By

Shelby G. Floyd

April 26, 2008

This ceremony is posted in honor of Jacob my oldest grandson and his beautiful wife Lindsay.

It is also being put on the web for the practical use of young preachers, who when starting their careers do not have access to a marriage ceremony. You may feel free to use this ceremony or change it to fit your specific needs.                   --Shelby G. Floyd

Friends:

The _________ and _________ families are grateful that you have honored the wedding day of Jacob and Lindsay by your presence.

Jacob, you were our firstborn grandson. You came into this world in an Indiana snowstorm and matured in the beautiful Florida sunshine. I know that I speak for the entire family in saying we are very proud of you.

We have always prayed for you to meet a beautiful young Christian lady like Lindsay. She is so perfect for you and we look forward to getting to know her better and loving her more.

We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to the words which shall unite Jacob  and Lindsay  in marriage.

Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, they must speak now or forever hold their peace.

Who is it that brings this woman to this man?

Jacob and Lindsay, life is given to each of us as individuals, and yet we must learn to live together. Love is given to us by God, our family and by our friends. We learn to love by being loved. Learning to love and living together is one of the greatest challenges of life—and is the shared goal of a married life.

Jacob and Lindsay, if you have freely and lawfully chosen one another as husband and wife, please join your hands.

Jacqueline, Jacob’s cousin will now read the beautiful passage in Ruth 1:16-17, illustrating the love they each have for each other, their families and their commitment to Almighty God:

But Ruth said:

"Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.

Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The LORD do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me."

VOWS

(Groom) Jacob, do you take Lindsay to be your Wife? ("I do") Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?  ("I do")

(Bride) Lindsay, do you take Jacob to be your Husband? ("I do") Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?  ("I do")

RINGS

"Wedding rings are visible signs of the unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this man and this woman in marriage."

(Groom) I Jacob, take you, Lindsay to be my Wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you forevermore.

(Bride)  I Lindsay, take you Jacob, to be my Husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you forevermore.

Jacob and Lindsay, 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.

A marriage ceremony represents one of life's greatest commitments. But it also is a declaration of love. I wish to read to you what Paul wrote of love in a letter to the Corinthians. I believe it is a true model of love and it is a model of love I hope you pursue in your marriage:

1 Corinthians 13
Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud.
Love is never haughty or selfish or rude.
Love does not demand it's own way. Love is not irritable or touchy. Love does not hold grudges and will hardly notice when others do it wrong.
Love is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
If you love someone, you will be loyal to them no matter what the costs. You will always believe in them, always expect the best in them, and will always stand your ground in defending them.

Will all of you in the audience signify that you are committed to encourage Jacob and Lindsay to have a faithful and happy marriage by saying WE WILL?

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, our hearts are filled with great happiness on Jacob and Lindsay’s wedding day, as they come before You pledging their hearts and lives to one another. Grant that Jacob and Lindsay may ever be true and loving, living together in such a way as to never bring shame or heartbreak into their marriage. Temper their hearts with kindness and understanding; rid them of all pretense or jealousy. Help them to remember to be each other's sweetheart, helpmate, best friend and guide, so that together they may meet the cares and problems of life more bravely. And with the passage of time, may they find great contentment in the rich joy of senior companionship. May the home they are creating today truly be a place of love and harmony, where Your Spirit is always present? Bless this marriage we pray and walk beside Jacob and Lindsay throughout all of their lives together. We ask these things in Jesus name; Amen

Jacob and Lindsay, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Holy Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, the joining of your hands and the giving of these rings, I now by the power invested in me as a minister of the gospel, and by the authority of the state of ____________,declare you to be Husband and Wife.

"Whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder."—Jesus

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 the fields.

May the light of friendship guide your paths together.
May the laughter of children grace the halls
of your home.
May the joy of living for one another trip a smile
from your lips,
A twinkle from your eye.

And when eternity beckons,
at the end of a life heaped high with love,
May the good Lord embrace you
with the arms that have nurtured you
the whole length of your joy-filled days.
May the gracious God hold you both
in the palm of His hands?

And, today, may the Spirit of Love
find a dwelling place in your hearts.

Jacob and Lindsay--Husband and Wife.