Declaration of Intents
First Vows (Declaration of Consent)
Selection #1
Will you ____, have this man/woman from this day forward to be your wedded wife/husband, to live
together (in God’s love) in the sacred state of matrimony?
Do you promise to love her/him, comfort her/him, honor and cherish her/him, in sickness and health, in trying times and smooth, in lean times and full, all the days of your lives? If so, say, “I do.”
Selection #2
____, will you have this man/woman to be your wife/husband to live together in the covenant of marriage?
Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live? If so, say, “I do.”
Selection #3
____, will you take ____, to be your wedded wife/husband, to love, to cherish, to continually bestow upon her your heart’s deepest devotion? If so, say, “I will.”
Selection #4
____, do you take ____, for your lawfully wedded wife/husband, to love and cherish from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health? If so, say, “I do.”
Selection #5
Will you, _____ have this man/woman from this day forward to be your wedded wife/husband, in times of celebration, in times of sadness, in times of pleasure and in times of pain, in times of sickness and times of health? If so, say, “I will.”
Selection #6
The apostle Paul compared the relationship between husband and wife to that between Christ and the church. Marriage is a decision of two individuals to share the same type of pure, Christian love described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 – Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not selfish, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and is always ready to endure whatever comes. Love never fails…
Two lives, shared with this kind of love, can hold more fulfillment and happiness than either life alone.
_______, are you ready to enter into marriage with ____, believing the love you share and your faith in each other will endure all things? If so, say, “I am.”
Selection #7
_______ and _____, as you come this day to affirm your love and commitment, may you always remember to value each other as special and unique individuals, and that you respect each other’s thoughts, ideas and feelings. May you be able to forgive and to forget when wronged, and live each day that you may share it together – as from this day forward you will be each others’ home, comfort and sanctuary.
________, will you embrace/take ________ as your wife/husband; As your companion and best friend for life? Will you treat her/him with love and devotion, honor and respect? Will you stand by her/him in the triumphs and tragedies of life, as a faithful and caring wife/husband? If so, say, “I will.”
Selection #8
______, will you love ____ when you are together and when you are apart; when life is peaceful and when it is disordered; when you are proud of her/him and when you are disappointed in her/him; in times of leisure and in times of work; will you honor her/his goals and dreams and help her/him fulfill them? If so, say, “I will.”
Selection #9
_____ and _____, of all the people you know, you have chosen one another as life partners. Are you ready to be married? If so, say, “we are.”
Selection #10
Do you BRIDE take GROOM to be your husband – to live together after God’s ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live? If so, say, “I will.”
Selection #11
From this day onward, I choose you, _________ to be my wife/husband, my best friend and my only love.
To live together, play together and laugh together;
To work by your side and dream in your arms;
To fill your heart and feed your soul;
To always seek out the best in you;
Always loving you with all my heart, until the end of our forever.
___________, with these words spoken, and all those as yet unspoken, do you wish to marry __________ and join your life with his/hers? Say, “I do!”
Parent’s Consent:
Selection #1
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Selection #2
Who gives this man and woman to be married to each other?
Selection #3
Our Lord Jesus Christ instructed us about marriage when he said in the Book of Mark, Chapter 10, “For from the very first He made man and woman to be joined together permanently in marriage; therefore a man is to leave his father and mother, and he and his wife are united so that they are no longer two, but one.” Within the spirit of this scripture, ___ and ___ would like to receive the blessing of their parents on this holy union.
Parents please rise. Do you give your blessing to this man and woman to be married to each other?
Parents say, “We do.”
Selection#4
Being assured that your love and your choice of each other as lifelong companions is in God’s will and that you have your families’ blessings, I now ask: Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
Selection #5
This wedding is also a celebration of family. It is the blending of two families that have been separate up to this moment, but united from this day forward – blending their different traditions, strengthening the family tree. To honor this uniting of the families, (Groom and Bride) wish to ask their parent’s blessing.
(To Bride’s Mom and Dad)
_______ and ______ do you offer this couple your goodwill? Do you welcome (groom) as a member of your family and give him your love and affection?
Parents say, “We do.”
(To Groom’s Mom and Dad)
______ and ______, do you offer this couple your goodwill? Do you welcome (bride) as a member of your family and give her your love and affection?
Parents say, “We do.”