Colorado Wedding Ministers

We Do I Do For YOU!

header photo
Today is a Celebration
Welcome
 Today is a celebration. A celebration of love, of commitment, of friendship, of family, and of two people who are in it for forever.
You don't have to have a ceremony to have a marriage. And when you think about it, the whole thing is kind of weird, right? You're standing on a stage, looking fancy, holding flowers, and being stared at by pretty much everyone who has meant anything to you in the past twenty-something years. So why do we do it? The marriage ceremony has been an important feature across nearly every culture, religion, generation, and society. We have thousands of important moments that happen throughout our lives, but this one is regarded as one so critical, we acknowledge its special status by sharing it with others. Why this moment? It's because despite all of our differences, love is what we all share. It's the great unifier — our one universal truth. That no matter who we are, where we've come from, what we believe, we know this one thing: love is what we're doing right. That's why you both are standing here. That's why you all are here to watch them stand up here. We have all loved in our lifetimes, and in this moment, we're reminded that the ability to love is the very best part of our humanity.
 
 (Optional)
As we go forward, Name and Name would like to take a moment to recognize all those wonderful people who made today happen. The love and support of parents/ honored person(s) who supported them through all of life's happiness’s and challenges. You have watched them grow in to adulthood, and we are here to give them into the keeping of the person who will love and cherish them as much as you do. This is also a time to remember those who are not here  to celebrate with us today, either because they were unable due to reasons of their own or because they are traveling down the corridors of time without us. They may not be here, but we always carry them in our hears.
 
Declaration of Intent
All of us here today have our own love stories. Some are short, others long. Some are yet unwritten, while others are just getting to the good part. There are chapters in all of our stories that are sad or disappointing — and others that are exciting and full of adventure. This is a new chapter of your love story, and its also a time to pause, look back, and smile at all the moments that brought them here, and a time to look ahead at all the moments that are still to come.
 
I'm here — we're all here — because we want those moments for you. We're here to hope with you, to support you, to be proud of you, and to remind you that love isn't happily ever after, love is the experience of writing your story. It's not one moment — not even this moment. It's every moment. Big ones like saying "I love you," moving in together, getting engaged — but mostly a million little ones that come in between the big moments. Falling asleep next to one another, making dinner together, spending holidays with your families, binge-watching Netflix shows, getting a big hug when you get home from work… These everyday moments fuse together into one big experience. And even though this experience is so incredible, words fail us when we try and explain it. That's just the way it is with love — it's meant to be felt, not described.
But trying to describe love is one of our favorite pastimes. We use the words we have to write stories, and poems, and songs about love. And even though we describe love in different ways — and even though love can look different from one person to the next — we all know it when we see it. And we see it here.
 
We have some words about what love is from Captain Corelli’s mandolin, Louis de Bernieres.
Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just being in love, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away,
and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground,
and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.
 
Vows
You fell in love by chance, but you're here today because you're making a choice. You both are choosing each other. You've chosen to be with someone who enhances you, who makes you think, makes you smile, and makes every day brighter. You're about to make promises to each other that you intend to keep. You're going to vow to take care of each other, to stand up for one another, and find happiness in the other. There's a simple premise to each of these promises: you're vowing to be there. You're teaming up and saying to the other, "Every experience I am going to have, I want you to be a part of."
 
Will you, Name, keep Name as your favorite person — to laugh with her/him, go on adventures with her/him, support her/him through life's tough moments, be proud of her/him, grow old with her/him, and find new reasons to love her/him every day?
Name
 I will.
 
Will you, Name, keep Name as your favorite person — to laugh with him/her, go on adventures with her/him, support her/him through life's tough moments, be proud of her/him, grow old with her/him, and find new reasons to love her/him every day?
Name
 I will
 
Will you, Name and Name, be each other's partners from this day forward? Will you bring out the best in one another, share your happiest moments together, and love each other absolutely — for the rest of this lifetime and for whatever may come next?
Name and Name
We will.
Rings
You’ve both chosen to wear rings as a reminder of these promises. People often say wedding bands are a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end. But these rings did have a beginning. The stones were formed a long time ago deep with the earth. Eventually, a series of lucky events caused them to rise to the surface, where someone dug them up. Metal was then liquefied in a furnace at a thousand degrees — molded, cooled, and painstakingly polished. Something beautiful was made from raw elements. Love is like that. It comes from humble beginnings, and through a combination of serendipity and effort, imperfect beings shape it into something extraordinary. It’s the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all. As you look at these rings over the years, I hope you remember that. You’ve created something invaluable, and just as I know you’ll protect these rings, I’m confident you’ll protect the commitments you’ve made to one other today.

