The Marriage Ceremony

of

Name #1 Last #1 and Name #2 Last #2

on

Date

at

Place

INTRODUCTION

We are gathered here today to witness the formal joining of

Name #1 Last #1

and

Name #2 Last #2

in the legal state of Matrimony. You are to be married according to the orders, customs, and the authority granted by the government of the Province of Alberta.

Matrimony, as understood by us, is a state enriched by a long and honorable tradition of devotion.  According to the law each participant is equal and supports the common rights of one another in the marriage.

Name #1 and Name #2,

You have come here together to share in the human institution of marriage—to share your lives, hopes and dreams, successes and failures, highs, lows, and everything in between.
Nothing is easier than saying words today, and nothing harder than living them every day after. What you promise today must be renewed and re-decided tomorrow. At the end of this ceremony, you will be legally married, but you must still decide, each day that stretches out before you, that you want to be together.

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. Real love is not total absorption in each other; it is looking outward in the same directions — together.

May you laugh together in joy, grieve together in sorrow, and grow together in love.
With this understanding

Name #1

and

Name #2

wish to be joined in marriage.

I now call upon you both in the presence of these witnesses, to repeat after me:

Name #1, please repeat after me:

I DO SOLEMNLY DECLARE

THAT I DO NOT KNOW OF ANY LAWFUL IMPEDIMENT

WHY I, Name #1 Last #1

MAY NOT BE JOINED IN MATRIMONY

TO Name #2

Name #2, please repeat after me:

I DO SOLEMNLY DECLARE

THAT I DO NOT KNOW OF ANY LAWFUL IMPEDIMENT

WHY I, Name #2 Last #2

MAY NOT BE JOINED IN MATRIMONY

TO Name #1 Last #1

As no impediment was declared or admitted, I require you to give answers to these questions:

Do you Name #1, promise to give to Name #2 the love of your person, the comfort of your companionship, and the patience of your understanding? Will you share with him equally the necessities of life as they may be earned or enjoyed by your self; and to respect the dignity of his own personal rights?

Answer: I DO

Do you Name #2, promise to give to Name #1 the love of your person, the comfort of your companionship, and the patience of your understanding? Will you share with her equally the necessities of life as they may be earned or enjoyed by your self; and to respect the dignity of her own personal rights?

Answer: I DO

THE MARRIAGE VOWS

Now would Name #1 and Name #2 please join hands, and let Name #1 repeat after me:

I CALL UPON THOSE PERSONS PRESENT

TO WITNESS THAT I, Name #1 Last #1

DO TAKE YOU, Name #2 Last #2

TO BE MY LAWFUL WEDDED HUSBAND

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD,

FROM THIS DAY FORWARD,

IN WHATEVER CIRCUMSTANCES OR EXPERIENCES

LIFE MAY

HOLD FOR US.

Let Name #2 repeat after me:

I CALL UPON THOSE PERSONS PRESENT

TO WITNESS THAT I, Name #2 Last #2 

DO TAKE YOU, Name #1 Last #1

TO BE MY LAWFUL WEDDED WIFE

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD,

FROM THIS DAY FORWARD,

IN WHATEVER CIRCUMSTANCES OR EXPERIENCES

LIFE MAY

HOLD FOR US.

Name #1 and Name #2 will now read their vows to each other.

THE RING EXCHANGE

The wedding ring is a symbol of married love, the precious metals show that your love is your most precious possession, and the unending circle symbolizes that your love will never cease.

Having declared these marriage vows, let Name #1 place the ring on the third finger of Name #2’s left hand, repeating after me:

Name #2, I GIVE YOU THIS RING

THAT YOU MAY WEAR IT AS A LASTING REMINDER

OF OUR MARRIAGE VOWS

AND AS A SYMBOL

OF MY LOVE AND COMMITMENT TO YOU.

Let Name #2 place the ring on the third finger of Name #1’s left hand, repeating after me:

Name #1, I GIVE YOU THIS RING

THAT YOU MAY WEAR IT AS A LASTING REMINDER

OF OUR MARRIAGE VOWS

AND AS A SYMBOL

OF MY LOVE AND COMMITMENT TO YOU.

SIGNING THE MARRIAGE REGISTRATION

I will now ask Name #1 and Name #2 to join me, along with their witnesses to sign the Marriage Registration.

THE DECLARATION

 Name #1 and Name #2, you have consented in marriage, and have declared your solemn intention before these witnesses and in my presence. You have exchanged these rings as the pledge of your love to each other; you have joined your hands to accept one another.

As you begin your marriage, let your home be a haven of peace in the midst of a busy and changing world; let your relationship be one of complete truth, love, and understanding.  Respect the confidences of your partner in this marriage and consider that your marriage will yield what you give to it. 

May you enjoy a long life, fulfill your hopes, feel content as you live day by day, and keep your promises to one another.

Now upon the authority vested in me by the Province of Alberta, I pronounce you legally married. You may seal your commitment with a kiss.