Closing Words

1. You are now wed. May you always remain sweethearts, helpmates, and friends. May your life together be full of kindness and understanding, thoughtfulness and rejoicing. May the years bring you happiness and contentment. May you enter into each other’s sorrow by sympathy, into each other’s joy with gladness, Into each other’s hope with faith and trust, Into each other’s need with the sure presence of love, Into each other’s lives with enthusiasm and embracing. (Amen)

2. __________ and __________, you have now affirmed before your families and friends your love and your caring for each other. You have come from different backgrounds. You have walked different paths. You are different individuals. Your love has transcended these differences. In the years before you, may the richness of the traditions that have nurtured you enhance and brighten your lives as you help to create and shape the future. May the challenges of your life be met with courage and optimism. May you learn from your failures and grow in your achievements. May life bless you with children, friends, and family in a wide network of mutual support and enjoyment. May you face pain, toil, and trouble with a stout but light heart. May you share with others the radiance of your seasons of joy and pleasure. May the spirit of love be ever a part of your lives so that the union we here celebrate this day be worthy of continued celebration tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

3. "I Will Be Here" by Steve Curtis Chapman
If in the morning when you wake, and the sun does not appear, I will be here.
If in the dark we lose sight of love, hold my hand and have no fear, I will be here.

I will be here, when you feel like being quiet, when you need to speak your mind I will listen.
Through the winning, losing, and trying we'll be together, and I will be here.
If in the morning when you wake, and the future is unclear, I will be here.
As sure as seasons were made for change, our lifetimes were made for years, I will be here.

I will be here, and you can cry on my shoulder, when the mirror tells us we're older.
I will hold you, to watch you grow in beauty, and tell you all the things you are to me.
We'll be together and I will be here. I will be true to the promises I've made, to you and to the one who gave you to me.
I will be here.

4. May you always find peace in your home.

May you always be faithful to one another.

May you always stay flexible enough to listen and consider each other's opinion.

May you always find ways to strengthen your bond with one another.

May you be fully aware that one person is unable to fill all the needs of the other.

May you continue to discover similar interests.

May you appreciate each other's good qualities and always focus on the positive.

May your affection for one another never cease, but instead continue to grow - becoming a deeper, richer, and never-ending love.

May life bring you beautiful moments full of togetherness and love that leave you with memories to warm your souls for many years to come.

May you discover new ways to appreciate the great gifts you have as a couple.

May you have all the time you want to enjoy the magic and wonder of your love.

May you look ahead with the faith and confidence that the coming years will be your best ever.

Most of all, may you share all this for as long as you live and love together.

6. May you have many joys, and be the light of each other's days.

May all that you are, always be in love; and may all that is love, always be in you.

May you always see and encourage the best in each other.

May the challenges that life brings your way make your marriage grow stronger.

May you always be each other's best friend and greatest love.

7. And now, may the confidence, trust, and affection you have for each other on this day, sustain you as you go forth upon your journey of life together with its joy, its laughter, its sorrow, and its pain. May you fulfill your personal goals with each others help and guidance. May you dwell together in peace, love, and joy.

8. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and grant you peace. In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

9. We ask that the Holy Spirit of love may deepen the lives of ___________ and _________. May the relationship, which today has been expressed, continue to grow in the years to come. And whatever changes time may bring, let this wedding ceremony remain as a treasured memory and a guide to life. May they always experience that breathless wonder that exclaims: "Out of all this world, you have chosen me. "When life is done and the sun is setting, may they be found then as now, still hand in hand, still thanking you for each other. Amen

10. In joining your lives may God grant you both...Love... to afford each other a special quality of time together. Joy... in the accomplishments of one another. Understanding...that your interests and desires will not always be the same. Friendship...based on mutual trust. Courage...to speak of a misunderstanding and to work on a solution before the setting of the sun. Compassion...to comfort each other in pain and sorrow. Foresight...to realize rainbows follow rainy days. Imagination...to keep with you part of the child you used to be. Mirth...from your sense of humour. Awareness...to live each day with the knowledge that there is no promise of tomorrow. May God bless you and keep you in the Palm of His hand.

11. Most gracious God: We thank you for the beauty of this moment. Send your richest blessing upon (name of bride/groom/partner) and (name of groom/bride/partner), whom we bless in your name, that they may love, honour, and cherish each other, amid the ever-changing scenes of this life. Look favourably upon them, that their home may be a haven of blessing and a place of peace. Grant them fullness of years so that they may see their children’s children. Guide them by the wise counsel of your word, and when their earthly life is complete, give them entrance into your everlasting kingdom.

12. By your free choice you have made a marriage. No matter what the demands on your lives and your time, The meaning of your living is now known through your love. You must nurture each other to fullness and wholeness. Renew yourselves In love and laughter. Maintain the capacity for wonder, spontaneity, humor, sensitivity, and save time for each other, to love each other more deeply and learn to love more fully the Creation in which the mystery of love happens. (Amen)

13. A Blessing

In the many names of the God of Love Whose breath began the universe,

Whose touch sparked all beginnings, I bless this circle and all within it.

In the many names of the Goddess of Love whose love connects all things together,

Whose body encircles eternity, I bless this circle and all within it.

In the many names of all who have ever loved whose stories are stars in the night sky

And whose paths light our lives, I bless this circle and all within it.

Blessed be this earth we stand upon and blessed be these two who stand before us.

Blessed be their hands that entwine in love and their hearts which bind together this day.

Blessed be the arms of family and friends who embrace them and may the joy in all our hearts join together in support and love.

To sustain them through the years before them.

Blessed be this, this circle of community.

May only love enter And only love depart