Name, please place this ring on Name's finger and repeat after me.
I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day.

Name, please place this ring on Name's finger and repeat after me. 
I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day.

Closing
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.
 

A Modern Ceremony 
Welcome
Today is a celebration. A celebration of love, of commitment, of friendship, of family, and of two people who are in it for forever.
You don't have to have a ceremony to have a marriage. And when you think about it, the whole thing is kind of weird, right? You're standing up here, looking all fancy, holding flowers, and being stared at by pretty much everyone who has meant anything to you through out the years. So why do we do it? We do this because, the marriage ceremony has been an important feature across nearly every culture, religion, generation, and society. We have thousands of important moments that happen throughout our lives, but why is this one is regarded to be so critical, that we acknowledge its special status by sharing it with others. So again, why this moment?  It is truly that despite all of our differences, love is what we all share. It's that great unifier,  our one universal truth. That no matter who we are, where we've come from, what we believe, we know this one thing: love is what we're doing right. That's why you both are standing here. That's why you all are here to watch them stand up here. We have all loved in our lifetimes, and in this moment, we're reminded that the ability to love is the very best part of our humanity.

Charge to the Couple
All of us here today have our own love stories. Some are yet unwritten, while others are just getting to the good part. There are chapters in all of our stories that are sad or disappointing — and others that are exciting and full of adventure. It is because of the love story between Name and Name that brings us here.  We are gifted with a time to pause, look back, and smile at all the moments that brought them here. And a time to look ahead at all the moments that are still to come.

I'm here — we're all here — because we want those moments for you. We're here to hope with you, to support you, to be proud of you, and to remind you that love isn't happily ever after, love is the experience of writing your story. It's not one moment, not even this moment. It's every moment. Big ones like saying "I love you," moving in together, getting engaged, but mostly a million little ones that come in between the big moments. Falling asleep next to one another, making dinner together, spending holidays with your families, and then surviving them! To binge-watching Netflix shows, standing in front of the freezer section at the store trying to pick the perfect ice cream,  even to just getting a big hug when you get home from work. It is these everyday moments fuse together into one big experience. And even though this experience is so incredible, words fail us when we try and explain it. That's just the way it is with love — it's meant to be felt, not described. But trying to describe love is one of our favorite pastimes. We use the words we have to write stories, and poems, and songs about love. And even though we describe love in different ways — and even though love can look different from one person to the next — we all know it when we see it. And we see it here.

(Optional)
So today, we have some words about what love is, by Steve Scafidi, called a “Prayer for Marriage”
When we are old one night,
and the moon arcs over the house
like an antique china saucer,
and the teacup sun
follows somewhere far behind
I hope the stars deepen to a shine
So bright you could read by it, If you liked,
and the sadness we will have known will go away for a while,
in this hour or two before sleep,
and that we kiss, standing in the kitchen,
not fighting gravity so much as embodying its sweet force,
And I hope we kiss, like we do today,
Knowing so much good is said in the primitive tongue —
From the wild first surprising ones,
To the lower dizzy ten thousand infinitely slower ones –
And I hope while we stand there in the kitchen,
Making tea and kissing,
The whistle of the teapot wakes the neighbors.

But maybe Ogden Nash said it best-
To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up.

Vows
You fell in love by chance, but you're here today because you're making a choice. You both are choosing each other. You've chosen to be with someone who enhances you, who makes you think, makes you smile, and makes every day brighter. You're about to make promises to each other that you intend to keep. You're going to vow to take care of each other, to stand up for one another, and find happiness in the other. There's a simple premise to each of these promises: you're vowing to be there. You're teaming up and saying to the other, "Every experience I am going to have, I want you to be a part of."

