CLOSINGS – BLESSINGS
SECULAR CLOSINGS
#1 Secular Closing
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 you will feel no loneliness, for each of you will be a companion to the other.
Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place, to enter the days of your life together.
#2 Secular Closing
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 loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
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.
#3 Secular Closing
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.
#4 Secular CLOSING
May these two find happiness in their union. May they live faithfully together, executing the vows they have made between them; and may they ever remain compassionate and encouraging, that their years may be rich with the joys of life, and their days be long upon the Earth.
#5 Secular Closing
In the years which shall bring Groom and Bride into greater age and wisdom, we hope that their love shall be ever young; that they shall be able to always recover from moments of despair. In this hope, may they keep the vows made on this day, in freedom, teaching each other who they are, what they yet shall be, enabling them to know that, in the fullness of being, they are more than themselves and more than each other, that they are all of us, and that together we share joyously the fruits of life on this earth, our home.
#6 Secular Closing
You are mature people who have established individual patterns of living. Yet you have found not only a need for companionship, but the satisfaction of that need in each other's company. It is this love, based upon a responsible understanding, which will aid you in creating out of your two lives, a marriage and a happiness you will share together. Stand fast in hope and confidence, believing in yourself and believing in each other.
#7 Secular Closing
We speak, Groom and Bride, of love, in which the trust and freedom of the other person becomes as significant as the trust and freedom of one's self. We speak to them of generosity, which gathers the beauty of earth for riches, and the kindness which turns away the wrath of foolish men and women. We speak of each of our hopes for their continued growth through patience, one for the other. We speak of our confidence that new levels of understanding, discovered by them in experiences of sorrow and tribulation, shall bring ever new surprises of strength and fortitude they do not now know.
In the years which shall bring Groom and Bride into greater age and wisdom, we pray that their love shall be ever young; that they shall be able always to recover from moments of despair, the lithesome ways of buoyant youth. In this hope may they keep the vows made on this day, in freedom, teaching each other who they are, what they yet shall be, enabling them to know that in the fullness of being, they are more than themselves and more than each other; that they are all of us, and that together we share joyously the fruits of life.
#8 Secular Closing
When you share a joy, it is doubled, and when you share a sorrow, it is halved.
May these two find happiness in their marriage. May they live faithfully together, may they ever remain compassionate. May years be rich in the joys of life, and their days be long upon the earth.
#9 Secular Closing
And now, may the confidence, trust, and affection you have for each other on this day, sustain you as you go forth upon your journey of life together with its joy, its laughter, its sorrow, and its pain. May you fulfill your personal goals with each others help and guidance. May you dwell together in peace, love, and joy.
#10 Secular Closing
The vows you have just taken, pledging love, mean far more than mere words ever can. May their gentle spirit move in you. May your years fulfill the beauty of the feelings expressed today. And may you always put these vows above the things that make life smaller.
#11 Secular Closing
May your lives together be joyful and content,
And may your love be as bright as the stars,
Warm as the sun, accepting as the ocean,
And enduring as the mountains.
#12 Secular Closing
To be loved is to know joy and happiness, to give love is to know the joy of sharing oneself, for it is through the miracle of love that we discover the fullness of life. May God always be with, protect, and guide both of you, now and forever.
#13 Secular Closing
May you always be in love.
May your love be as beautiful on each day you share, as is on this day of your wedding.
May you always remain sweethearts and friends.
May your marriage be full of kindness.
May the years bring you happiness and contentment.
#14 Secular Closing
May this couple draw strength from their agreement. Understanding, even in moments of despair, the virtues found in each other. Solace under fire, encouragement when life becomes a trial, sharing one another's joy and pain. Welcoming life's mysteries through the optimism found in their love. Growing wise instead of old, accepting the unwanted stranger that no one knows. Sharing today's inspiration, beyond the present, may this union only add to the goodness and joy of life.
#15 Secular Closing
And now Groom and Bride seeking the fulfillment of love and marriage, find that the poet Gibran speaks for them:
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and
Give thanks to another day of loving.
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home eventide with gratitude, and then sleep with a prayer
For the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
#16 Secular Closing
May the love you have found grow in meaning and strength until its beauty is shown in a common devotion to all that is compassionate and life-giving. May the flow of your love help brighten the face of the earth. May the source of all love touch and bless you and grace your lives with color and courage.
#17 Secular Closing
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, difficult 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.
#18 Secular Closing
"Wedding Prayer" by Robert Lewis Stevenson
Behold our family here assembled.
