The Definition of Love
(For Christian Ceremonies)
INTRODUCTION
[Bride] and [Groom], today you come together as individuals, but in just a few moments, you will leave as husband and wife—your lives intertwined forever, your hearts bound by the most profound connection. In this sacred union, you will not only build a life together but create a home, a haven where love, trust, and understanding will always reign.
Marriage is a journey rooted in sincerity and respect, where true intimacy flourishes through patience, empathy, and unwavering trust. It is in honoring each other’s strengths and embracing each other’s vulnerabilities that you will find the deepest love. The qualities that first drew you to one another will only grow stronger with each passing day, as you continue to nurture this bond, side by side.
A strong and joyful marriage will be the foundation of a home filled with warmth and laughter, a place where love is the language spoken, and where family and friends are always embraced. This love, so beautifully shared between you, will reach far beyond these walls, touching the lives of all who are blessed to witness it.
Remember to always seek within yourselves the love you wish to give to each other. Let your hearts remain open, your minds sincere. Cherish one another’s happiness, and be consistent in your love—gentle, constant, and true. For it is in this love that you will find the security and strength to face whatever comes your way.
On this day, as you vow your lives to one another, everything you love deeply will be woven into the very fabric of who you are—forever changed by this union. Commit yourselves fully, without hesitation, knowing that in each other, you will always find home.
READING
The Bible has given us what may be the world’s best definition of what it means to love. I’d like to share with you a well-known passage from 1 Corinthians 13, and offer it as a model to you for the new life you are creating here today:
“Love is patient and kind; it is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offence and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s faults but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope. It is always ready to endure whatever comes. True love does not come to an end.”
Love is the beautiful reason you’ve chosen this day to begin your journey together. It is love that will guide you both, day by day, as you give all that you are to one another, nurturing each other with an open heart and a soul full of devotion.
It is love that will bind you, creating a single, unbreakable thread between your hearts. Together, you will be one in hope, one in the belief of the beauty of life, and one in the shared dreams of the years to come.
May the love that you promise to each other today propel you into the next wonderful chapter of your life.
VOWS
Here, in front of friends and family, I invite you now to remind these vows to each other.
For [Groom]:
Do you, [Groom], take [Bride] to be your lawfully wedded wife? From this day forward, to have and to hold, forsaking all others, for better or for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, for so long as you both shall live?
[Groom]: “I do.”
For [Bride]:
And do you, [Bride], take [Groom] to be your lawfully wedded husband? From this day forward, to have and to hold, forsaking all others, for better or for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, for so long as you both shall live?
[Bride]: “I do.”
RINGS
Now I ask that God bless these rings that [Groom] and [Bride] will exchange as a symbol of their love and fidelity. May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate union. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place of sanctuary that many will find there a friend. May these rings, on their fingers, symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts.
For [Groom]: [Groom], in placing this ring on [Bride]'s finger, repeat after me: "With this ring I thee wed" ([Groom] repeats) "And with all I am and all I have, I honor you" ([Groom] repeats)
For [Bride]: [Bride], in placing this ring on [Groom]’s finger, repeat after me: "With this ring I thee wed" ([Bride] repeats) "And with all I am and all I have, I honor you" ([Bride] repeats)
PRONOUNCEMENT
You have vowed to love and remain steadfast and loyal to one another as you stand before your friends and family. You have each formalized and sanctified your bond by exchanging wedding vows and rings. May your love be eternal and undying. As you step into this new chapter of your lives, hold close the sacred vows you’ve spoken to one another today. Let them live not just in memory, but in every choice, every embrace, and every shared breath along the way.
Life, as you both know, is not always a gentle path. There will be moments of challenge, of change, of uncertainty. In those times, return to the love that brought you here, and to the promises you made. Lean on your faith and let it be the light that guides you through shadowed days. Let your love be a quiet sanctuary, a refuge you return to again and again—growing deeper, stronger, and more radiant with each passing day.
Therefore, it is by the authority vested in me by the State of West Virginia, I now pronounce you to be husband and wife! [Groom], you may kiss the Bride! Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you [Titles and Names].