A Nerdy Wedding Ceremony

My little brother got married this weekend and gave me the honor of officiating the Christian ceremony- a first for me! Here  is what I wrote for him and his bride, Renee...

I. OPENING PRAYER
We are gathered here in the presence of God, family and friends
to witness and celebrate the marriage of Renee and Ramsey.
Today, they will receive God's greatest gift;
A partner to share with, grow with, change with,
be joyful with and to stand with as one
when trials and tribulations enter their lives.
It is fitting, therefore, that we should on this occasion
begin by asking for God's blessing on this marriage. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father,
We gather to celebrate the gift of love, and its presence among us.
We rejoice that Renee & Ramsey have chosen to commit themselves
to a life of loving faithfulness to one another.
We give thanks for the strong connection and friendship you have put in their hearts.
May our participation in this celebration of love and commitment,
give to us a new joy and responsiveness to the relationships that we cherish.
In your loving arms we pray, Amen.

You may all be seated.

II. GATHERING WORDS

Welcome! Good afternoon, family and friends

As the groom’s sister, it is an honor for me

To officiate this wedding

It’s my first time doing this so I may be a bit nervous

Good news, it’s the bride and groom’s first time too

So I am hoping they won’t notice any mistakes

It is also an honor to marry Renee & Ramsey today, Sept. 1

Because I was married on this very day 11 years ago

To my amazing husband with whom I am madly and deeply in love

It’s a good day to get married

On behalf of Ramsey & Renee, thank you for joining us

They are delighted that you have come to share in their joy

On this special day.

By your presence, you celebrate with them

The love they have discovered in each other

And you support their decision to commit themselves to a lifelong relationship

III. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF FAMILY & FRIENDS

Today represents not only the joining of Ramsey & Renee in their marriage

But also the joining of their families and friends

They are blessed to share their wedding day with you all

And thank each of you for coming from near and far (San Francisco, Trinidad, Pittsburgh, LA, Houston, Dublin)

Renee & Ramsey would like to recognize their families on this occasion

They offer their profound gratitude

For all the love and care their parents showed in raising them

Mom and Gopa, the proof, the result of your devout motherhood

Sacrifices you made, unconditional support and high expectations (rightfully so)

Is standing before me represented as two successful, accomplished, brilliant beings

With much sadness, I would like to take a moment

To remember and honor the fathers of the bride and groom

Who are both not with us here today

I know our dads are here with us in spirit, but they are sorely missed

Not just on this special occasion, but everyday

IV. MARRIAGE ADDRESS

Marriage is a joyous occasion.

It is connected in our thoughts with the charm of love, the warmth of home,

and as being one of the most important events of our lives.

Its sacredness and unity is the most significant

and binding covenant known in human relations.

It is a bed of roses, thorns and all.

Ramsey & Renee, as I stand before you today,

I offer you my own suggestions for a happy life together and a healthy marriage.

I took an academic approach in writing them- categorizing them into areas of study.

As we all know the bride and groom have spent most of their lives in school and have more degrees than a Russian protractor. Now if you didn’t get that joke, don’t worry these two did.

To earn my Marriage degree, I offer you 3 courses.

Course #1: Thermodynamics

Friction generates heat…and that’s a good thing for a marriage.

It may be your similarities that brought you together

Such as your strong family foundation, intellectual equality,

kind heartedness, immaterialism, perfect SAT scores,

mutual love for Tartan plaid and martial art cults.

But it is your differences that keep you together.

It’s what compliments and completes you.

Embrace those differences .

One of the beauties of marriage is that your individualities

and dissimilarities creates balance , allows you to grow, keeps you challenged.

The friction heats things up and results in a continued passion for each other.

Course #2: Economics

You must input more love in your relationship than you consume.

Forget Pareto’s 80/20 rule or the assumption that marriage is 50/50.

Rev Lil’s theory is marriage is 60/40. You both give 60% but take only 40%.

Therefore, supply will always be greater than demand.

Produce more love than you take and the commodity of love will be abundant

Plus the opportunity cost of not doing so is very high.

Course #3: Spelling with Aretha Franklin

She got it right…R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Respect is the catalyst for all things beautiful in a relationship:

trust, connection, authenticity and love

It’s a deep feeling of admiration for each other

elicited by your remarkable abilities, unique qualities and achievements.

Be generous with compliments.

Be attentive and helpful.

Be constantly grateful for the discovery and attainment

of this incredibly special person who has chosen to make a life with you.

My hope for you Renee & Ramsey is

That you have many long years to delight in each other’s company

To feel gratitude for your great fortune, in having found and loved each other

To make a sheltering and welcoming home together,

Filled with lively and spicy mini- Ramsey & Renee children

To each do meaningful, productive work in your marriage and in the world

And to love one another forever.

V. VOWS

And so now we come, Ramsey and Renee,

to the exchange of vows and the exchange of rings

which symbolize and bind your love to each other.

Ramsey & Renee read their written vows

VI. EXCHANGING OF THE RINGS

You will now exchange rings as a symbol of the lifelong commitment and abiding love which you as husband and wife have promised to each other.

Ramsey, please place the ring on Renee’s finger, and repeat after me.

“I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.”

Renee, please place the ring on Ramsey’s finger and repeat after me.

“I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.”

VII. CLOSING PRAYER

Dear God,

Help Renee & Ramsey to fulfill the promises they have made here today

and to reflect your steadfast love in their commitment to each other.

Give them kindness and patience, affection and understanding, happiness and contentment. 

May their family and friends continue to support them in difficult days,

so that their love for each other may continue to grow as long as they both shall live.

Let us all pray.

Our father,

Who art in heaven

Hallowed be they name,

Thy Kingdom come

Thy will be done

On Earth as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom

And the power, and the glory

Forever and ever.

Amen

VIII. BLESSING
As this couple has joined lives here today,
it's important to understand that everyone present
has played a part in shaping the characters of Renee & Ramsey,
and will play a vital role in their continuing lives.
And thus we are here not only to witness their vows to each other,
 but also to bestow upon them our blessing.

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there will be no more loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead.
And may your days together be good and long upon the earth.


IX. DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE
Ramsey & Renee, having witnessed your vows for marriage before God and all who are assembled here, by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!

It is my pleasure to introduce to you for the first time...Mr & Mrs Elias