We give thanks:
for the love that unites us,
for the family that joins us,
for the peace accorded us,
for the hope with which we expect tomorrow,
for the health, the work, the food,
and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Amen
#19 Secular Closing
Out of this tangled world, two souls have come together, drawn by mutual love and respect. May their days and years yet unborn deepen the joy of their choice and make it abidingly true.
#20 Secular Closing
May these two find happiness in their union. May they live faithfully together, performing the vow and covenant they have made between them; and may they ever remain in sympathy and understanding: that their years may be rich in the joys of life, and their days good, and long upon the earth.
Groom and Bride you have now affirmed before your families and friends your love and your caring for each other. You have come from different backgrounds. You have walked different paths. You are different individuals. Your love has transcended these differences. In the years before you may the richness of the traditions that have nurtured you enhance and brighten your lives as you help to create and shape the future.
May the challenges of your life together be met with courage and optimism. May you learn from your failures and grow in your achievements. May life bless you with children, friends and family in a wide network of mutual support and enjoyment. May you face pain, toil and trouble with a stout but light heart. May you share with others the radiance of your seasons of joy and pleasure. May you always remember that laughter is the medicine of the gods.
May the spirit of love be ever a part of your lives so that the union we here celebrate this day be worthy of continued celebration tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.
#21 Secular Closing
For each of us, a few bright days stand out above the rest. May this day, this hour be one of the brightest of your lives. May it be a golden moment, made splendid by your love. All your days together will not be as glorious as this one. There must always be valleys between the mountain peaks. When you find yourselves in a valley, remember this day. Recall this shining hour and the feelings of tenderness you share. May the memory will help you to emerge from the valley and climb up the mountain once more. May you remember today as the fulfillment of your dearest dream. Together you will create new dreams. This ceremony is the culmination of many months of planning. Yet it is not the end; it is only the beginning. You have said your vows. You have made your promises. You have pledged your love. Carry these words in your memories and these moments in your hearts forever.
#22 Spiritual Closing
These two people have been drawn together by their love for each other. May they practice self-discipline and patience throughout their marriage, for these are essential to lasting love. May they continue to trust each other, for trust is the foundation on which all love is built.
Groom and Bride you have now affirmed before your families and friends your love and your caring for each other. You have come from different backgrounds. You have walked different paths. You are different individuals. Your love has transcended these differences. In the years before you, may the richness of the traditions that have nurtured you enhance and brighten your lives as you help to create and shape the future.
May the challenges of your life together be met with courage and optimism. May you learn from your failures and grow in your achievements. May life bless you with children, friends, and family in a wide network of mutual support and enjoyment. May you face pain, toil, and trouble with a stout but light heart. May you share with others the radiance of your seasons of joy and pleasure. May you always remember that laughter is the medicine of God.
#23 Spiritual Closing
This is a moment of celebration. Let is also be a moment of dedication. The world does a good job of reminding us how fragile we are. Individuals are fragile; relationships are fragile too.
Every marriage needs the love, nurture and support of a network of friends and family. On this wedding day I ask you not only to be friends of Groom or Bride but friends of Groom and Bride together, friends of the relationship.
In the moment of silence that follows, I ask each of you, in your own way, to confer a silent prayer, blessing, wish or hope upon this wedding.
#24 Christian Closing
Let us pray together in the words our Savior taught us.
O thou who art the Spirit of Love for the human race, send thy blessing upon these thy servants, whom we bless in the name of love. Enable them faithfully to perform this covenant that they have made in our presence. May their hearts be united in the bonds of each other's joys, consoled of each other's sorrows, helpers to each other in all the vicissitudes of life. Grant that they may faithfully discharge the duties that belong to the condition into which they have entered, and that, as good companions, they may walk the road together from this day forward. Amen.
#25 Christian Closing
Let us pray:
Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation, and giver of all grace: Look with favor upon the world you have made, and for which your Son gave his life, and especially upon this man and this woman whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony. Amen.
Give them wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy. Amen.
Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and one another all the days of their life. Amen.
Give them grace when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each other’s forgiveness and yours. Amen.
Make their life together a sign of Christ's love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair. Amen.
Bestow on them, if it is your will, the gift and heritage of children, and the grace to bring them up to know you, to love you, and to serve you. Amen.
Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others. Amen.
Grant that all married couples who have witnessed these vows may find their lives strengthened and their loyalties confirmed. Amen.
Grant that the bonds of our common humanity, by which all your children are united one to another, and the living to the dead, may be so transformed by your grace, that your will may be done on earth as it is in heaven; where, O Father, you live and reign in perfect unity, now and forever. Amen.
#26 Christian Closing
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast forever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Minister adds this blessing:
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit: Bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord, mercifully with his favor, look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and, in the age to come, have life everlasting. Amen.
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