Shannon M Reeves

Wedding Ceremony of

John Harding & Asheley Morris Sept 25th 2026

Welcome and Opening Remarks

OFFICIANT: Good afternoon, everyone.

Family and friends, we are gathered here today to celebrate something truly special: the marriage of John Edward Harding and Asheley Jane Morris.

On behalf of John and Asheley, I want to thank each of you for being here. Your presence means a great deal to them, because a wedding isn’t simply about two people standing before one another. It is also about the family, friends, and loved ones who have been part of their lives, supported them along the way, and helped make them the people they are today.

John and Asheley’s story didn’t begin today.

They have been together for 8 years. They’ve had time to get to know one another not just the easy parts, but the real parts. They’ve shared laughter and challenges, ordinary days and memorable ones. They’ve grown together, learned together, and built a life filled with experiences and memories.

And after all those years, they have chosen to stand here today and say something very important:

I still choose you.

That is the heart of marriage.

Love may bring two people together, but marriage lasts because they keep choosing each other—through the exciting moments and the ordinary days, through ease and difficulty, through shared laughter and the occasional moment when you wonder how the person you love could be so completely wrong.

Marriage doesn’t promise that every day will be perfect.

It promises that you won’t have to face those days alone.

John and Asheley, today you aren’t beginning your relationship. You are honoring everything that brought you here and making a commitment about everything that comes next.

So before the people who love you most, you are about to make one of life’s greatest promises to one another.

Declaration of Intent

OFFICIANT TO JOHN:

John, do you take Asheley to be your wife, to share your life with her, to love her, honor her, support her, laugh with her, stand beside her through life’s joys and challenges, and continue choosing her for all the days ahead?

JOHN:

I do.

OFFICIANT TO ASHELEY:

Asheley, do you take John to be your husband, to share your life with him, to love him, honor him, support him, laugh with him, stand beside him through life’s joys and challenges, and continue choosing him for all the days ahead?

ASHELEY:

I do.

Exchange of Vows

OFFICIANT:

John and Asheley, the vows you are about to make are simple words, but they carry a lifetime of meaning.

John, please take Asheley’s hands, look into her eyes, and repeat after me.

JOHN REPEATS:

Asheley,

I choose you today,

as I have chosen you throughout our years together.

I promise to love you,

to respect you,

and to stand beside you.

I promise to celebrate with you in the good times,

to support you through the difficult times,

and to never take for granted the life we share.

I promise to listen,

to forgive,

to laugh with you,

and to keep growing with you.

I give you my heart,

my friendship,

my loyalty,

and my love.

Today I take you as my wife,

and I promise to keep choosing you,

for all the days of my life.

OFFICIANT:

Asheley, please repeat after me.

ASHELEY REPEATS:

John,

I choose you today,

as I have chosen you throughout our years together.

I promise to love you,

to respect you,

and to stand beside you.

I promise to celebrate with you in the good times,

to support you through the difficult times,

and to never take for granted the life we share.

I promise to listen,

to forgive,

to laugh with you,

and to keep growing with you.

I give you my heart,

my friendship,

my loyalty,

and my love.

Today I take you as my husband,

and I promise to keep choosing you,

for all the days of my life.

Exchange of Rings

OFFICIANT:

May I have the rings?

These rings are small things, but they represent something much greater.

A wedding ring has no beginning and no end. It is a symbol of the promises John and Asheley have made here today and a reminder of the love and commitment they will carry with them wherever life takes them.

There will be days when these rings simply rest quietly on your hands. But may they always remind you of this day, this moment, and the person standing before you.

OFFICIANT TO JOHN:

John, place the ring on Asheley’s finger and repeat after me:

JOHN REPEATS:

Asheley, I give you this ring

as a symbol of my love,

my commitment,

and my promise to you.

With this ring,

I give you my heart

and choose you as my wife,

today and always.

OFFICIANT TO ASHELEY:

Asheley, place the ring on John’s finger and repeat after me:

ASHELEY REPEATS:

John, I give you this ring

as a symbol of my love,

my commitment,

and my promise to you.

With this ring,

I give you my heart

and choose you as my husband,

today and always.

Closing Words

OFFICIANT:

John and Asheley, as you move forward from this day, remember that a strong marriage isn’t built in one grand moment.

It is built in thousands of small ones.

It’s built in the morning conversations and the late-night talks. In showing up for each other. In laughing together. In forgiving quickly. In saying “I love you” and making sure your actions say it too.

There will be new adventures ahead of you, along with unexpected turns and probably a few disagreements about things that won’t seem nearly as important a day later.

Through all of it, remember what brought you here.

Remember the friendship beneath the romance.

Remember the years that taught you how to love one another.

And most importantly, remember the promise you made today:

To keep choosing each other.

May your home always be a place of laughter and peace.

May you give each other strength when one of you needs it.

May you celebrate each other’s successes, carry each other’s burdens, and never become too busy to enjoy the life you’re building together.

And many years from now, when you look back on this day, may you realize that as wonderful as today was, the very best parts of your marriage were still ahead of you.

Pronouncement

OFFICIANT:

John and Asheley, you have declared your love and commitment to one another before your family and friends. You have made your vows and exchanged rings as symbols of those promises.

Therefore, by the authority vested in me, it is my great honor and privilege to pronounce you husband and wife.

John…You may kiss your bride!

[Pause for the kiss — and the applause!] Introduction of the Newlyweds

OFFICIANT:

Family and friends, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce to you, for the very first time as husband and wife…

John and Asheley Harding!

[Applause as the newlyweds make their exit.]