Deanna Dingmann

Friends and Family of the MARISSA and JOHN, welcome and thank you for being here on this important day.

We are gathered together to celebrate the very special love between MARISSA and JOHN, by joining them in marriage.

All of us need and desire to love and to be loved. And the highest form of love between two people is within a monogamous, committed relationship.

WHO GIVES THIS WOMAN TO THIS MAN?

MARISSA and JOHN, your marriage today is the public and legal joining of your souls that have already been united as one in your hearts.

Marriage will allow you a new environment to share your lives together, standing together to face life and the world, hand-in-hand.

Marriage is going to expand you as individuals, define you as a couple, and deepen your love for one another.

To be successful, you will need strength, courage, patience and a really good sense of humor. So, let your marriage be a time of waking each morning and falling in love with each other all over again.

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. Amen.

READING>>>

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.

Those with Us In Spirit:

At this time, we’d like to take a moment of silence to remember those who are not here with us today. Even though they are not here physically, they are a part of the foundation that makes Marissa and John they people they are today. May we always remember those who have passed. Please cherish the memories of these friends and family and all others who live on in our hearts.

Declaration of Consent

JOHN do you take MARISSA whom you now hold by the Hand to be your lawful wedded wife?

GROOM says, “I Do”.

Do you promise to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?

GROOM says, “I Do”.

MARISSA do you take JOHN whom you now hold by the hand to be your lawful wedded husband?

BRIDE says, “I do”.

Do you promise to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, for so long as you both shall live?

BRIDE says, “I do”.

Do you mutually promise you will love, cherish and respect one another throughout the years?

BRIDE and GROOM say, “We do”.

MARISSA and JOHN, as you stand here in the presence of God and these witnesses, I remind you, that love, loyalty and trust are the basis of a mature and fulfilling relationship.

Marriage is a serious undertaking; it is intended to bind your lives together forever and is not to be taken lightly.

Your engagement set into motion the interweaving of your lives – and we hope that you will continue to grow closer throughout your years together.

None of us knows what the future will bring.

Yet your love for one another, and trust in the strength of your union makes possible the act of faith you are making today.

As you exchange the vows, which will start you on your journey together, know that our love and support go with you.

As you make your promises to each other, we will remember promises we too have made and take this opportunity to make new our own.

VOWS - JOIN HANDS

I, JOHN,

take thee, MARISSA,

for my lawful wedded wife,

to have and to hold,

from this day forward,

for better, for worse,

for richer, for poorer,

in sickness and in health

as long as we both shall live.

I, MARISSA,

take thee, JOHN,

for my lawful wedded husband,

to have and to hold,

from this day forward,

for better, for worse,

for richer, for poorer,

in sickness and in health as long as we both shall live.

RINGS

The ring is an ancient symbol, so perfect and simple.

It has no beginning and has no end.

It is round like the sun, like the moon, like the eye, like arms that embrace.

It is a circle; for love that is given comes back round again.

JOHN, as you place the ring on MARISSA’S finger, please repeat after me:

I JOHN take you MARISSA to be my wife.

I promise you love, honor and respect,

to be faithful to you

and forsaking all others,

until death do us part.

MARISSA, as you place the ring on JOHN’S finger, please repeat after me:

I MARISSA take you JOHN to be my husband.

I promise you love, honor and respect,

to be faithful to you

and forsaking all others,

until death do us part.

SAND CEREMONY

Marissa & John, May your love be one based on freedom. For though our hands may touch, it’s our hearts that hold.

When you hold love within your heart, you radiate a light, which shall brighten all the days of your life and beyond.Everything we truly love becomes a part of us forever.

So take your time with each other. 

Let your love’s seed grow and mature with the seasons, to provide you with warmth, serenity, joy and acceptance throughout all the years of your marriage.

Love is not a wall; it is a bridge.

Love does not confine; it sets you free.

It leads, as a pathway, winding, to places unknown and mysterious.

With love to light the way, you can meet any challenge, together.

MARISSA and JOHN, through their words today, have joined together in holy wedlock.

Because they have exchanged their vows before God and these witnesses, have pledged their commitment each to the other, and have declared the same by joining hands and by exchanging rings, I now pronounce that they are husband and wife.Those whom God hath joined together, let no one put asunder.

You may now kiss the bride!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. JOHN COUNTRYMAN.