Customize your Ceremony With Beatific Ceremonial Blessings and Readings

 

Whether your ceremony is Religious, Spiritual, Native American, Celtic, Pagan, or Wicca, add one of the following readings and blessings to beautifully craft and custom-design your ceremony.   

Spiritual Ceremonial Readings

 

When a Man and a Woman are in Love by Wilfred Arlan Peterson

When a man and a woman are in love, His life lies within hers and her life lies within his. Each lives as an individual, yet they also live for one another. Each strives for independent goals, but they also work together to achieve their dreams. When a man and a woman are in love, they will give to one another What they need to survive and help fulfill each others wants. They will turn one another’s disappointment into satisfaction. They will turn one another’s frustration into contentment.
They will be one another’s friend, guiding each other to the happiness that life holds. They will be one another’s companion, facing together the challenges that life may present. They will work as a mirror, reflecting to each other their strengths and weaknesses. They will work together to alleviate  the emotional walls that may separate them. They will work together to build a better understanding of one another. They will learn to lean on each other, but not so much as to a burden on the other. They will learn to reach out to one another but not so much as to suffocate the other. They will learn when it is time to speak and when it is time to listen. They will be there to comfort each other in times of sorrow. They will be there to celebrate together in times of happiness.
When a man and a woman are in love, his life lies within hers and her life lies within his. Together they will love one another for the rest of their lives and forever.

 

Officiant says_______ and ________, may this kind of love always help you keep the promises you are about to make here today.

The Art of Marriage
The little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, It should continue through all the years. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives; it is facing the world together. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have the wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating patience, understanding, and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of the spirit. It is the common search for the good and the beautiful. It is the establishing of a relationship in which the independence is equal, the dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal. And finally, it is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner. 

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
You shall be together forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. You shall be together even in the silent memory of God. Let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond love; let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.n Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone, though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: for the pillars of the Temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Loving the Wrong Person by Galway Kinnell
We’re all seeking that special person who is right for us.  But if you’ve been through enough relationships, you begin to suspect there’s no right person, just different flavors of wrong.  Why is this?  Because you yourself are wrong in some way, and you seek out partners who are wrong in some complimentary way. But it takes a lot of living to grow fully into your own wrongness.  It isn’t until you’ve finally run up against your deepest demons, your unsolvable problems – the ones that make you truly who you are – that you’re ready to find a lifelong mate.  Only then do you finally know what you’re looking for.  You’re looking for the wrong person.  But not just any wrong person: the right wrong person – someone you lovingly gaze upon and think, “This is the problem I want to have.”

 

Marriage Is A Promise Of Love by Edmund O'Neill

Marriage is a commitment for life-to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal, a joining that is promised for a lifetime.  Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships.  A wife and a husband are each other's best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child.  Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger; even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly.  Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing love through the seasons of life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit  unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is  a promise, a potential, made in the hearts of two people who love, which takes a lifetime to fulfill.

Reading from W. B. Yeats 
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Inwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths. Of night and light and the half light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: 
But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Spiritual Ceremonial Blessings

 

Apache Blessing
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be a 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 loneliness, for each of you will be a companion to the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place to enter the days of your togetherness.
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years.
May happiness be your companion,
and may your days together be good and long upon the earth.

 

Old Apache Blessing2

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 there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be a companion to the other.
You are two bodies, but there is one life before you, and one home.

You will take each others hand and you’ll turn together

to look at the road you traveled to reach this---the hour of your happiness.

It stretches behind you and the future lies ahead.

A long and winding road, whose every turn means discovery, old hopes, new laughter and shared tears.

May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years.

May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth.

The adventure has just begun!

 

Irish 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 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. Amen

 

Irish Blessing (Traditional)

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 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
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.

 

Nature Blessing #1

As we stand in these mountains surrounding by nature’s beautiful bounty, may your love always be as constant and unchanging as these mountains, streams, and forests standing softly before us.  In their presence, promise there will never be a day without your love for each other.  Pledge that you will to be as faithful and dependable as they are. Just as they nourish the earth and sustain life, may your constant love nourish and sustain each other until the end of time.

