Your Wedding Ceremony. Welcome and Opening Statements.

Folllowing is an excerpt of a welcome/opening statement from Your Complete Wedding Ceremony E-book:

A welcome and/or opening statement may be very brief or lengthy.  Ideally it is tailored to satisfy the desires of the bride and groom.  Some of the elements included are to:

1.    Thank and acknowledge the importance of all attending.
2.    Deliver any special message the bride and groom desire to share.
3.    Discuss role of witnessing and support the marriage vows;
4.    Acknowledge those present in spirit but not in form (deceased relatives, etc.)
5.    Outline or preview the marriage ceremony; 
6.    In some cases, offer stories featuring the bride and groom.

The welcome and opening statements are usually presented by your wedding officiant.

Dear friends, we are gathered here today to celebrate the drawing together of two lives.  We have come so that this man, [GROOM’S NAME], and this woman, [BRIDE’S NAME], may be united in marriage.  This commitment is not to be entered into lightly, but with certainty, mutual respect, a sense of honor, and eternality.
   
[GROOM’S NAME] and [BRIDE’S NAME], as you know, no minister, no priest, no rabbi, and no public official can marry you.  Only you can marry yourselves.  By a mutual commitment to love each other, to work towards creating an atmosphere of care, consideration, and respect, by a willingness to face the tensions and anxieties that underlie human life, you can make your wedded life come alive.

Your love for one another and your willingness to accept each other's strong points and weaknesses with understanding and respect will help cement the foundation for a strong and lasting marriage.  Learn to respect your individual outlooks.  Share your thoughts, experiences and dreams with each other.  Cherish the intimacy and understanding that comes with the passage of time.  As you enter this union
your belief that marriage is a partnership between equal individuals with common goals, hopes, and dreams will give your lives special meaning and fulfillment.

Today, there is a vast unknown future stretching out before you.  That future, with its hopes and disappointments, its joys and its sorrows, is hidden from your eyes.  But it is a great tribute to your faith in each other that you are willing to face these uncertainties together.  May the love with which you join hearts and hands today never fail, but grow deeper and surer with every year you spend together.

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