Will you, Name, keep Name as your favorite person — to laugh with her/him, go on adventures with her/him, support her/him through life's tough moments, be proud of her/him, grow old with her/him, and find new reasons to love her/him every day?
Name
I will.

Please repeat after me-
I choose you to be my husband/my wife, my partner in life. I promise you my unconditional love,
my fullest devotion, my most tender care. Through the pressures of the present
and the uncertainties of the future, I promise to love you, honor, respect
and cherish you all the days of our lives.

Will you, Name, keep Name as your favorite person — to laugh with her/him, go on adventures with her/him, support her/him through life's tough moments, be proud of her/him, grow old with her/him, and find new reasons to love her/him every day?
Name
I will.

Please repeat after me-
I choose you to be my husband/my wife, my partner in life. I promise you my unconditional love,
my fullest devotion, my most tender care. Through the pressures of the present
and the uncertainties of the future, I promise to love you, honor, respect
and cherish you all the days of our lives.

Will you, Name and Name, be each other's partners from this day forward? Will you bring out the best in one another, share your happiest moments together, and love each other absolutely — for the rest of this lifetime and for whatever may come next?
Name and Name
We will.

Rings
You’ve both chosen to wear rings as a reminder of these promises. People often say wedding bands are a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end. But these rings did have a beginning. The stones were formed a long time ago deep with the earth. Eventually, a series of lucky events caused them to rise to the surface, where someone dug them up. Metal was then liquefied in a furnace at a thousand degrees, then molded, cooled, and painstakingly polished. Something beautiful was made from raw elements.

Love is like that. It comes from humble beginnings, and through a combination of serendipity and effort, imperfect beings shape it into something extraordinary. It’s the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all. As you look at these rings over the years, I hope you remember that. You’ve created something invaluable, and just as I know you’ll protect these rings, I’m confident you’ll protect the commitments you’ve made to one other today.

(Optional)
(Person(s) of Honor) could you please step forward and gift Name and Name with the rings?
Thank you.
My friends, if you could please hold these rings for just a moment, and I want you to think on what today means to you. What your hopes, dreams and wishes are for your future together. Infuse them with the love you share so you will always carry it with you no matter where you may travel.

Name, please place this ring on Name’s finger and repeat after me.
I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day.

Name, please place this ring on Name’s finger and repeat after me.
I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day.

Closing
No one but you can declare yourselves married. You have begun it here today in speaking your vows before your family and friends, and you will do it again in the days and years to come, standing by each other, sharing the highs and lows of life.
My hope for you is this:
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.

It's a Beautiful Day
Welcome
Hello and welcome everyone! On behalf of Name and Name, thank you for being here today! 
On this beautiful day of  Date we take ourselves out of the usual routines of daily living to witness a unique moment in the lives of Name and Name. Today they join their lives in the union of marriage. To everyone gathered here today family and friends, they are happy to share this moment with you. They 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 known them so well, it is only fitting that you are the ones to share this once-in-a-lifetime moment with them.
(optional)
Name and Name are pleased to have their parents in the front row…close to them for the ceremony.
Name and Name thanks her/his mother/father/honored person(s) for providing he/him with every opportunity possible and being the best mother/father/honored person anyone could ask for. They want you to know that they appreciate all the love and support his/her mother/father/parents/honored person(s) gave him/her over the years.
(Optional)
A wedding day is often a day when couples miss those people who no longer with them.  They are traveling down a different road from us, but always we hold them in our hearts. Lets take just a moment and remember all those wonderful times you shared, whether it was a meal, a dance, an adult beverage, laughing and sharing a smile or two.
 
