A Secular Celtic Wedding Ceremony

 

Dear family and friends, we have gathered here today to witness and celebrate the wedding of Groom and Bride.  Surrounded as we are by those we most love, let us turn our hearts and minds to the two before us who wish to bind their lives together, in peace, and in love, thus celebrating the beauty and joy of life.

 

Friends, family and members of the community, welcome to this ceremony which will unite two souls in marriage. Marriage is an institution which should not be entered into lightly, it is the union of two souls, two hearts and two minds.

 

The Celtic trinity, which is a centuries old profession of faith, holds that trust in the soul, belief in the heart and faith in the mind, are all that is needed to lead an honorable, loving and fulfilled life.

 

The Celtic conception of the soul encompasses far more than we traditionally think of today. The Celtic belief of the soul exists within and outside the individual; it is manifest in the trees, the rocks, the waters and the Sun. The relationship between humans and the world around them is intertwined. The soul is inextricably tied to the universal spirit of the Earth.

 

In marriage, your souls will join together so that your strengths shall be twice as great and your hardships will be only half as hard. As you share the ale/wine from this wedding cup let it remind you to trust in your soul which is the universal spirit. Trust in its strength and it will strengthen the bond between you.

 

Now we have Bride and Groom before us, who wish to take their place among those who have said yes to living, yes to the hard task of loving, and yes to the best that humanity stands for.  This celebration is the outward token of an inner union of hearts.  It is a union created by their loving purpose and kept by their abiding will.  It is in this spirit and for this purpose that they have come here to be joined together. 

 

I understand that they have written their own vows.  Groom, will you please read your vows now?       Bride…

 

If you want instead, here are some “traditional” Celtic Wedding Vows to choose from
"You cannon possess me for I belong to myself
But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give
You cannon command me, for I am a free person
But I shall serve you in those ways you require
and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand"

"I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night and
the eyes into which I smile in the morning
I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care
I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine
I shall not slander you, nor you me
I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel we shall do so in
private and tell no strangers our grievances"

"This is my wedding vow to you
This is the marriage of equals." 

 

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I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine,

from this day it shall only your name I cry out in the night

and into your eyes that I smile each morning;

I shall be a shield for you back as you are for mine,

no shall a grievous word be spoken about us,

for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance.

Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life

and into the next.

============================================

Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone.

I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One.

I give ye my Spirit, `til our Life shall be Done.

You cannon possess me for I belong to myself

But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give

You cannon command me, for I am a free person

But I shall serve you in those ways you require

and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.

===============================================

 

We are especially grateful for the values that have been instilled in Bride and Groom from those who have loved and nurtured them.  The family and friends each brings to this marriage will continue to be important in their lives, but now will be shared between them, and will be enriched and enlarged.  Do you, who are here present, promise and commit yourselves to support and uphold their union?

(Answer:  “We do”)

 

Our celebration of the union of Groom and Bride is shared by those who have passed beyond this life.  Their roles in the lives of Groom and Bride are no less remembered and honored as we savor today’s joyous moments.  Join with us, then, in fond memory of all these people, and in particular with (departed relatives names).  In their memory, let us be silent together.

Traditionally, the marriage ceremony is marked by the exchange of rings.  The wedding ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love; a reminder that love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver - for each is the giver and each is the receiver.  May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today.

 

Groom, please take Bride's ring, and as you place it on the ring finger of her left hand, repeat after me . . . I (Groom), do take (bride) for my wife and vow to be mindful in our journey together, to love her and to cherish her, to trust in the universal soul, to have belief in my heart and faith in my mind. From this day forward our souls will be as one.

 

Bride, please take Groom's ring, and as you place it on the ring finger of his left hand, repeat after me . . . I (Bride), do take (Groom) for my husband and vow to be mindful in our journey together, to love her and to cherish her, to trust in the universal soul, to have belief in my heart and faith in my mind. From this day forward our souls will be as one.

 

Since you love each other in your hearts, and have promised to help each other to live and grow, in wisdom and compassion, with these rings you bind your lives together for as long as you both shall live. 

