Heartland Signature Ceremonies

Wedding prayers and blessings can be religious or secular. They are generally spoken by the officiant or close family member of the bride and groom. They convey an entreaty to God or a Higher Power on behalf of the couple and can be placed at the beginning, middle or conclusion of the ceremony.

 

Episcopal Wedding Prayer
O gracious and everlasting God, you have created us male and female in your image:
Look mercifully upon this man and this woman who come to you seeking your blessing,
and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make;
through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lutheran Wedding Prayer
Eternal God, our creator and redeemer, as you gladdened the wedding in Cana of Galilee
by the presence of your Son, so by his presence now bring your joy to this wedding.
Look in favor upon N., and N., and grant that they, rejoicing in all your gifts, may at lengths celebrate
with Christ the marriage feast which has no end.

Methodist Wedding Prayer
God of all peoples , you are the true light illuminating everyone.
You show us the way, the truth, and the life.
You love us even when we are disobedient.
You sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
We rejoice in your life in the midst of our lives.
We praise you for your presence with us,
and especially in this act of solemn covenant;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Episcopalian/Methodist Blessing
O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of Christian marriage that in it is represented
the covenant between Christ and his Church.
Send therefore your blessing upon N., and N., that they may surely keep their marriage covenant,
and so grow in love and godliness together that their home may be a haven of blessing and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Catholic Wedding Prayer (A)
Holy Father in heaven,
hear our prayers for [John] and [Mary]
who today are united in marriage in your presence.
Give them your blessing, and strengthen their love for each other.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Catholic Wedding Prayer (B)
Almighty God,
hear our prayers for [John] and [Mary] who have come here today
to be united in the sacrament of marriage. Increase their faith in you and in each other, and through them bless your Church.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Catholic Wedding Prayer (C)
Father, when you created mankind
you willed that man and wife should be one.
Bind [John] and [Mary]
in the loving union of marriage; and make their love fruitful
so that they may be living witnesses to your divine love in the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Buddhist Prayer for Peace
By the power and the truth of this practice,
may all beings have happiness,
and the causes of happiness.
May all be free from sorrow,
and the causes of sorrow.
May all never be separated
from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless.
And may all live in equanimity,
without too much attachment
and too much aversion,
And live believing
in the equality of all that lives.

May all beings be filled with joy and peace.
May all beings everywhere,
The strong and the weak,
The great and the small,
The mean and the powerful,
The short and the long,
the subtle and the gross:
May all beings everywhere,
Seen and unseen,
Dwelling far off or nearby,
Being or waiting to become:
May all be filled with lasting joy.
Let no one deceive another,

Let no one anywhere despise another,
Let no one out of anger or resentment
Wish suffering on anyone at all.
Just as a mother with her own life
Protects her child, her only child, from harm,
So within yourself let grow
A boundless love for all creatures.

Let your love flow outward
through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Adapted from Illuminata by Marianne Williamson 
Dear God, Please make of this relationship a great and holy adventure.
May their joining be a sacred space.
May the two of them find rest here, a haven for their souls.
Remove from them any temptation to judge themselves or each other or to direct each other.
May they surrender to You their conflicts and their burdens.
We know You are their Answer and their rock.
Help them not forget.
Bring them together in heart and mind as well as body and guide them in the ways of holiness.
May this relationship be a burst of light.
May it be a fount of love and wisdom for them, for their family, for their community, and for their world.
May this bond be a channel for Your love and healing, a vehicle of Your grace and power.
As lessons come and challenges grow, let them not be tempted to forsake each other.
Let them always remember that in each other they have the most beautiful woman, the most beautiful man, the strongest one,
the sacred one in whose arms we are repaired.
May they remain young in this relationship.
May they grow wise in this relationship.
Bring them what You desire for them.
And show them how you would have them be.
Thank You, Dear God.

A Marriage Prayer
Lord, help us to remember when we first met and the strong love that grew between us.
To work that love into practical things so nothing can divide us.
We ask for words both kind and loving,
and for hearts always ready to ask forgiveness as well as to forgive.
Dear Lord, we put our marriage into your hands.
Amen.

