Wedding Ceremony of Myf & Chad Lee

Welcome

SAL: Good afternoon and welcome to the marriage of Myf and Chad. My name is Sal Scevola and I will preside over this ceremony it is my great honor to be asked by the couple to perform this task today.

Candle lighting Ceremony by whole family.

Chad’s parents Sandra & Alan are here with us, along with Myf’s mum Glenys . Myf’s Dad Stewart sadly passed a couple years ago (it’s how I met Myf & Chad) also Myf’s grandparents & Chad’s Grandad are watching from above and they would like to honor them in this ceremony by lighting this candle which will burn throughout our ceremony inviting them to be here in the spirit.

I ask Chad and Myf with their boys Xander & Caleb to come forward to light this candle. (Candles lit on the table at this time)

Myf & Chad have requested that we have a reading at this ceremony,

Corinne reading :

Blessing For A Marriage, by James Dillet Freeman

“May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding. May you always need one another — not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete. The valley does not make the mountain less, but more. And the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you. May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another. May you succeed in all-important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces. May you look for things to praise, often say, “I love you!” and take no notice of small faults. If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back. May you enter into the mystery that is the awareness of one another’s presence — no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities. May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.”

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We are here today to celebrate Myf and Chad’s union of love forged so strongly in many years of love and devotion. When we love someone, what exactly does this mean? (pause) It means caring and protecting those who make your life meaningful. Because without love in this life,  this life has no purpose.

Myf and Chad have shown this devotion to each other through the many trials and tribulations encountered thus far, today before us, and the community at large they seal this commitment publicly.

Formal and legal part of the ceremony.

S46 Marriage Act 1961

I am duly authorized by law to solemnize marriages according to law.

Before Chad Michael Lee. (Full legal name) and Myfanwy (Mi – Van – Wee) Erin Waddell (full legal name) are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am bound, as you know, to remind you publicly of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship to which you are about to enter. Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others voluntarily entered into for life.

More than a ceremony, this is a significant moment of celebration and personal commitment. The essence of this commitment is the taking of another person in their entirety, as a companion and friend. It is therefore a decision which is not entered into lightly, but with great consideration and respect.

Myf and Chad – The nature of love as you know is unselfish, understanding, kind and ongoing, as long as it continues to be nurtured.

From this day forward you shall be each other’s home, comfort and refuge, your marriage strengthened by your love and respect for each other.

Just as two threads woven in opposite directions will form a most beautiful tapestry, so too will your two lives merge together to make a beautiful marriage,  complimenting the color and diversity that already exists in your own beautiful boys Xander & Caleb.

As you already know well, to make your relationship work it takes love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust, to know in your hearts that you truly want the best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open to one another – and to learn and grow together. It will take faith, to go forward together without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment; to hold true to the journey you both pledge today to share together.

We now come to the declaration and the vows that Myf and Chad are going to make to one another.

First the legally binding vows,  followed by your own written vows:

Chad – please face Myf and take her hands in yours

S45 Marriage Act 1961

Please repeat after me

“I call upon the persons here present

to witness that I Chad Michael Lee

take you Myfanwy (Mi – Van – Wee) Erin Waddell

to be my Lawful wedded wife.”

Myf please repeat after me

“I call upon the persons here present

to witness that I Myfawny (Mi – Van – Wee) Erin Waddell

take you Chad Michael Lee

to be my Lawful wedded husband.”

You now begin your journey, bound by the legal vows you have just made to each other. You have written specific vows to each other to accompany you both through your many paths you will share as a family, and if you keep your vows sacred, your days will be happy as you grow old together. Your hands remain joined, with your love, forming an infinite circle with no beginning and no end just like your rings.

Ring & personal vow ceremony

(Rings will be on the table tied to the cushion)

While the roundness of each ring represents eternity, the pure metal speaks of the purity of love.

Chad and Myf, wear these rings with love and honor.

Chad as you place the ring on Myf’s finger, please read the vows you have written to Myf:

Chad & Myf Personal Vows written by them.

I Chad lee take you Myfanwy Waddell to be my wife and partner in life for as long as we both shall live

You are the most beautiful, smart , and patient person I could’ve hoped to find and you make me a better person just being with you

I promise to love, respect, encourage you and stand by your side no matter what gets thrown our way in the future.

I will try to keep my procrastinating to a minimum and be the best husband I can possibly be.

With this ring I stand here today in front our family and friends to ask you a very important question.

Will you Myfanwy Erin Waddell, my best friend, my lover, my soul mate, mother of our beautiful children be my lawful wedded wife?

Myf, as you place the ring on Chad’s finger please read the vows you have written to Chad:

You are the the perfect father.  The most supportive partner.

