Julie Williams

Dearly Beloved and Honored Guests,

We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, the joining of two hearts. In this ceremony today we will witness the joining of Elizabeth Marie Torres and Zachariah Alexander Schell in marriage. This contract is not to be entered into lightly but thoughtfully and reverently, and with a deep realization of its obligations and responsibilities. Please remember that love, loyalty, and understanding are the foundations of a happy and enduring home.

Today we have come together to witness the joining of these two lives. For them, out of the routine of ordinary life, the extraordinary has happened. They met each other, fell in love and are finalizing it with their wedding today. Romance is fun, but true love is something far more and it is their desire to love each other for life and that is what we are celebrating here today.

But today is also a celebration for the rest of us, for it is a pleasure for us to see love in full bloom, and to participate in the union of two people so delightfully suited to one another. To all their guests, they are happy to share this moment with you. They have known most of you for several 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 known them so well, it is only fitting that you are the ones to share this once-in-a-lifetime moment with them.

So, let’s get this party started, shall we?

Who gives this woman to be married today?

(Wait for confirmation) (Sarah takes her seat.)

As said in Colossians Chapter 3, verses 14 – 20,

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Let us pray.

God, as you join us today, we ask for your blessings upon this couple as they unite in marriage. Let all their days together be happy and all their words to each other be sweet. Though their paths are intertwined, let them be aware of each other’s separateness. Bless their home and allow it to be a place of joy and serenity. Remind them to nurture each other’s body with mutual love, honor and respect. Let their spirits dwell within. As they learn from one another, may they grow stronger as individuals and closer as a couple. And as their wedded life begins today with prayer, so may they continue it, praying for and with each other.

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallow be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.)

Amen.

A good marriage must be created.

In 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 standing together and facing the world.

It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is not only marrying the right person -- it is being the right partner

In the early 18th century, the people of the Philippines, were introduced to the Cord Ceremony, by Hispanic Missionaries. Just as in baptism, when god-parents are chosen to act as role models for the newly baptized individual, Filipino tradition calls for principle sponsors to serve in this manner when a couple is to be married. As wedding sponsors, they commit themselves to be a source of encouragement and guidance throughout the lives of the married couple.

Elizabeth and Zac, I invite Sarah Maroney and Mandi Witte to place this cord over you.

Sarah, place your end over Elizabeth’s head and rest it on her shoulders. Mandi, place your end over Zac’s head and rest it on his shoulders.

The Cord looped and crossed in the center is wrapped around the bride and groom to symbolize the Blessed Trinity; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who are one and the same. This cord without beginning or end symbolizes this same union and the infinite nature of your marriage. This cord symbolizes an infinite bond of love you share that keeps your relationship strong in the face of adversity, as well as that you both are no longer two, but one in marriage. May this cord remind you to face your life together courageously and to be mutual in support of each other in carrying out your duties and responsibilities as a couple. And, may your love grow stronger and bind you closer together through the years.

I would like to call on the mom’s to remove the cord.

Elizabeth and Zac will now declare their intentions.

Zachariah Alexander Schell, do you take Elizabeth Marie Torres, to be your lawful wedded Wife?

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

Do you promise to take out the trash and pick your clothes off the floor?

And Do you promise to love her even when she is cranky?

("I do")

Elizabeth Maria Torres, do you take Zachariah Alexander Schell to be your lawful wedded Husband?

Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him and be faithful to him?

Do you Promise not to whine at him when he forgets to take out the trash or pick up his clothes from the floor?

And do you promise to love him even after he has been playing video games all day on his day off?

("I do")

Elizabeth and Zac, I would ask that you always treat yourself and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together today.

Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your marriage deserves.

When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage - as they do to every relationship at one time or another - focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong.

This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and happiness.

Elizabeth and Zac will now share their vows.

Face each other and Repeat after me.

I, Zachariah Alexander Schell, take you Elizabeth Marie Torres, to be my Wife, my partner in life and my one true love.

I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

I will trust you and honor you

I will laugh with you and cry with you.

I will love you faithfully

Through the best and the worst,

Through the difficult and the easy.

Whatever may come I will always be there.

As I have given you my hand to hold

So I give you my life to keep

I, Elizabeth Marie Torres, take you Zachariah Alexander Schell, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love.

I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

I will trust you and honor you

I will laugh with you and cry with you.

I will love you faithfully

Through the best and the worst,

Through the difficult and the easy.

Whatever may come I will always be there.

As I have given you my hand to hold

So I give you my life to keep

1st Corinthians Chapter 3, verses 4 – 12 says,

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.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

There are 3 rings of marriage. The wedding ring, The Engagement ring and the suffering. We hope the last can be held to a minimum.

Elizabeth and Zac will now exchange rings as a symbol of their love and commitment.

Who has the rings? (Take rings)

May these rings remind you that your love, like the sun, warms all that it touches, like the moon, brightens up the night, like the eye, is a gateway to your innermost soul. And your love, like the arms that embrace you, makes everything right with the world.

Zac, take Elizabeth’s ring and Repeat after me.

I, Zachariah Alexander Schell, take you, Elizabeth Marie Torres to be my Wife,

To have and to hold,

In sickness and in health,

For richer, for poorer,

In joy and sorrow.

I promise my love to you.

And with this ring, I take you as my Wife, for as long as we both shall live.

Elizabeth, take Zac’s ring and repeat after me.

I, Elizabeth Marie Torres, take you, Zachariah Alexander Schell, to be my Husband.

To have and to hold,

In sickness and in health,

For richer, for poorer,

In joy and sorrow.

I promise my love to you.

And with this ring, I take you as my Husband/Wife, for as long as we both shall live.

To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today.

It will take trust, to know, that in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other.

It will take dedication, to stay open to one another - and to learn and grow together.

It will take faith, to go forward together, without knowing exactly what the future brings.

And it will take commitment, to hold true to the journey you both have pledged to today.

By the power vested in me, by the American Marriage Ministries and the state of Indiana, I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife

Zac, you may now kiss your bride.

Before I pronounce you husband and wife, I have just one more thing I want you to do.

Your wedding day is one that seems to fly.

It’s a day filled with emotion, friends, rings and dances. Many people remember how fleeting their own wedding day was. So I want you to take a few seconds to look onto each other’s eyes. Think about the happiness that you’re feeling in this place, in this moment. Really let that feeling register in your heart and your mind. Now, I want you to think about your life together in twenty years.

Where are you?

What are you doing?

We all know that your visions of the future are not identical, but always complementary. John Lennon once said, “a dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together, that is reality.”

And for you, Elizabeth and Zac, that reality starts now.

And now, to all the friends and family who have come to celebrate this union, it is my honor, and delight, to present to all of you, for the very first time, as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Zac and Elizabeth Schell.