Declaration of Intent
 As Name and Name  have presented themselves to be married today…surrounded by the people they love the most. And as they prepared for the ceremony part of this wedding celebration, they reflected on what it is that they love about each other.   It is fitting to speak briefly about love. We live in a world of joy and fear, and we search for meaning and strength in the seeming disorder. We discover the truest guideline to our quest when we realize love in all its magnitudes. Love is the eternal force of life. Love is the force that allows us to overcome all obstacles.  Your love that you share, gives you the opportunity look to a shared future that includes raising a happy and  healthy family. That future also includes a richly lived life together…going out to restaurants, hanging out with family,  playing games, or plain just annoying each other for fun, or even just binge watching TV. The years will come and go…you won’t take each other for granted, you will laugh a lot, you will be the best parents you can be, you will grow older and wiser together.
It’s a good story ,and the ending is not in sight!
 It feels fitting at this time to share a small poem for this special moment.
"The Art of a Good Marriage" by Wilfred Peterson
A good marriage must be created.
In the 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 each day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of value and common objectives.
It is standing together and facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
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.
 
Vows
We come now to the words Name  and Name  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, I want to hear you confirm that it is indeed your intention to be married today.
 
Name , do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to Name in marriage? 
Name 
 I do.
Name, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to Name
Name  
I do.
In having heard that it is your intention to be married to each other, we will now hear the your promises of love to each other.
 
Name , please repeat after me…
I, Name  take you, Name to be my wife/husband/partner in life/crime.
I will share my life with yours, and build our dreams together,
Support you through times of trouble, and rejoice with you in times of happiness.
I promise to give you respect, love and loyalty.
This commitment is made in love, kept in faith, 
lived in hope, and made new every day of our lives.
 
Now, Name, please repeat after me…
I, Name  take you, Name to be my wife/husband/partner in life/crime.
I will share my life with yours, and build our dreams together,
Support you through times of trouble, and rejoice with you in times of happiness.
I promise to give you respect, love and loyalty.
This commitment is made in love, kept in faith,
lived in hope, and made new every day of our lives.
and made new every day of our lives.
 
Rings
Your wedding ring are the outward and visible sign of the inward and invisible bond which already unites you two hearts in love. These rings will be a visible sign of the vows you have made. The hand you place this ring on will not stay the same. In time, wrinkles will form, calluses will come and go, and different scars may appear. Not only will each of you change physically over time, but internally you will change as well. Your ideals, values, hopes may evolve. Things that are important to you today may not be the same over time. In 10, 20, 30 years you will change, but your rings, which represent your vows, will be constant. The promises to love, cherish, and respect one another no matter what life brings or what paths you take will always be worn around your finger. Your love will be constant as you walk together into the unknown. Your rings and your vows will cling to your finger and hold you together no matter what may come.
 
(Optional)
Could Name, please step forward with the rings? Please hold these rings in your hands.
Warm them, think of everything that you wish and want for Name  and Name . I also invite everyone here to do the same, and infuse these rings with those blessings and wishes for them to carry though out their lives together and beyond.
 
Name, place the ring on Name ‘s finger and repeat after me….
I give you this ring. Wear it with love and joy.
As this ring has no end, my love is also forever.
 
Name , place the ring on Name ‘s  finger and repeat after me….
I give you this ring. Wear it with love and joy.
As this ring has no end, my love is also forever.
 
May the wedding rings you exchanged today remind you always that you are surrounded by enduring love.
 
Blessing
Everyone has advice for newlyweds.  Today, I offer these good wishes not only to you, but to everyone gathered here on this special day.
May your life together be blessed with prosperity and good health.  May you always share open and honest communication between each other.  May you respect each other’s individual talents and gifts and give full support to each other’s professional and personal pursuits.
May you cherish the home and family you will create together.  May all the years to come be filled with moments to celebrate and renew your love.  May your love be a life-long source of excitement, contentment, affection, respect, and devotion for one another. 
 
Closing
And so now by the power vested in me by the great and beautiful state of Colorado, it is my honor and delight to declare you husband/wife/partners. You may seal this declaration with a kiss.
 
