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Christopher William Reid

Minister ID: 561379 View Ordination Certificate

The Wedding of Iola Simmons & Patrick Wilcox

Officiated by Christopher William Reid in Ohio on November 25th, 2018.

ABOUT THIS WEDDING

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WEDDING PHOTOS

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Iola Simmons And Patrick Wilcox’s Wedding Wedding Ceremony Script

Dearly Beloved and Honored Guests,

We are gathered together here to join Iola Brooke Simmons and Patrick Michael Wilcox in their union of marriage. Thank you for being here this afternoon; Iola and Patrick have invited you today to show a glimpse of an important part of their love and to share in this moment with you.

Whenever we attend a wedding, it's a natural occurrence to reflect on our own relationships. We may look at the couple before us and be tempted to compare their love to the quality of our own relationships. The truth is that every relationship is as unique as the individuals in it but one thing holds true: for love to exist between two people, each person must allow the vulnerability of giving his or her love to the other, and each must be open to receiving the other's love in return. Therefore, each of us is a powerful creator of love. Each of us, every moment of every day, has the choice to dedicate ourselves to one another or to withhold our love and caring.

If you ask couples who have a strong and abiding love what they like most about their partners, many will say when they are with that person they don't have to pretend to be anything other than what they are. They are able to express themselves without fear of being judged or rejected. There is room in the relationship for both of them to be unique individuals. They are free to surrender to the vulnerability of true intimacy- to be known and love unconditionally.

Throughout history, countless people from many cultures, religions, and societies have gathered among friends and family to celebrate their love for one another and their commitment to each other. Today, we should try to remember that a wedding is a symbol, a heartfelt and meaningful symbol but a symbol nonetheless. This ceremony is not magic; it will not create a relationship that does not already exist and has not already been celebrated in all the commitments Patrick and Iola have made to each other, both large and small, since they first met over 7 years ago. What we are celebrating today is not the beginning of a marriage, but a marriage already in progress. This ceremony is a symbol of how far they have come together and a symbol of the promises they will continue to make to each other throughout their lives together.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to each other, "You know all those things we've promised and hoped and dreamed? Well, I meant it all, every word." Look at each other and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another- coworker, friend, fiancé. But now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows you shall say to the world- this is my husband, this is my wife.

Nothing is easier than standing here and saying these words, and nothing is more difficult than living them day to day. When you love someone, you do not love them all the time in exactly the same way; that is impossible. Yet that is what most of us expect. We forget the ebb and flow of life and of love and of relationships. We insist on permanence, on duration, on continuity. But in love, as in life, the only stability is in change, in growth, and in freedom. Therefore what you promise today must be renewed and reaffirmed tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come.

This contract is not to be entered into lightly but thoughtfully and seriously, 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.

*Statement of Intent*

Having considered all of these things, Patrick, do you promise to do your best each day to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?

Patrick: I do.

Iola, do you promise to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?

Iola: I do.

*Vows*

Patrick:

Iola Brooke Simmons, I love and cherish you unconditionally, without hesitation

I promise to love, encourage, trust, and respect you for who you are and who you will become

As we build a family, we will create a home that is filled with laughter, learning, and compassion

I vow to work with you to create our relationship of equality knowing that the two of us will build a life that’s far better than we could imagine alone

Today, I choose you to be my wife. I accept you for who you are and I offer myself in return.

I will not only care and stand beside you but I will also share with you life’s adversities and laugh with you for all the joys from this day and all the days of our lives.

Iola, repeat after me:

I, Iola Brooke Simmons, do take thee, Patrick Michael Wilcox, to be my lawful wedded husband.

I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want

in times of sickness and in times of health

in times of joy and in times of sorrow

in times of failure and in times of triumph

I promise to cherish and respect you

to care and protect you

to comfort and encourage you

and to stay with you

forever and ever

*Ring Exchange*

Iola and Patrick, please join hands. Take a good look at your partner's hands so you may see the gift they are to you. These are the hands of your best friend, that are holding yours on your wedding day. These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future. These are the hands that when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours.

Patrick, please place this ring on Iola's finger and repeat after me:

This ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you

I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your husband

With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours

Iola, please place this ring on Patrick's finger and repeat after me:

This ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you

I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your wife

With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours

*Benediction*

Iola and Patrick, you came here today, in the presence of family and friends, to express your love for, and commitment to, each other. Your lives are forever changed.

Now, you can face your fears, for you each will be strength to the other. Now, you can brave the wind, for you each will be shelter to the other. Now, you can reap the rewards, for you each will be partner to the other.

Now though you are two bodies, there is one life before you. And there, in that life, may you always find love.

By the authority vested in me by the American Marriage Ministries and the State of Ohio I now pronounce you husband and wife! Patrick, you may now kiss your bride.



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