Cheryle Elizabeth Mattia Holmes

Deardorff and Helmick Wedding

Date: Saturday, October 26, 2019

Time: 2:00 pm

Location: 121 Baynard Ct, Centreville MD 21617

Groom: Kevin Deardorff Bride: Kristina Helmick

Gathering Words (93/1)

For quite sometime now,

Kevin and Kristina have known and loved each other.

They have been strengthened by their love

and have received many blessings

through its beauty and tenderness.

They have learned that they can depend on each other and

on the power of their love,

and that through each other

they are becoming better people.

Today, they come before us

to enter into the sacred covenant of marriage,

vowing to be partners through the trials and triumphs

of their shared life.

They are declaring to each other and to all of us present

that they will be by each other’s side,

no matter what life brings their way.

Declaration of Support (123/1)

Kevin and Kristina,

Today we have come together

To celebrate the love you found with each other.

By being here with you,

Each of us is declaring our support

for your decision to join together in marriage.

(To guests)

As families and friends,

you form the community of support

that surrounds Kevin and Kristina.

Each of you, by your presence here today,

is being called upon

to uphold them in honoring and loving each other.

Always stand beside them, never between them.

Offer them your love and support,

not your judgment.

Encourage them with your kindness and loving hearts,

and honor this marriage

into which they have come to be joined today.

Marriage Address (135/3)

Kevin and Kristina,

your marriage will, no doubt,

be filled with surprises.

Some you will welcome,

while others will test the strength and flexibility

of your bond.

Your life together will present many opportunities

to refine and deepen your love

and to explore the profound depths of your being.

May you be compassionate with each other

and nurture yourselves, each other,

and this union with tender loving care.

may your love create a safe haven for you both

on the journey that lies ahead of you.

Lead with your hearts

and take the time to do the simple things

that will nurture your love.

Deeply listen to each other—

to your dreams and to your frustrations.

Be helpmates.

Be playful in finding ways

to give your love anew to each other every day.

Let your love be an inspiration to others

to reach for what is good within us all.

May your love be so abundant

that you have plenty to share with the rest of us as well.

It is your love that has brought us together here today.

May it grow deeper and sweeter

with each passing year.

Sand Ceremony (157/1)

Walk over to the sand table and stand, facing the guests

Kevin and Kristina,

Today you join your lives together

Promising to walk side by side

Heading in the same direction

Into your future.

You promise to carry each other’s hearts

in the palms of your hands

with tender loving care

as you journey through the trials and triumphs of life

that lie ahead of you.

Now, take your individual vessels of sand

Representing your lives from birth to this day.

(pause)

(Start pouring slow…)

As you pour them into the central container

representing your shared union,

you are symbolically blending your individual lives

into a marriage partnership—

walk the road of life together

from this day forward.

Just as these grains of sand can never be separated,

so too may you be united in love

for the rest of your lives.

Wedding Vows (164/3)

Do you Kevin take this woman Kristina to be your lawfully wedded partner, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto him for as long as you both shall live?

(KEVIN)

I take you, Kristina,

To be my wife,

From this day forward,

To join with you

And share all this is to come.

I promise to be faithful to you until death part us.

Do you Kristina take this man Kevin to be your lawfully wedded partner, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto him for as long as you both shall live?

(KRISTINA)

I take you, Kevin,

To be my husband,

From this day forward,

To join with you

And share all this is to come.

I promise to be faithful to you until death part us.

Ring Exchange (207/10)

Wedding rings are symbolic reminders

of the unbroken circle of a healthy and abiding love.

Within the safety and comfort of a true marriage,

love freely given has no beginning and no end.

love freely given has no separate giver and receiver.

Each of you gives your love to the other

and each of you receives love from the other.

And the circle of love goes around and around.

May these rings serve to remind you

of the freedom and the power of your love.

KEVIN:

Kristina, I give you this ring

As a sign that I choose you

To be my lover, my partner,

And my best friend.

Today, tomorrow, and always.

KRISTINA

Kevin, I give you this ring

As a sign that I choose you

To be my lover, my partner,

And my best friend.

Today, tomorrow, and always.

By the authority vested in me by American Marriage Ministries and the State of Maryland I now pronounce you wife and husband!

YOU MAY SEAL THIS UNION WITH A KISS.