Blessing For A Marriage
James Dillet Freeman
May your marriage bring you all the
exquisite excitements a marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also patience, tolerance,
and understanding.
May you always need one another - not so much
to fill your emptiness as to help you know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete;
the valley does not make the mountain less but more;
and the valley is more a valley
because it has a mountain towering over it.
So let it be with you and you.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another,
and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say,
"I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart,
may both of you hope to have good sense
enough to take the first step back.

May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness
of one another's presence - no more physical than spiritual,
warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near
when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one
another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another! 

Grateful
Let us be grateful
for the capacity to see, feel, hear, and understand.
Let us be grateful for this incredible gift of life.
Let us be especially grateful
for the ties of love which bind us together,
giving dignity, meaning, worth and joy to all our days.
This is indeed a day which the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice in it and be glad,
and let us count our many blessings.

Cherokee Prayer
God in heaven above please protect the ones we love.
We honour all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.
We honour mother-earth - and ask for our marriage to be abundant
and grow stronger through the seasons;
We honour fire - and ask that our union be warm and glowing with
love in our hearts; We honour wind - and ask we sail though life
safe and calm as in our father's arms; We honour water - to clean
and soothe our relationship - that it may never thirsts for love;
With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony
and true happiness as we forever grow young together."

Marriage Prayer
"Father in heaven,
You ordained marriage for your children,
and you gave us love.
We present to You _____ and _____,
who come this day to be married.
May the covenant of love they make be blessed
with true devotion and spiritual commitment.
We ask that You, God,
will give them the ability to keep the covenant they have made.
When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity;
when mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength;
when there is misunderstanding, give patience and gentleness;
if suffering becomes a part of their lives,
give them a strong faith and an abiding love.
Amen.

The Peace of God
The peace of God that passes all understanding
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge
and love of God and of this Son Jesus Christ:
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be upon you and remain with you always.

The Lord bless you and keep you:
The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you,
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen

The Grace of the Lord
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy spirit
be with you.
Amen

Gracious God, richly bless...
Gracious God, richly bless (......) and (.......)
in the promises that they have made to each other.
Grant that the courtesies, the thoughtfulness,
and the self giving which already
have laid the foundation for their love,
build the home which is raised on it.

May they be loyal and engaging companions to each other,.
and may they be loving and wise parents.
And in this world
where there is much disillusion and disappointment...
where love brings delight
and also wounding in the fraility of our ways...
make them a visible symbol of the love that does not wane when
the evening comes but is fresh with each new day.
And as you bless this special couple this day,
bless each union represented here.
Forgive us where we have not been good news
and glad days for each other.
Perfect our imperfect love with the joy that comes from above,
and may we grow ourselves and grow in affirmation of the other.
May the Lord bless you and take care of you:
May the Lord be kind and gracious to you:
May the Lord look on you with favour and give you peace.


Treat yourselves and each other with respect
Treat yourselves and each other with respect,
and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness,
gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.
When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship,
as they threaten all relationships at one time or another,
remember to focus on what is right between you,
not only the part which seems wrong.
In this way, you can ride out the storms
when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives...
remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment,
the sun is still there.
And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality
of your life together,
it will be marked by abundance and delight.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.
Matthew 18:20 

Prayer for the Couple
Oh Lord, we thank you
For the union of hearts of our dear [John] and [Mary]
On this special day, their wedding day.
Heaven sings in triumph
For a new love shall unveil
The glory of your name.

Dear Father, we sincerely pray
That you bless this couple
With a love to last forever.

In sickness and in health
May they find your strength
In doubts and troubles
May they see your light
In hurts and failures
May they find your pardon
In loneliness and desperation
May they find your joy.

Also we pray, that you bless them with a family
So blissful, prosperous and ever healthy
And above all, filled with love, faith and hope
That is founded on you.

Bride and the Groom 's Wedding Prayer for One Another
A) Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other.
Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony.

May we always bear with one another’s weaknesses and grow from each other’s strengths. Help us to forgive one another’s failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self.

May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year.
Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection.
Amen

B) Lord, thank you for this beautiful and happy moment.
Now we pray that You will make our home a happy one, where all who enter may draw strength from Your love.
Lord, let our marriage be one in which each of us will be made a person better able to live and work in Your service.
May we always live under Your guidance and care.
Thank you for this our wedding day. In Jesus' name.
Amen.

