Wedding of Brandon and Ashley
May 31, 2008

Prelude: Soft music
PreProcessional:
Brandon stands in front of Priestess
Ring Bell
Moms are escorted to the altar, light unity tapers
Moms are escorted back to their seats

Processional:
Bridesmaid/groomsman
Maid of honor/best man
Flowergirl/ring bearer
Wedding March
Mother of bride stands up when she sees the bride, to signal everyone else to
stand
Bride walked down by father
Priestess signals that everyone can sit

Greeting:

Priestess: Welcome, friends and family! We have come together today, in celebration of the joining together of Jennifer Ashley Byers and Brandon Allen Griffieth. Ashley and Brandon come before you tonight…you, who are their friends and loved ones, who have nurtured and supported them. We are here to bear witness to the entry into a life partnership of this beloved couple who are already one in spirit. They ask you, at this, the moment of their joining, to bless their newborn union with the gifts you have given so freely to them as individuals – your love and caring attention.

Presentation of the Bride:
Priestess: Who has the honor of presenting this woman to be married to this man?

Father says: I do, her father…with the blessings of her family

Priestess: Thank you
(Father then steps back and takes his seat. )

Charge:

Priestess: Ashley and Brandon, I would ask that you both remember to treat yourself and each other with respect, and remind yourself often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your marriage deserves. When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage – as they do to every relationship at one time or another – focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Do you so promise?

Brandon: I do
Ashley: I do

Charge to Witnesses:

Priestess: To all of you who are here to witness this ceremony: you have shown your love and support for Ashley and Brandon as individuals. I charge you now to love them also as a couple, to honor and support their marriage, to rejoice with them in their successes and to help them through times of hardship. I know they will do the same for you, and together we create a loving community.

Vows:
(Hand bouquet to Maid of Honor.)
(Couple holds hands.)

Priestess: Brandon, repeat after me.

I, Brandon, do ask you, Ashley, to be my wife. I ask that you accept my strengths and my faults as I promise to accept yours; I ask for your support and strength when my own fails me, as I promise my strength and support in your times of need. I bring you, with best intentions, my love, my understanding, all that I have and all that I am.

Priestess: Ashley, repeat after me

I, Ashley, do ask you, Brandon, to be my husband. I ask that you accept my strengths and my faults as I promise to accept yours; I ask for your support and strength when my own fails me, as I promise my strength and support in your times of need. I bring you, with best intentions, my love, my understanding, all that I have and all that I am.

Rings:

Priestess: Circles represent eternity, and though our lives are finite, love – the creative force that binds us together, the force that gives new life – is everlasting.

Brandon: This ring I give to you is a symbol of our love, and of the promises I have spoken to you on this day

Ashley: This ring I give to you is a symbol of our love, and of the promises I have spoken to you on this day

Unity Candle:

Priestess: Ashley and Brandon, the two separate candles symbolize your separate lives, separate families and separate sets of friends. I ask that each of you take one of the lit candles and that together you light the center candle.

The individual candles represent your lives before today. Lighting the center candle represents that your two lives are now joined to one light, and represents the joining together of your two families and sets of friends to one.

Blessings and Advice:
Priestess: Ashley and Brandon… as the two of you come into this marriage uniting you as husband and wife, and as you this day affirm your faith and love for one another, I would ask that you always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive, do not hold grudges, and live each day that you may share it together – as from this day forward you shall be each other’s home, comfort and refuge, your marriage strengthened by your love and respect for each other.

Just as two threads woven in opposite directions will form a most beautiful tapestry, so too can your two lives merged together make a beautiful marriage. To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust, to know in your hearts that you truly want the best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open to one another – and to learn and grow together. It will take faith, to go forward together without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment, to hold true to the journey you both pledge today to share together.

May that glory which rests on all who love, rest upon you, bless you, and fill you with happiness and a gracious spirit.

And may joy and peace live always in your hearts and in your home,

Closing:

Priestess: Brandon and Ashley have declared their love before this gathering, and made their pledges to each other. Therefore, by the authority given to me by the state, and by the depth of your commitment to each other, and the breadth of support shown by this gathered community, I take great pleasure in introducing this newly united couple, Mr. and Mrs. Griffieth.

Kiss the Bride:

Priestess: Congratulations, you may kiss your bride.

Recessional:

Announcements: