Our Wedding Ceremony Details

In trying to recap our wedding I wasn’t sure were to start!  We have so many pictures, so many memories, so many aspects that I would love to go into detail about.  Of all of the parts and pieces of that magical day the thing that seemed to stand out the most in our minds was the actual ceremony. 

We thought it was perfect and were so happy to find out that many of our guests felt the same way.  My parents have received numerous compliments and questions in regards to how lovely, romantic and real the ceremony was…they all wondered who wrote the words or came up with the outline of it.  Several friends of ours and family members have also questioned were these words came from or if they could have a copy.

And so I will tell the story of our ceremony and also give you the rundown on our entire ceremony…this may seem long, so I apologize in advance, you don’t have to read it if you aren’t interested :)

About 2 weeks prior to our wedding we had met with the minister and he calmly handed over several possible ceremony wordings…he said we needed to figure out what we wanted said and let him know.  I just smiled, took the papers and thanked him for the reminder…BUT…I was silently freaking the crap out! I hadn’t even thought about the ceremony.  Every wedding I had really been too I totally took for granted what went into the verbiage and flow of the actual ceremony…and I couldn't believe that I had totally let this aspect of our big day slip thru the cracks.  I was so in tune with the party when what really mattered to us was the ceremony.  We were so excited to get married and I was completely embarrassed that I hadn’t even thought about what we wanted to say to each other as we were getting married!!!

I freaked out and spent a good two nights obsessing over the perfect words, vows…flow.  I researched, read blogs, looked at the suggested things from our minister…I typed and deleted so many things until I finally got it perfect!  Finally at about 2am I closed my computer and felt completely satisfied and so very very excited for our ceremony.  I basically took parts of different weddings from all over the internet and added things I liked and wanted said and am so excited to share our ceremony with you complete with pictures (thanks to Jana Pryor Photography):

~Prelude

~Seating of Grandmothers & Mothers: Bach: Jesu, Joy of mans desiring

~Entrance of Officiate, Groom:

~Entrance of Bridesmaids and Groomsman: Pachebel: Canon in D 

I didn’t put all the pictures of them walking in…so so many!

~Entrance of Bride & Dad and Giving Away of Bride:Trumpet Voluntary

 

~Please Be Seated

Introductory Remarks:

Welcome to the marriage ceremony and celebration of Abby and Joe.  They stand before you today to declare their commitment to each other in front of their family and friends in the presence of God, and to celebrate with you on this wonderful occasion. Many of you have given them much happiness, love, warmth, and guidance through the various stages of their lives. Thank you for joining them, your presence is invaluable and Abby and Joe wanted me to express their gratitude in this respect.  We would also like to acknowledge those who could not be here today as they are certainly missed but not forgotten.

 

Abby and Joe have not arrived at this place alone.  Each of their parents has had a lasting impact on their lives.  That being said:

Would both sets of parents please stand.

Parents, are you willing, now and always to support and strengthen this marriage by upholding both Abby and Joe with your love, prayers and concern?

Both sets of parents respond--- We are

Thank you, you may be seated

We have been invited to hear Abby and Joe as they promise to face the future together, accepting whatever may lie ahead. For the world that God has created for them, with its beauty and grace that is all around, with the strength that it offers and the peace that it brings, makes them truly grateful.

Abby and Joe, nothing is easier than saying words and nothing is harder than living them day after day. What you promise today must be renewed and redecided tomorrow. At the end of this ceremony legally you will be man and wife, but you still must decide each day that stretches out before you, that you want to be married.

Real love is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about your own. But real love is not total absorption in each other; it is looking outward in the same direction---together. Love makes burdens lighter, because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger so you can reach out and become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone.

(Add on from Officiate)… He did a wonderful job, but I don’t have exactly what he said.

Declaration of Intent:

Keeping all of this in mind
Joe, Do you take Abby to be your wife from this day forward?  To live together and to comfort her in times of need?  Do you promise to build a life filled with love and laughter, sharing all that is to come?
Joe answers—I do
Abby, Do you take Joe to be your husband from this day forward? To live together and to comfort him in times of need?  Do you promise to build a life filled with love and laughter, sharing all that is to come?
Abby answers—I do

You have declared your consent. May the Lord in His goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings.

Amen

Wedding Vows:

The vows that Abby and Joe are about to make reflect their understanding of life’s ever-changing circumstances.  Life does not always go where we plan and no matter how much arranging is done, sometimes, you just have to wing it. Love constantly grows as well, and Abby and Joe are prepared to grow along with it, together.

Joe, please repeat these words:
I Joe, take you Abby to be my wife.

I promise to be true to you

in good times and in bad,

in sickness, and in health.

I will laugh with you in happiness

and console you in sorrow.

I promise to be your companion
and offer my life long support
in every part of your dreams.
I will love you, and honor you
all the days of my life.

---------------------------------------------
Abby, please repeat these words:
I Abby, take you Joe to be my husband.
I promise to be true to you

In good times and in bad,

In sickness and in health.

I will laugh with you in happiness
and console you in sorrow.
I promise to be your companion
and offer my life long support
in every part of your dreams.
I will love you and honor you
all the days of my life.

Abby and Joe, keeping these vows in mind, please remain holding each other’s hands in your own and remember these words:
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. In your final years, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Ring Vows:

Abby and Joe will now exchange rings to symbolize their promise of love and fidelity.  Rings are derived from humble beginnings of imperfect metal to create something striking where there was once nothing at all.  It is customarily worn on the ring finger, as it is the only finger with a vein running directly to the heart. The wearing of the rings is a visible, outward sign that they have committed themselves to each other.

Lord, bless these rings in your name. Grant that those who wear them may always have a deep faith in each other. May they do your will and always live together in peace, good will, and love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen
Joe, please take Abby’s hand and repeat these words.
I give you this ring, as a symbol of our marriage,
for today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come.
Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day
and know that my love is present,
even when I am not.

Abby, please take Joe’s hand and repeat these words.
I give you this ring, as a symbol of our marriage,
for today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come.
Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day
and know that my love is present,
even when I am not.

Pronouncement:

Having pledged your faith in, and love to each other, and having sealed your solemn marital vows by giving and receiving the rings, acting in the authority vested in me by the laws of the great state of Ohio, and looking to heaven for divine sanction, I pronounce you husband and wife in the presence of God and these assembled witnesses. What God hath joined together, let no man divide.

And now may the God of peace prosper and bless your new relationship, and may the grace of Jesus Christ abound unto you now and forevermore. Amen.

You may kiss the Bride!!!!

~Introduction:

And now it is my happy privilege to congratulate and introduce to you for the first time Mr.. & Mrs.. Joe and Abby French!

Recession:Tom Petty: Wildflower

We took a moment with just the two of us to breath…to celebrate our marriage…we hugged, kissed, shed a few tears of joy and tears of relief that it all went so perfectly…we pulled ourselves back together and came outside to get a few more pictures with the bridal party and this is what we came outside to:  Can I just say I love every single one of these people…our entire bridal party was beyond supportive and fun and loving and you guys made our day even better for sure!!

It was absolutely perfect…all of my hard work and sleepless nights were completely worth the outcome.  We loved our ceremony…we loved the words that were being said, we loved the minister that was saying them with his own personal spin…we loved the warmth and love we felt with everyone gathered around watching us marrying our best friends.   I loved everything about the ceremony and I hope you can see why after reading this post…if you are even still reading, it is pretty long :)

To end this longggggg post here a few more of my favorites from after the ceremony.

There will be more to come on the wedding…the party, the decorations, the food…the music, my dress, etc etc etc.  stay tuned !!!