 

Nature Blessing #2

Be swift like the wind in loving each other. Be brave like the sea in loving each other. Be gentle like the breeze in loving each other. Be patient like the sun who waits and watches the four changes in the Earth in loving each other. Be powerful like the roaring of thunder and brilliant like the lightning in loving each other. Be shining like the morning dawn in loving each other. Be proud like the tree who stands without bending in loving each other.

 

Marriage Blessing #1

May you never take each other for granted but always experience the wonders of your union. May your love consist not only in gazing into each other’s eyes, but also in looking outward in the same direction. May your life together be a source of strength and inspiration to yourselves, your families and your friends. May you never forget the beginning of your love for one another, take care of it, nurture it, and allow it to grow strong and firm in the years that are to come. May you always concentrate on making each other happy and secure in your commitment to one another and always rely on your ability to keep the promises you have made to one another today throughout the thick and thin of life’s experiences. And may you always be in love. May your love be as beautiful each day you share as it is on this day of Your Wedding and may all of your wishes come true.

 

This Day

May this day shine eternally in your lives.
May it add brilliance to every achievement
and cast a divine light over any misfortune.
May you care for each other in all sadness.
May you give cheer to each other.
May you give vitality to each other in all undertakings.
May all that is virtuous, beautiful and honest, remain with you always.

 

Anonymous Blessing

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, difficulty 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.

 

Blessing For A Marriage by 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!

Religious Ceremonial Blessings

 

Prayer/Blessing #1

Dearest God, I ask that you bless and sanctify this union,
As they live in your love,

While awake and asleep,

At work and at play.

As they seek your wisdom and understanding,

Let them find all of those secret joys You have especially for them. Amen

 

Prayer/Blessing #2

May God bless you with hope enough to keep the dawn in your love, and fear enough to keep you holding hands in the dark. Unity enough to keep your roots entwined, and separation enough to keep you reaching out for each other. Harmony enough to keep romance in your song, and discord enough to keep you tuning your love. Amen

 

Prayer/Blessing #3

Dear God, grant _______  and ______

a true love to unite them to each other;

patience to assimilate their differences;

forgiveness to cover their failures;

guidance to lead them in the right way;

courage to face times of testing;

and your inner peace to comfort them

and uphold them in times of distress.

Bless them in the living of their days together,

and deepen their love for each other

in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen

 

The Lord Bless You And Keep You

The Lord bless you and keep you both. The Lord makes His face to shine upon you and be gracious upon you. The Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you peace, happiness, and joy, at this moment, throughout your married life, and forevermore. Amen.

 

Trinity Blessing

May God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you; may His favor be upon you; and fill you with every spiritual blessing and grace, that you may so live together in this life, that in the world to come you may have life everlasting. Amen.

 

Blessing: Adapted From Colossians 3:12-17

______ and ______, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. May the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ______ and ______, may the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

Blessing: Adapted From Philippians 2:1, 2, 5

If there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make ______ and ______ more complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Have this attitude among yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus.

 

Blessing: Adapted From Ephesians 5:15-22

______ and ______, be very careful how you live—not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, which is excess, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

 

Meal Blessing #1

Heavenly Father we ask you to bless this couple, be with them Lord in good times and in bad, teach them how to love well and thus bring your love to the world.  Bless this food which we are about to share for it gives of strength and reminds us of your bounty.  Bless the wine we drink for it gladdens our hearts and reminds us of the joy you have given us.  And bless each and every one of us as we celebrate this day and bring us safely home through Christ our Lord.  Amen

 

Meal Blessing #2

Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing on _________ and _________ who today have begun their married life together. Be with them Lord in good times and in bad, uphold them in their sorrow and celebrate with them in their joy, teach them to love each other well and thus bring your love to the world. Bless the food which we share for it strengthens us and gives us hope. Bless the wine we have to share for it gives us joy and reminds us of all the good things you give us. And, Lord, bless each and every one of us as we celebrate today and being us safely home through Christ our Lord. Amen.