Kellie & Nick Wheeler
Wedding Day Celebration
In the Gardens at University Marriot Hotel
July 27, 2013
WELCOME
Family and friends, it is my great honor and privilege to
welcome you here tonight! On behalf of
Kellie and Nick, I would like to thank you all for coming—all of you who have
traveled near and far and all of you who are joining us in spirit! Welcome! J
GATHERING WORDS
Marriage is a promise of hope between two people who love
each other sincerely, who respect and honor each other as unique individuals,
and who wish to share the future together..
Kellie and Nick, you come tonight as two and shall leave
this place of celebration as one united in this promise as you enter in the
holy and sacred estate of matrimony. May
the bond of friendship, love, and spirit which joins you together grow deeper
and stronger with each day spent as husband and wife! J
PARENTS’ CONSENT
May I please have the parents of Kellie and Nick stand for a
reading from THE PROPHET by Kahlil Gabrin.
It is talking about how we, as parents, are the stable bow from which
our children, the living arrows, are sent forward in the hands of the Archer!
“Children are not our children. They are the sons and daughters of life’s
longing for itself. They come through
us, but not from us. And though they are
with us, they belong not to us. We may
give them our love but not our thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. We may house their bodies but not their
souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow which we cannot visit,
not even in our dreams. We may strive to
be like them, but we must seek not to make them like us. For life goes not backwards nor tarries in
yesterday. We are the bows from which
our children as living arrows are sent forth.
The Archer sees the mark of the infinite and He bends us with his might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the Archer’s hand be for gladness, for even as He
loves the arrows that fly, so He loves also the bows that are stable.”
Parents, I ask one question of you today. Are you willing now and always to support and
strengthen this marriage by upholding both Kellie and Nick with all of your
love, wisdom, and concern?
(All Parents together) We are!
Thank you! You may be seated! J
BEGINNING PRAYER
In recognition of the power and purpose of this sacred
occasion, I ask that you join me in a word of prayer for Kellie and Nick.
“Father God, we ask for Your blessings on Kellie and
Nick. Make them rich with Your peace so
they may enjoy the comforts and share the experiences, insights, and lessons of
life. May they grow individually and as
a supportive and loving couple! May they
experience Your presence, love, and guidance each day they share together!
Amen!” J
MEANING OF MARRIAGE
Kellie and Nick, you realize that marriage goes beyond an
officiant’s authority or any document signed today. The bond of a marriage will be defined by
your commitment to love each other, to work with all your hearts toward
creating an atmosphere of care and respect, and by your willingness to face
together the fears and uncertainty that life will bring. Your love for one
another and your willingness to accept each other’s strengths and frailties
with understanding and consideration will cement the foundation for a life
together that will last.
Kellie and Nick, you must:
*regard each other with the deepest respect.
*appreciate each other’s talents, foster each other’s
dreams, and be ever mindful of the many gifts the other offers you.
*inspire and encourage one another, for by strengthening
your partner, you strengthen your marriage.
*bring out the very best in each other.
*be sparing in criticism and generous in praise for things
well done.
*don’t take each other for granted.
*continue to be honest and opened, for a heart that
communicates without hesitation earns trust and builds a secure home; without
truth there is no respect and without respect there is no love.
*last, but not least, you must love unconditionally.
Kellie and Nick, a vast unknown future stretches out before
you. That future, with its hopes and
disappointments, its joys and its sorrows, is hidden from your eyes. But it is a great tribute to your belief in
each other that you are willing to face those uncertainties together. May your precious bond of friendship, spirit,
and love never fail, but grow deeper and stronger with every moment you spend
together! J
CHARGE TO GUESTS
Friends and family, love has gathered us here this evening
in this place of celebration where the sky is our only ceiling, the earth our
only floor, and the horizons our only walls.
It is the unconditional love and commitment which exists so strongly
between Kellie and Nick. It is also the
love that each of us has for this amazing couple. We are here tonight to show our love and
support for them as they embark on their journey of self-discovery as husband
and wife. Let us always be there to love
and support them! J
RINGS & VOWS
May I have the rings please?
These rings, your gifts to each other, are an outward and visible sign
of an inward and invisible love which exists so strongly between you. They symbolize the love, friendship, and
faithfulness that you share. They are
round like the sun, the earth, the moon, and the universe. As circle they have no beginning and no end with
no points of weakness. May they be
blessed so that you, the givers and receivers, be blessed and forever be
surrounded by the love and commitment that we celebrate here today!
Kellie, please repeat after me: “Nick, I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to
laugh with you and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in
bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and
when it is an effort. I promise to
cherish you and to always hold you in highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the
day of our life. (Place the ring on Nick’s finger.) With this ring, I marry my
best friend today, tomorrow, and always.”
Nick, please repeat after me: “Kellie, I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to
laugh with you and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in
bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and
when it is an effort. I promise to
cherish you and to always hold you in highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the
days of our life. (Place the ring on
Kellie’s finger.) With this ring, I marry my best friend today, tomorrow, and
always.” J
SAND CEREMONY
To symbolize their union as husband and wife, Kellie and
Nick have chosen the SAND CEREMONY.
Before us, there are 2 small containers filled with sand and 1 larger
container that is empty for now. One of
the full containers represents you, Kellie.
The other full container represents you, Nick. As you empty your
individual containers into the FAMILY container, you are blending together all
that you are and all that you were as individuals and all that you will become
as a supportive couple. You are blending
together 2 families and 2 sets of friends.
With this sand, you are creating a beautiful reminder of the masterpiece
you will create as you build a beautiful marriage and life together! May your
union be strong and forever blessed! J
Love is friendship that has caught on fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence,
sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty
through the good times and the bad. It
accepts less than perfection and makes allowances for human error. Love is content with the present, it hopes
for the future, and doesn’t brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of
irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and
working together toward common goals. If
you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things that you
lack. Kellie and Nick, you asked for it,
God gave it to you, now go share it! J
PRONOUNCEMENT
Kellie and Nick, you have exchanged words of love and
commitment, and have sealed this pledge with the giving and receiving of
rings. It is not a minister standing
before you that makes your marriage real.
It is the love, honesty, and sincerity with which you have done these
things before God and your witnesses. It
is now my great honor and privilege as an Ordained Minister to pronounce what
your souls have known forever, that you are indeed husband and wife! J
Nick, you may now kiss your bride! J
