Christian Gerber

Processional

[ Guests are seated. Wedding party enters. Bride enters last. ]

WELCOME

Officiant: We gather here today — family and friends — to celebrate one of life's most beautiful gifts: the gift

of love found, and love chosen. We are here because John and Christy matter to us, and because this moment

matters to them.

Officiant: It is no small thing to find your person. John and Christy each know the valleys as well as the

mountaintops. They have walked through seasons of loss, of loneliness, and of waiting — and they will tell you

that it only makes this moment sweeter.

Officiant: Before we begin, Christy would like to take a moment to share something she has prepared.

OPENING PRAYER

Officiant: Let us pray.

Officiant: Lord, we thank You for the gift of love — for the way You place people in our paths at just the right

moment. We thank You for John and Christy, for the journeys that brought them here, and for the family

surrounding them today. May Your hand be upon this marriage. May their home be filled with grace, with

laughter, and with Your presence. We ask Your blessing over this covenant they are about to make. Amen.

[ Congregation responds: Amen. ]

A WORD ON FAMILY

Officiant: Marriage doesn't just unite two people — it weaves two families together. Today, John isn't just

gaining a wife. He's gaining the family that Christy has always called her own. And Christy isn't just gaining a

husband — she's gaining everyone who loves John.

Officiant: To everyone here: you are not spectators. You are the roots that hold this couple steady. Your

presence today — and in the years ahead — is part of what makes this marriage strong. Family shows up.

Family prays. Family celebrates. And that is exactly what you are doing right now.

DECLARATION OF INTENT

Officiant: John and Christy, before you exchange your vows, I want to ask you each a question.

Officiant: John, do you come here freely and without reservation, to give yourself to Christy — to love her,

honor her, and cherish her, in the presence of God and family?

John: I do.

Officiant: Christy, do you come here freely and without reservation, to give yourself to John — to love him,

honor him, and cherish him, in the presence of God and family?

Christy: I do.

SCRIPTURE READING

Officiant: Before John and Christy share their vows, I want to read a passage that has stood the test of time —

a definition of love that speaks not just to how we feel, but to how we choose to live.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it

is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but

rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Officiant: John and Christy, you have lived long enough to know that love is not just a feeling — it is a daily

decision. Patience when it is hard. Kindness when you are tired. Trust when you cannot see the whole picture.

That is the love you are committing to today, and it is the love that will carry you through every season ahead.

EXCHANGE OF VOWS

[ John and Christy have written their own personal vows. Insert vows here before the ceremony. ]

Officiant: John, please take Christy's hands and share the vows you've written for her.

[ John reads his personal vows to Christy. ]

Officiant: Christy, please share the vows you've written for John.

[ Christy reads her personal vows to John. ]

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

Officiant: These rings are a symbol of everything you've just promised — unbroken, unending, and given

freely. May they remind you every day of this moment and of each other.

Officiant: John, as you place this ring on Christy's finger, repeat after me:

John: With this ring, I promise my love and my life to you.

Officiant: Christy, as you place this ring on John's finger, repeat after me:

Christy: With this ring, I promise my love and my life to you.

BLESSING OVER THE COUPLE Officiant: John and Christy, I speak this blessing over you now, from your family and from our faith:

Officiant: May this season of your lives be your sweetest yet. May you wake each morning grateful for the gift

of another day together. May your home be full of laughter, of peace, and of the quiet comfort that comes from

knowing you are truly known and truly loved. May you never take for granted what God so graciously gave you

— each other.

Officiant: And when the road ahead has its hard days — and it will — may you face them side by side, leaning

on your faith, leaning on your family, and leaning on one another. You have already proven you are strong

enough. Now go enjoy the life you have earned.

"Two are better than one... for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion." — Ecclesiastes 4:9–

10

PRONOUNCEMENT

Officiant: John and Christy, you have made your promises before God, and before the family and friends who

love you most. What God has brought together, let no man tear apart. It is now my great joy — and my honor as

Christy's nephew and by the power vested in me by American Marriage Ministries and the state of Indiana— I

pronounce you husband and wife.

Officiant: John, you may kiss your bride.

[ Couple shares their first kiss as husband and wife. ]

INTRODUCTION

Officiant: Family and friends — it is my privilege to present to you for the very first time:

Mr. & Mrs. John Magri! [ Recessional — couple exits as family and friends celebrate. ]