And you make me proud every day.

You gave me the two most precious gifts I’ve ever been given – our  perfect babies.  For these …

I promise to love you unconditionally; to encourage & inspire you.

I will love you on the days I don’t like you.

I will support you

I will respect you

I will laugh with you

I will speak when words are needed

And share the silence when they are not.

I will live within the warmth of your heart & always call it home

With this ring, I give you my heart. I promise from this day forward, you will never walk alone. May my heart be your shelter and my arms be YOUR home.

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Chad and Myf have declared before me and before all of you their love and commitment to each other and their intention now to live together in marriage as a fine example of a family unit to their beautifully boys.

They have symbolized it by making their vows, joining hands and by exchanging rings.

You, their family and friends, share with them this joy and hope, and are here to be with them on the path they will walk together. May it be a path bright with flowers of prosperity a path of ever deepening, ever broadening love that will encompass them throughout their lives as an inspiration to their own children.

Declaration of Marriage

It is my pleasure now to declare Myf and Chad to be Husband and Wife. Congratulations!

Chad, you may now kiss your bride.

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Signing of register

SAL: I would now like to accompany Myf & Chad for the signing of the register together with their chosen witnesses Cassandra Blundell & Cory Lee

During this time we will be hearing a selection of music (Signed, sealed, delivered).

At the very end of the ceremony, please join them for a group photo.

Conclusion

Finally, a very big thank you to each and every person that has made this day possible.

I leave this part of our meeting with a blessing to the newly married couple and I ask each of you to raise one hand in blessing this newly we’d couple.

The blessing:

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

And may all of those special people who could not be here today send you their special blessings at this special time

Congratulations and Presentation to family & friends

It is with great pleasure that I present to you (the NEW) Mr & Mrs Lee.

Sample Exchange Vows

“I promise to love and care for you, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love.
I will always be honest with you, kind, patient and forgiving.
I promise to try to be on time.
But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you.
I love you.”

“You are my lover and my teacher,
You are my model and my accomplice,
And you are my true counterpart.
I will love you, hold you and honor you,
I will respect you, encourage you and cherish you,
In health and sickness,
Through sorrow and success,
For all the days of my life.”

“I promise to be your lover, companion and friend,
Your partner in parenthood,
Your ally in conflict,
Your greatest fan and your toughest adversary.
Your comrade in adventure,
Your student and your teacher,
Your consolation in disappointment,
Your accomplice in mischief.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things. All things.”

“I take you to be my partner for life,
I promise above all else to live in truth with you
And to communicate fully and fearlessly,
I give you my hand and my heart
As a sanctuary of warmth and peace
And pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor
As I join my life to yours.”

“On this day,
I give you my heart,
My promise,
That I will walk with you,
Hand in hand,
Wherever our journey leads us,
Living, learning, loving,
Together,
Forever.”

“I promise to encourage your compassion,
Because that is what makes you unique and wonderful.
I promise to nurture your dreams,
Because through them your soul shines.
I promise to help shoulder our challenges,
For there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together.
I promise to be your partner in all things,
Not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole.
Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust,
For one lifetime with you could never be enough.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things.”

You are my best friend. I love you with all my heart and stand here before all of our friends and family, sharing the happiest day of my life. I want nothing more than to share my future with you – my triumphs and my challenges, my joys and my sorrows. Together, I know we can accomplish the life we both dream of living.

You are my inspiration and my soul’s fire. You are the magic of my days. You help me laugh, you teach me love. You provide a safe place for me, unlike I’ve ever known. You free me to sing my own song. You are more of an amazement to me, each day I rediscover you. You are my greatest boon. I am yours. You are mine. Of this we are certain. You are lodged in my heart. The small key is lost. You must stay there forever.

Today, as I give myself to you, my mind is clear and my commitment is strong and without reservation. I take you to be my life’s partner. I will never leave you nor forsake you; I will spend all my days at your side. We will share a lifetime of eternal, immeasurable love.

There are three words that are stronger than I love you. Today I stand in front of you to say ‘I choose you’. I choose you over all others. I choose you to share happiness with. I choose you to care for. I choose you to have a family with. I choose you to grow with. I choose you to love forever.

I TAKE YOU AS YOU ARE, loving who you are now and who you are yet to become. I promise to listen to you and learn from you, to support you and accept your support. I will celebrate your triumphs and mourn your losses as though they were my own. I will love you and have faith in your love for me, through all our years and all that life may bring us.

I LOVE YOU UNCONDITIONALLY AND WITHOUT HESITATION. I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. Today, I choose you to be my husband/wife. I accept you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life’s adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life.