while allowing you to grow your dreams.

I promise to support you through times of trouble,

rejoice with you in times of happiness

and to have faith in our journey.

I promise to give you all the love I can give

my whole life long.

Paige to Ana.

Ana, please now share your vows with Josh by repeating after me:

Josh, I promise to be your loving wife.

From this day forward,

I promise to share my life with yours…

to love you,

to laugh with you,

and to build our dreams together

while allowing you to grow your dreams.

I promise to support you through times of trouble,

rejoice with you in times of happiness

and to have faith in our journey.

I promise to give you all the love I can give

my whole life long.

The Ring Exchange

You have made your vows which are promises for the married life that you are beginning right now in this moment. We witness and acknowledge your vows for the lifetime of your marriage. And so we come to the rings. The final ritual in a wedding ceremony is to make your commitment tangible – your rings are the physical representation of the promises you have made to one another today. They symbolize the sanctity of your marriage and are a constant reminder of your love.

May I please have the rings?

Josh, this ring is a circle of strength with no beginning or end and with no point of weakness. May this ring be a constant reminder of the promises you have made today

Please place it on Ana’s finger and repeat after me:

With this ring I thee wed.

I give you this ring as a symbol of our commitment

Our love

and our connection.

Ana, this ring is a circle of strength with no beginning or end and with no point of weakness. May this ring be a constant reminder of the promises you have made today (Paige hands ring to Ana). Please place it on Josh’s finger and repeat after me:

With this ring I thee wed.

I give you this ring as a symbol of our commitment

Our love

and our connection.

Paige asks Josh & Ana to join hands again if they haven’t already…

Blessing & Pronouncement

Your ring exchange is complete, you have made your promises for your married life, you have given your consent in marriage. With the witness of your friends and family, and the blessing of love that connects us all, you are now joined together in this most sacred commitment of marriage. May the two of you have a lifetime of health, wealth, love, success and happiness. May you continue to support one another in the wonderful way that you already do, may your love and connection grow exponentially over the years, and may your life together flourish as you walk the journey of it - hand in hand.

The Pronouncement & Kiss

By the power vested in me, by the State of Missouri, and by the power of your own commitment and choice within, I now pronounce you married/husband and wife.

Josh, you may kiss your bride!

The Presentation

I now present to you Mr. & Mrs. Honkomp!