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."
==================================
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.
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).