Victoria Stokes

The Wedding Ceremony of Ann Marie & Eric

Thursday, October 15, 2026 · 6:15 p.m.

Hot Springs Mountain Pagoda · Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

A romantic, intimate sunset ceremony celebrating love, friendship, commitment, and the beautiful life they are beginning together.

Welcome

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in this beautiful place, overlooking the mountains and the city of Hot Springs, to celebrate the marriage of Ann Marie and Eric.

As the sun begins to set over the Ouachita Mountains, we are reminded that some of life's most beautiful moments aren't measured by how grand they are, but by how deeply they are felt.

Today is one of those moments.

Ann Marie and Eric, you have chosen to stand together here, surrounded by the beauty of nature, to make a promise that will carry you through all the seasons of your lives.

Marriage is more than a wedding day. It is a thousand ordinary days made extraordinary by having someone to share them with. It is laughter, friendship, patience, forgiveness, and the quiet reassurance that whatever tomorrow brings, you will face it together.

Before Ann Marie and Eric exchange their vows, I'd like to take a moment to ask for God's blessing upon their marriage.

As they begin this new chapter together, may they always find strength in their faith, comfort in one another, and joy in the life they share.

I'd like to invite everyone to bow their heads with me as we offer a prayer for this couple and their future together.

Opening Prayer

Jehovah, our loving Heavenly Father, the Most High,

We thank you for bringing us together on this beautiful evening to celebrate the love and marriage of Ann Marie and Eric.

May your name be honored in the way they treat one another, and may your wisdom guide them as they build their life together.

We ask that you bless their home with peace, fill their days with kindness and laughter, and give them the patience and understanding to face life's challenges together.

Help them to be generous with forgiveness, gentle with each other's hearts, and always mindful of the promises they make here today.

Please provide for their needs, protect the love they share, and help their marriage grow stronger with each passing year.

We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus, our Redeemer.

Amen.

A Reflection on Love

There is a beautiful description of love found in the Bible, at 1 Corinthians 13:4–8:

Love is patient and kind. It is not jealous or boastful, arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. It is not easily angered, and it does not keep a record of wrongs. Love rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.

These words remind us that lasting love is not simply something we feel. It is something we choose to demonstrate, day after day.

Love is found in the way we speak to one another, especially when life is difficult. It is found in the kindness we extend, the patience we practice, and the willingness to understand and forgive.

Ann Marie and Eric, may these qualities always be at the heart of your marriage.

Two Are Better Than One

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 reminds us:

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. For if one of them falls, the other can help his partner up. And a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn apart.

There is something deeply comforting about knowing that we do not have to face life alone.

Marriage is a partnership in which two people encourage one another, celebrate one another's victories, and offer strength when the other is weary.

May you always find that kind of friendship in each other.

Declaration of Intent and Marriage Vows

Ann Marie and Eric, marriage is a promise freely given and faithfully kept.

Today, you are choosing not only to share the extraordinary moments of life, but also the ordinary days that make a life together so meaningful.

You are promising to be companions, to encourage one another, to share life's adventures, and to find joy in simply being together.

And now, before one another and those gathered here, I ask you to make those promises.

Eric, do you take Ann Marie to be your wife, your partner, and your closest companion? Do you promise to love and cherish her, to treat her with patience and kindness, to respect and encourage her, to share in her joys and stand beside her through life's challenges, and to choose her, each and every day, for as long as you both shall live?

Eric: I do.

Ann Marie, do you take Eric to be your husband, your partner, and your closest companion? Do you promise to love and cherish him, to treat him with patience and kindness, to respect and encourage him, to share in his joys and stand beside him through life's challenges, and to choose him, each and every day, for as long as you both shall live?

Ann Marie: I do.

May these promises be the foundation upon which you build your marriage, and may the love and friendship you share continue to deepen with every passing year.

And now, as a lasting symbol of these promises, you will exchange wedding rings.

Exchange of Rings

May I have the rings, please?

Wedding rings are small and simple things, yet they carry extraordinary meaning.

Their unbroken circles symbolize a love that continues through every season, without beginning or end.

Each time you look at these rings, may you remember this beautiful evening and the promises you have made to one another.

Eric, as you place the ring on Ann Marie's finger, please repeat after me:

Ann Marie, with this ring,

I give you my love.

May it always remind you

that you are cherished,

that you are my partner,

and that I choose you,

today and always.

Ann Marie, as you place the ring on Eric's finger, please repeat after me:

Eric, with this ring,

I give you my love.

May it always remind you

that you are cherished,

that you are my partner,

and that I choose you,

today and always.

Pronouncement of Marriage

Ann Marie and Eric, when you began your journey together, you couldn't have known all the places it would take you.

And yet, here you are, standing together at this beautiful historic Pagoda, with the Ouachita Mountains stretching out around you, ready to begin your greatest adventure yet.

Today, you've promised to be more than two people who love one another. You've promised to be partners, companions, and friends.

May you continue finding joy in discovering new places, sharing ordinary afternoons, and making beautiful memories together.

And when life takes an unexpected turn, may you always remember the promises you've made here today.

By the authority vested in me as an ordained minister under the laws of the State of Arkansas, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife!

Eric, you may kiss your bride!

Presentation of the Newlyweds

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor and pleasure to present Ann Marie and Eric, husband and wife!

Congratulations, you two!

Your next great adventure begins today! 💕

*Officiated by Victoria Stokes, Celebrant*

*Spa City Love Stories*