Vows

Ceremony of Marriage

Celebrant
Anita N. Doucette
Justice of the Peace

Celebrant

Dear Friends,

There is only one kind of love, although it appears in many different versions.  We all have love in our lives, and today we are here to celebrate the love of Abigail and Derek, as they are joined in marriage.  They have asked you to be here to share in their joy on this day of commitment.  Let us join in wishing them all the happiness in their life together, as they take this new step forward.

Abigail and Derek, it is my hope that your fulfillment and joy in each other and in yourselves will increase with every passing year.  I ask you both, in the presence of your family and friends, to remember that love and loyalty alone can form the foundation of a happy and enduring home.  No other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred, than those that you now assume.  If these solemn vows are kept faithfully, and you both live according to the best that is within y, your life together will be full of joy, and the home that you are establishing will abide in peace and happiness.

Marriage begins with the giving of words.  We cannot join ourselves to one another without giving our word.  And this must be an unconditional giving, for in joining ourselves to one another we join ourselves to the unknown.  The vow of marriage is a pledge of everlasting love, a commitment to share all life has to offer, the good times and the bad, with patience and understanding.  Abigail and Derek will now announce their intentions.

Celebrant to the Groom

Derek, will you take this woman to be your wedded wife?  Will you love her, comfort her, honor and support her, in sickness nd in health, for as long as you both shall live?

Groom

I will.

Celebrant to the Bride

Abigail, will you take this man to be your wedded husband?  Will you love him, comfort him, honor and support him, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?

Bride

I will.

The groom repeats after the celebrant:

I, Derek, take you Abigail, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.

The bride repeats after the celebrant:

I, Abigail, take you Derek, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.

The best man and the matron of honor give the celebrant the rings.

Celebrant

These rings are the outward and visible sign of an inward love, which has no beginning and no end, signifying to all the uniting of this man and this woman in the bonds of matrimony.

Holding the ring there, he repeats after the celebrant:

In token and pledge of the vow made between us, with this ring I thee wed.

Holding the ring there, she repeats after the celebrant:

In token and pledge of the vow made between us, with this ring I thee wed.

Celebrant

As by these rings you symbolize your marriage bond, may their meaning enter your hearts and bind your lives together by devotion and faithfulness to one another.  In ever deepening love for each other, you may establish a home filled with love, joy, truth and goodness.

As you have consented together before this company, and have exchanged solemn vows, I now, by the power invested in me by the state of Massachusetts, Pronounce you man and wife.

You may kiss your bride.

Vows given on 6 September 1997