A Wedding Prayer
By Robert Louis Stevenson

Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow,
for the health, the work, the food,
and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth. Amen.

Love, Joy, Understanding, Friendship, Courage...
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 humor.
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.

Christian Wedding Blessing

O, God, by your power you have made everything out of nothing. In the beginning you created the universe and made us in your own likeness.
You gave man the constant help of woman so that man and woman should no longer be two, but one flesh, and you teach us that what you have united may never be divided.
O, God, you have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his people.
O, God, by your plan man and woman are united, and married life has been established as the one blessing that was not forfeited by sin.
Look with love upon this woman, your daughter, now joined to her husband in marriage.
She asks your blessing.
Give her the grace of love and peace.
May she always follow the example of the holy women whose praises are sung in the scriptures.
May her husband put his trust in her and know that she is his equal and the heir with him to the life of grace.
May he always honor her and love her as Christ loves his people.

Keep them always true to your commandments.
Keep them faithful in marriage and let them be living examples of Christian life.
Give them the strength which comes from the gospel so that they may be witnesses of Christ to others.
And, after a happy old age, grant them fullness of life with the saints in the kingdom of heaven.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Apache Wedding Blessing
Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place
To enter into the days of your togetherness
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

Irish Wedding Blessing
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Honoring The Directions (used in earth honoring traditions)

In many ancient religious traditions, it is customary to bring a service of worship or celebration by calling on the four directions. This is a way of symbolically inviting all of creation to be present and take part in the festivities. This morning, we, too, want to invite the whole of creation to be with us here and now.

Oh Great Spirit of the North, we come to you and ask for the strength and the power to bear what is cold and harsh in life. We come like the buffalo ready to receive the winds that truly can be overwhelming at times. Whatever is cold and uncertain in our life, we ask you to give us the strength to bear it. Do not let the winter blow us away. Oh Spirit of Life and Spirit of the North, we ask you for strength and for warmth.

Oh Great Spirit of the East, we turn to you where the sun comes up, from where the power of light and refreshment come. Everything that is born comes up in this direction the birth of babies, the birth of the puppies, the birth of ideas and the birth of friendship. Let there be the light. Oh Spirit of the East, let the color of fresh rising in our life be glory to you.

Oh Great Spirit of the South, spirit of all that is warm and gentle and refreshing, we ask you to give us this spirit of growth, of fertility, of gentleness. Caress us with a cool breeze when the days are hot. Give us seeds that the flowers, trees and fruits of the earth may grow. Give us the warmth of good friendships. Oh Spirit of the South, send the warmth and the growth of your blessings.

Oh Great Spirit of the West, where the sun goes down each day to come up the next, we turn to you in praise of sunsets and in thanksgiving for changes. You are the great colored sunset of the red west, which illuminates us. You are the powerful cycle, which pulls us to transformation. We ask for the blessings of the sunset. Keep us open to life's changes.

Prayer For the Family

Creator God, you have made us in your own image, male and female,
that together, we may live as members of your one family.
As you surround us with never-ending love,
strengthen us that we, too, might reflect your love,
becoming ever supportive of one another
in times of sorrow, forgiving of one in other in times of anger,
patient in those moments when we seek to rebuild.

We give thanks, O Lord, for the relationship here celebrated.
In your presence we are humbled by the recognition that, today, we face a new future,
one which love has unfolded and is unfolding before our very eyes.
May we ever respect the sanctity of this gift.

As you have filled our cup with joy,
may we share the strength of our deepening love for one another.
Go forth bound together by the love of God.
Go forth with hope and joy and a heart full of dreams,
knowing that God is always with you. Amen

Prayer for the Bride and Groom

Gracious God, spirit of life and love, we ask all blessings upon Bride and Groom in their life together.
May they be blessed with patience, to see them through times of tensions or conflict.
May they be blessed with kindness, to enable them to nurture and care for one another in times of pain or sorrow.
May they be blessed with a spirit of play and joyfulness, that they may participate fully in the beauties and pleasures of creation.
May they be blessed, finally, with a knowledge of the ever-flowing presence of love in the world, that they may be channels of this love to one another and to all whom they meet in their life’s journey. Amen.