 

Handfasting Ritual with Six Cords

 

Know now before you go further, that since your lives have crossed you have formed ties between each other. As you seek to enter this noble state of matrimony, you should strive to make real, the ideals which give meaning to both this ceremony and the institution of marriage. The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union; they will cross the years and lives of your growth. Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?

Yes. We seek to enter.

 

I bid you to look into each other's eyes.

 

Groom, will you share in Bride's pain and seek to alleviate it?

I will.

Bride, will you share in Groom's pain and seek to alleviate it?

I will.

 

And so the binding is made. Please join you hands (in a figure 8 position). The first cord is placed on the bride and groom's hand.

 

Groom, will you share in Bride's laughter and look for the brightness and the positive in her?

I will.

Bride, will you share in Groom's laughter and look for the brightness and positive in him?

I will.

 

And so the binding is made. The second cord is placed on the bride and groom's hands.

 

Groom, will you share in Bride's burdens so that your spirits may grow in this union?

I will.

Bride, will you share in Groom's burdens so that your spirits may grow in this union?

I will.

 

And so the binding is made. The third cord is placed on the hands.

 

Groom, will you share in Bride's dreams?

I will.

Bride, will you share in Groom's dreams?

I will.

 

And so the binding is made. The fourth cord is placed on the hands.

 

Groom, will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?

I will.

Bride, will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?

I will.

 

And so the binding is made. The fifth cord is placed on the hands.

 

Groom, will you honor Bride as an equal in this union?

I will.

Bride, will you honor Groom as an equal in this union?

I will.

 

And so the binding is made. The sixth cord is placed on the hands.

 

Tie the cords together.

The knots of this binding are not formed by these cords buy instead by your vows. Whether this union will last or break is in your hands based on your communication, love, honor and trust of one another.

The cords are then removed.

 

Loving Cup Ceremony

On this your wedding day, we celebrate the Celtic spirit of the anam cara. Anam cara is translated from the Gaelic as "soul friend." By entering in a partnership with your anam cara, you are joined in an ancient and eternal way with this person whom you most cherish. In everyone`s life there is a great need for an anam cara and so I ask you to toast one another by repeating the following.

(The Bride and Groom hold the loving cup as they repeat the following)

Bride If you’ll repeat after me:

Today I recognize Groom, my anam cara
And ask that you become a part of me, in sacred kinship.
With you, I have lost all fear and have found the greatest courage.
I have learned to love and let myself be loved.
With you, I have found a rhythm of grace and gracefulness.
Love has reawakened in my life; a rebirth; a new beginning.
With you my anam cara,
I am understood,
I am home.

Groom If you’ll repeat after me:

Today I recognize Bride, my anam cara
And ask that you become a part of me, in sacred kinship.
With you, I have lost all fear and have found the greatest courage.
I have learned to love and let myself be loved.
With you, I have found a rhythm of grace and gracefulness.
Love has reawakened in my life; a rebirth; a new beginning.
With you my anam cara,
I am understood,
I am home.

And now, please drink to the love you`ve shared in the past.

(The couple take turns sipping from the loving cup)

Drink to your love in the present, on this your wedding day.

(The couple take turns sipping from the loving cup)

And drink to your love in the future and forever more.

(The couple take turns sipping from the loving cup)

The Celts believed that the way you view your future actually shapes it. I now ask everyone here in the room to take a moment to visualize a future for the Bride and Groom. As a group let`s think of the happiness in store for Bride and Groom. Let`s put their joyous future out to the universe.

Having faith in your mind is the last concept of the Celtic trinity. May each of you maintain your independence of mind, respecting each others thoughts and trying to learn from one an another. May positive thoughts always guide you. These candles represent the light that burns away the darkness of ignorance. May you always strive to keep your mind bright, sharp and uncluttered. Your mindfulness will add joy and ease to your marriage.

 

Dear friends and family, since Groom and Bride have thus pledged themselves in the presence of this company and they have spoken the words and performed the rites which unite their lives, I do now, by the powers vested in me by the laws of the State of Kansas/Missouri, pronounce that you are husband and wife.

 

Groom, you may now kiss Bride.

 

I present to you Mr. & Mrs. Groom (or Bride & Groom).