Today We Celebrate Love
Welcome
Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. 
I would like to welcome you all here today to celebrate the mutual love of Name and Name and to witness their commitment to each other in marriage. Name and Name have asked you here this afternoon because each one of you has touched their lives in some special way. Each of you is a valued part of what they are as individuals and what they’ll become as a married couple. Your presence is a gift of support and caring, and they appreciate your sharing their special day. We want to thank you all for travelling here and for helping to make it such a memorable occasion, your kindness and friendship means a lot to us. Today I invite each of you to share the joy of these two people who have found each other. I invite you to hear their understandings of love and marriage. You, their friends, are all especially welcome here because you form a circle of love. Name and Name are as they are, in part, because they have known all of you. You are not just spectators today. You are all a part of their past, and by your presence here, you promise to care for them as they move into the future. And so, to show your support I ask you to answer the following question loud and clear.
Do you all promise to love and support Name and Name as they begin their new life together? If so, say We Do!
 Everyone-
 We Do!
Thank you everyone.
 
Declaration of Love
This marriage ceremony fulfills many purposes. First, we’re here to celebrate the loving relationship that Name and Name have already created together. Secondly, we are here to witness the commitments and aspirations they will exchange in today’s ceremony. And finally, we’re here to offer our love, our support and our encouragement to them in their joyful and rather courageous adventure of marriage. Many people believe that every society needs a moral code if people are to live together in harmony, and that morality comes from within ourselves. It’s about unselfishness, kindness and consideration towards others; and it’s about accepting responsibility for our own lives, while recognizing our responsibility to the whole world. Kind of like what love does to those we love, it brings out the very best of us, and smooths those edges of challenges and hardships.
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. We hope that love grows deeper each day for us and for all the married couples here today.
 
Vows
We’ve come to that point in the ceremony where you’re going to say your vows to one another. But before you do that, I would ask you to remember that love – which is rooted in trust and acceptance – will be the foundation of your relationship. No other ties are more tender, no other vows more important than those you now take. If you are able to keep the vows you take here today, not because of any religious or civic law, but out of a desire to love and be loved by another person fully and without limitation, then your lives will have joy and the home you establish will be a place in which you both will find the direction of your growth, your freedom, and your responsibility.  If you are able to keep the vows you take here today, not because of any religious or civic law, but out of a desire to love and be loved by another person fully, without limitation, then your life will have joy and the home you establish will be a place in which you both will find the direction of your growth, your freedom, and your responsibility.
 
Name, will you have Name to be your wife/husband/partner to live together as friend and mate? Will you love her/him as a person, respect her as an equal, sharing joy as well as sorrow, triumph as well as defeat. And keep her/him beside you as long as you both shall live?
 
Name
I do
Name, will you have Name to be your wife/husband/partner to live together as friend and mate? Will you love her/him as a person, respect her/him as an equal, sharing joy as well as sorrow, triumph as well as defeat. And keep her/him beside you as long as you both shall live?
Name
I do
 
Rings
The circle is the symbol of the sun, the earth and the universe.  It’s a symbol of wholeness and peace. And in the form of a ring may it stand for you as a symbol of your love for each other, looking both inwards and outwards; it’s an embrace that binds without imprisoning; it’s a support that reassures without restricting.  The wedding bands that Name and Name have exchanged are a confirmation of the vows that they have made.
Name, do you have the rings?
Name, place your ring on Name's finger and repeat after me:
I, Name, take you Name to be my wife/husband/partner and with this ring I marry you and join my life to yours.
 
Name place your ring on Name's finger and repeat after me:
I, Name, take you Name to be my wife/husband/partner and with this ring I marry you and join my life to yours.
 
Closing
And as you hold each others hands look down at them and see the gift they are to you, and will hold your through out all your lives together. There are many poems, stories, and songs about love. For Name and Name, this poem called  True Love By an unknown Author, sums up what Name and Name have put into place today. 
 
True Love is a sacred flame that burns eternally,
And one can dim its special glow
Or change its destiny.
True love speaks in tender tones
And hears with gentle ear.
True love gives with open hear
And true love makes no harsh demands;
It neither rules nor binds,
And true love holds with gentle hands.
 
Blessing
As we close this wedding ceremony today I have a final blessing for all who have gathered here today.
May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries and the breeze blow new strength into your being.
And all the days of your life may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty.
Now you feel no cold, for each other will warm the other
Now there are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your life together and may your days be good and long upon the earth.
 
And so with the power vested in me by the great and wonderful state of Colorado, it is with much honor and pleasure to now pronounce you married.