In talking with …………. and …………….. it is obvious that they see marriage as a sincere commitment to each other. They are quite simply two people who love each other – who wish to share each others joys and sorrows, who admire and respect each other as individuals, who give each other support and encouragement, and undoubtedly two people who will grow and change together in the years to come.
So for them this marriage is an expression of the strength of their relationship and of the confidence that they feel in it – a confidence that they share something which will endure and will grow stronger still in the future.
Ask anybody who’s been married for a long time what the secret to a successful marriage is and inevitably they will tell you that the answer is never to take each other for granted and that if marriage is a job – then it could well be the most important career move of our lives – but it is also a most beautiful form of art…..a good marriage must be created, in the art of marriage the little things are the big things – it is never being too old to hold hands, it’s remembering to say I love you at least once every day, it is never going to sleep angry. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. 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 a common search for the good and the beautiful……it is not only marrying the right partner…it is being the right partner.

Marriage is a free association of a man and a woman who love each other, who trust one another’s love and who want to share their futures together. Marriage provides security, stability and interdependence for both husband and wife. It provides for a secure and caring environment for the time yet to come. It calls for a preparedness to give and take, a willingness to forgive and be forgiven, and it also demands courage of both husband and wife – the courage to be honest and open with ourselves and with each other.
This ceremony today makes a starting point, a new beginning for ……………. And ………….. They are declaring to each other, and to you – the people they care about, their intentions and sincere commitment to the future of this loving relationship.
A wedding day is so very unique – it is the time when a couple publicly declare their desire to be together for the rest of their lives. But it is also a time when other relationships are heightened and appreciated. Th bond between parents and their grown child is so very special forged in memories of the past and an appreciation and eagerness of a future yet to be. In walking with ……………….., her parents/ father/ mother represent their family and well as their own personal love and respect for their daughter. Mindful of these values, I now ask you both - ………….. and ……………… do you support ……….. as she marries today

Today of all days, the immensely popular and widely sought after subject of love is the order of the day, we all want it and of course we are all experts on it – but what is the key to unlocking such a treasure, could it be that……the key to love is understanding the ability to comprehend not only the spoken word but those unspoken gestures – the little things that say so much by themselves. The key to love is forgiveness, to accept each other's faults and pardon mistakes without forgetting, but with remembering what you learn from them. The key to love is sharing, facing your good fortunes as well as the bad together, both conquering problems, forever searching for ways to intensify your happiness. The key to love is giving without thought of return but with the hope of just a simple smile and by giving in but by never giving up. The key to love is respect, realising that you are two separate people, with different ideas. That you don’t belong to each other – that you belong with each other – and share a mutual bond. The key to love is inside us all, it takes time and patience to unlock al the ingredients that will take you to its threshold. It is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work – but the rewards are more than worth the effort.

In our long history we have never discovered a better way of life, than sharing it together in love. This arrangement meets our deepest human needs for love and companionship, for someone with whom we can share in an intimate and trusting way – all the hopes and joys and dreams of life. But real love is something beyond warmth and glow, beyond the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your life partner as about your own. Real love is not total absorption in each other – it is looking outward in the same direction together. Love makes burdens lighter – because you divide them…it makes your joys more intense – because you share them…it makes you stronger – so you can be involved with life in ways you dare not risk alone.