Allysha Kali Lantigua

**before the processional, ANGELA is to give a speech**

PROCESSION

Beginning of the Wedding Ceremony. The wedding party comes out.

INVOCATION

OFFICIANT TO THE RECEPTION

"Dearly beloved, family, and honored guests, we gather here today in the presence of God to witness and celebrate the marriage of [ROBERT HARPER] and [LAMONICA SPENCER].

Today is more than the joining of two people who love one another. It is the beginning of a covenant; a sacred promise made not only between husband and wife, but before God, who brought them to this moment.

Scripture tells us that 'two are better than one,' and that 'a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.' Today, [ROBERT HARPER] and [LAMONICA SPENCER] come together as two, asking God to be the third strand woven through every season of their marriage.

Marriage was designed by God to be a reflection of His own love: faithful, patient, sacrificial, forgiving, and enduring. It is not a promise that life will always be easy. It is a promise that neither person will have to face the hard days alone.

There will be seasons of abundance and seasons of hardship. There will be laughter that fills this home and tears that must be wiped away. There will be days when love feels effortless, and days when love becomes a choice.

And on every one of those days, may they remember this: they did not simply choose each other once or twice, They will choose each other again and again.

May their home be a place where grace is abundant, forgiveness is freely given, prayer is constant, and Christ remains at the center.

And may the Lord bless this marriage, guard it, strengthen it, and teach [ROBERT] and [LAMONICA] to love one another as Christ has loved them."

DECLARATION OF INTENT

OFFICIANT TO PARTNER A (Robert)

" [ROBERT], before God and these witnesses, do you take [LAMONICA] to be your lawfully wedded wife?

Do you promise to love her, honor her, cherish her, protect her, and remain faithful to her?

Will you stand beside her in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in prosperity and in hardship?

Will you forgive her as you have been forgiven, serve her as Christ calls you to serve, pray with her and for her, and faithfully choose her for as long as you both shall live?"

PARTNER A (Robert) TO PARTNER B (Lamonica)

"I do."

OFFICIANT TO PARTNER B (Lamonica)

" [LAMONICA], before God and these witnesses, do you take [ROBERT] to be your lawfully wedded husband?

Do you promise to love him, honor him, cherish him, encourage him, and remain faithful to him?

Will you stand beside him in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in prosperity and in hardship?

Will you forgive him as you have been forgiven, serve him as Christ calls you to serve, pray with him and for him, and faithfully choose him for as long as you both shall live?"

PARTNER B (Lamonica) TO PARTNER A (Robert)

"I do."

PERSONAL VOWS

OFFICIANT TO THE COUPLE

"Today, [Robert] and [Lamonica] have made their promises before God and before all of you.

But before they exchange the rings that will symbolize those promises, they have each prepared words of their own.

These are not words written for them by anyone else. They are promises from their own hearts; the words they have chosen to speak to the person with whom they will share the rest of their lives.

Marriage is a covenant built on promises, but it is also built on the stories, memories, prayers, laughter, and love that make those promises personal.

So today, they will speak those promises to one another."

PARTNER A (Robert) TO PARTNER B (Lamonica)

"[ROBERT’S PERSONAL VOWS]"

PARTNER B (Lamonica) TO PARTNER A (Robert)

"[LAMONICA’S PERSONAL VOWS]"

VOWS AND RINGS EXCHANGE

OFFICIANT TO THE RECEPTION

"The words they have just spoken are promises of the heart. The rings they exchange now will serve as a lasting reminder of those promises.

A wedding ring has no beginning and no end, much like the covenant they enter into today.

Whenever they look upon these rings, may they remember not only this day, but the promises they made before God, the people who stood beside them, and the person who stood before them and said, 'I choose you.'"

ROBERT TO LAMONICA

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and my faithfulness.

May it remind you that wherever life takes us, you will never walk alone.

I choose you today, and I will choose you every day that God gives us.

With this ring, I give you my heart, my life, and my forever."

LAMONICA TO ROBERT

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and my faithfulness.

May it remind you that wherever life takes us, you will never walk alone.

I choose you today, and I will choose you every day that God gives us.

With this ring, I give you my heart, my life, and my forever."

BLESSING OF THE MARRIAGE

OFFICIANT TO THE COUPLE

"Before we pronounce you husband and wife, I ask you both to remember why you are standing here.

There will be moments when you will need to love each other when it is difficult. There will be moments when you will need to forgive before you feel ready. There will be moments when you will need to humble yourselves, reach for one another, and remember the promises you made today.

When those days come, do not look only to one another for strength. Look to God.

Let your marriage be built upon Him, because houses built upon a foundation of faith can withstand storms.

May you never forget that the person standing beside you today is the person you promised to love for the rest of your life.

May you grow old together.

May you laugh until you cry, and cry knowing the other will stay.

May your children, your family, and everyone who enters your home know what it looks like when two people love each other faithfully.

And when you reach the end of your lives and look back upon this day, may you be able to say that through every joy, every loss, every answered prayer and every unanswered one; you kept your promises.

May God bless your home.

May He protect your marriage.

May He give you patience when you need it, strength when you are weary, grace when you fail, and joy in the ordinary days that become the memories you treasure most.

And may your love always point back to the One who brought you together."

PRAYER

OFFICIANT TO THE RECEPTION

"Let us pray.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for bringing [LAMONICA] and [ROBERT] to this moment.

Thank You for every road that led them here; the moments they understood, the moments they struggled, the prayers they prayed, and the circumstances that brought their lives together.

We ask that You place Your hand upon their marriage.

Teach them to love with patience, to forgive with grace, to speak with kindness, and to serve one another with humility.

When storms come, keep them close. When they are weary, renew them. When they disagree, remind them that they are on the same side. When they celebrate, remind them to give You thanks.

Protect their home. Protect their hearts. Protect the covenant they make today.

And above all, let Christ remain at the center of their marriage, so that when the world around them changes, their foundation does not.

May their love be a testimony of Your faithfulness.

May their marriage be filled with more laughter than tears, more forgiveness than resentment, more grace than pride, and more years together than they can imagine today.

And when their earthly journey is finally complete, may they look back and know that they kept choosing one another, all the way to the end.

In Jesus' name, Amen."

PRONOUNCEMENT

OFFICIANT TO THE RECEPTION

" [ROBERT] and [LAMONICA], you have come before God and these witnesses, declared your love for one another, made your vows, exchanged rings, and entered into this sacred covenant of marriage.

You have promised to walk together through every season of life, with Christ at the center of your home and your love.

What God has joined together, let no one separate.

And now, by the authority vested in me by American Marriage Ministries and the State of Connecticut, and before God and all who have gathered here to witness this covenant, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

[ROBERT], you may kiss your bride."

RECESSION

End of the Wedding Ceremony.