Thomas Anthony Bowles

Jake & Mehwish Ceremony

- Who gives this woman today to be married?

- Blessing by Imam

Ensure Jake and Mehwish turn to look at each other for ceremony. Bouquet to Mishba.

Family…friends…welcome, and thank you for being here on this important day. Jake and Mehwish invite you to set aside the hustle and bustle of life reflected in the city beneath us, fascinating with its lights and movement, and take ourselves away from the usual routines of our of daily lives to witness a beautiful and defining moment in their lives, as they come together in the union of marriage. As their guests, they are happy to share this moment with you. As we all know, at times the journey was challenging, however they stood tall and strongly believed their love for each other would prevail. Jake and Mehwish have known most of you for many years. You watched them grow up, you went to school with them, or you worked with them. Because you are the ones who have supported them and watched their love grow stronger, it is only fitting that you are the ones to share this moment with them.

A wedding day is a day filled with joy and happiness, but it can also be a day when the couple misses family members no longer with them. For Jake and Mehwish, there are family members whose memories they hold dear. They wish they all could be here, but know that they are watching and are happy for both of them. Jake and Mehwish would like to thank their parents for providing them with every opportunity possible and being the best parents anyone could ask for. They appreciate all the love and support their parents have given them over the years…and so it is that Jake and Mehwish present themselves to be married today surrounded by all the people they love the most.

LOVE STORY

Everyone has a love story, and everyone’s story is different. When I asked Jake and Mehwish to reflect on their love story, what it meant to them and what it is that they love about each other; it was easy for them! Mehwish, Jake finds you smart, beautiful and sassy. He loves that you challenge him to see the world from a different perspective. He loves that you blend in so comfortably with his family. He adores you and always wants to see you smile. Jake, Mehwish loves that you are sweet and charming. That you accept her for who she is and that you always find a way to make her smile. That you compliment her and think she’s funny. She loves that you are her chef and that you keep her well fed, but most importantly, she loves that you always want to be close, even when she is at her worst.

You both look forward to a shared future that includes raising a happy, healthy family. A future that includes a richly lived life together…like going out to restaurants, spending time with family, hanging out with friends, relaxing at home in front of the TV, traveling, singing and dancing….ok, so Mehwish will do the singing and dancing & Jake will watch. The years will come and go…try not take each other for granted, laugh a lot, be the best parents you can be, grow older and wiser together. Two people joining and embracing each other from two different cultures, that will be the great love story of Jake and Mehwish.

READING

And now Mehwish’s sister Misbha will do a reading that embodies the sentiments, the ideals and the love to which any marriage aspires.

Misbha: “The Art of Marriage”

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the art of marriage, the little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, understanding and a sense of humor.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner. It is discovering what marriage can be, at its best.

MARRIAGE VOWS

Now we come to the words Jake and Mehwish want to hear the most today…the words that take them across the threshold from being engaged to being married. A marriage, as most of us understand it, is a voluntary and full commitment. It is made in the deepest sense to the exclusion of all others, and it is entered into with the desire and hope that it will last for life. Before you declare your vows to one another, do you, Jake and Mehwish, come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to each other in marriage? If so, say "I do."

(Mehwish gives her bouquet to Misbha if she hasn’t already done so.)

Jake and Mehwish, having heard that it is your intention to be married to each other, I ask that you [please face each other-if they are not completely facing each other], hold hands and express your vows of love and devotion to each other.

Jake, please repeat after me… I, Jake, take you, Mehwish, to be my wife, | my best friend, my faithful partner and my one true love. | I promise to encourage you and inspire you | and to love you truly through good times and bad. | I will forever be there to laugh with you, | to lift you up when you are down | and to love you unconditionally | through all our adventures in life together. |This commitment is made in love, | kept in faith, | lived in hope, | and made new every day of our lives.

Mehwish, please repeat after me… I, Mehwish take you, Jake, to be my husband, | my best friend, my faithful partner and my one true love. | I promise to encourage you and inspire you | and to love you truly through good times and bad. | I will forever be there to laugh with you, | to lift you up when you are down | and to love you unconditionally | through all our adventures in life together. |This commitment is made in love, | kept in faith, | lived in hope, | and made new every day of our lives.

EXCHANGE OF WEDDING RINGS

Ray, may I have the rings.

(Tommy holds rings in his palm and recites the following)

A ring is an unbroken circle, a symbol of unity and love, representative of the greater circle of life of which we are all a part of. Having neither a beginning nor end, but a continuous cycle of which each of you are an element. For you, it begins with the gift of life and will continue through the end of time. Your wedding rings are the outward and visible sign of the inward and invisible bond that already unites you….two hearts in love.

Jake, place the ring on Mehwish’s finger and repeat after me…. Mehwish, I give you this ring that you may wear | as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. | Wear it with love and joy.| As this ring has no end, my love is also forever. | I pledge my love, my respect, | my laughter and my tears. | With all that I am, I honor you.

Mehwish, place the ring on Jake’s finger and repeat after me…. Jake, I give you this ring that you may wear | as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. | Wear it with love and joy.| As this ring has no end, my love is also forever. | I pledge my love, my respect, | my laughter and my tears. | With all that I am, I honor you.

(Jake, Mehwish & Tommy move to the Unity Candle table)

Jake and Mehwish, you have committed yourselves – one to the other – by the pledge of your marriage vows and the exchanging of wedding rings. Your life is now one. To celebrate your new union, we will light the unity candle on the table before us. The two side candles remind us of your individuality…the life given to you by your parents, your many gifts and talents, your strengths and weaknesses…all that you individually bring to your marriage. Now, I ask you both to take the individual candles and light the center unity candle together. [Jake and Mehwish light the center candle with the individual side candles.] As the flame from the center candle rises upward, may the light of your combined lives shine to the heavens in a beam that is now stronger and brighter because it unites the two flames of your hearts. May the flame of your love shed its light on your married life in all the years to come.

(Jake, Mehwish & Tommy return to center)

Everyone has advice for newlyweds, especially on their wedding day. The institution of marriage has inspired many cultural icons to express what they think it takes for a marriage to be successful. These words are filled with wisdom, some with humor, some have the ring of seasoned experience, and some simply express the obvious.

• Never go to bed angry. Stay up and fight.

• When in doubt, tell the truth.

• Whenever you're wrong, admit it.

• Love is not a matter of counting the years; it is making the years count.

• A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

• The secret of a successful marriage is to treat all disasters as incidents and none of the incidents as disasters. In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff. And remember, it’s ALL small stuff.

Jake and Mehwish, my advice, hopes and wishes for you on your special day are simply:

• May your life together be blessed with prosperity and good health.

• Always share open and honest communication between each other.

• Respect and support each other’s individual talents and gifts.

• Cherish the home and family you will create together.

• Have your love be a life-long source of excitement, respect, contentment and devotion for one another.

• May all the years to come be filled with moments that celebrate your love.

DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE

Jake and Mehwish, we have heard your vows and your promise of faithful love. You have exchanged rings as a symbol of your love and commitment to each other. We recognize the bond you have made here this day before each one of us as witnesses. Therefore in the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done here today, and by the power bestowed upon me, it is my honor and delight to pronounce you husband and wife. Jake, you may kiss your bride.

(Mehwish takes her bouquet back and Jake and Mehwish turn and face guests)

Family and Friends, I am pleased to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Mehwish Dinota! It’s time to celebrate!

After wedding party recession, dismiss first row.