While Protestant (e.g., equivalent to the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran) wedding services in the U.S. will vary according to both denomination and local congregation, in addition to the desires of the individual couples, the following service could be considered "representative" of a typical American wedding.

WEDDING SERVICE

For Jane Roe and John Doe
September 16, 2000, at 5:00 PM
First Presbyterian Church of Williamsville
Rev. Haydn C. Sterling, Officiating

PRELUDE
LIGHTING of the CANDLES
SEATING of the MOTHERS

SOLO — The Wedding Song (performed by Sara Price)

PROCESSIONAL
GREETING and GATHERING

We have gathered in the presence of God to give thanks for the gift of marriage, to witness the joining together of Jane and John, to surround them with our prayers, and to ask God's blessing upon them, so that they may be strengthened for their life together and nurtured in their love for God.

God created us male and female, and gave us marriage so that husband and wife may help and comfort each other, living faithfully together in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, throughout all their days.

God gave us marriage for the full expression of the love between a man and a woman. In marriage a woman and a man belong to each other, and with affection and tenderness freely give themselves to each other.

God gave us marriage as a holy mystery in which a man and a woman are joined together, and become one, just as Christ is one with the church.

In marriage, husband and wife are called to a new way of life, created, ordered, and blessed by God. This way of life must not be entered into carelessly, or from selfish motives, but responsibly, and prayerfully.

We rejoice that marriage is given by God, blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let marriage be held in honor among all.

PRAYER

Gracious God, you are always faithful in your love for us. Look mercifully upon Jane and John, who have come seeking your blessing. Let your Holy Spirit rest upon them so that with steadfast love they may honor the promises they make this day, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

CHARGE to the COUPLE

Jane and John, I remind you, as you stand in the presence of God, that love and loyalty are the foundation of a happy and enduring home.

During the days of your engagement you have given careful thought to the meaning of marriage.

You began the joining of your lives — and we pray that you will continue to grow together throughout the time you share.

The future is unknown to any of us. Yet your love for one another and trust in the goodness of God will make possible the act of faith you now make in our midst.

As you exchange your vows of faithfulness, we will be listening and supporting you with our love.

As you make your promises to each other, we will be reminded of promises we have made and be moved to renew our own.

DECLARATION of INTENTION

I ask you now in the presence of God and these people, to declare your intention to enter into union with one another through the grace of Jesus Christ, who calls you into union with himself.

Jane, will you have John to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live? — I WILL

John, will you have Jane to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live? — I WILL

SCRIPTURE READING — I Corinthians 13
SCRIPTURE READINGS
MINISTER'S WORDS to the COUPLE

EXCHANGE of VOWS

Since it is your desire to marry, please join your right hands and with your promises bind yourselves together as husband and wife.

I, John, take you, Jane, to be my wife from this day forward.

I offer you my love and support throughout our lives.
To join with you and to share all that is to come;
The happiness and joy as well as the challenges which life brings.
I promise to be faithful to you; to be open and honest with you.
I will respect, trust, help, and care for you.
I have found in you the one who completes me,
The one that God intended me to be with, my soul-mate.
I will love you and be thankful for the blessing of your love,
As long as we both shall live.

I Jane, take you, John, to be my husband from this day forward.
(repetition of the "I offer you" paragraph above)

BLESSING and EXCHANGE of RINGS

These rings are the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, signifying to us the union between Jesus Christ and his church.

Bless, O Lord, the giving of these rings that they who give them and they who receive them may live in your peace and continue in your favor all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jane, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness.
With all that I am and all that I have, I join in covenant with you,
In the name of God our Creator, Christ our Redeemer,
And the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer.

John, I give you this ring — (same text as above)

PRONOUNCEMENT of the MARRIAGE

You have declared your consent and vows before God and these witnesses. May God confirm your covenant and fill you both with grace.

Now that Jane and John have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands, and the giving and receiving of rings, I announce to you that they are husband and wife; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder. Amen.

LIGHTING of the UNITY CANDLE
SOLO — The Lord's Prayer (performed by Sara Price)

WEDDING PRAYER

God of Love we give thanks for the moment that brings Jane and John together in marriage. We recognize with thanksgiving the journeys that have brought them to this time, and we celebrate with them the hopes they hold for their life together. We ask your blessing upon them and Christopher to sustain them through the difficult and uncertain times that come to every relationship. We pray that they may continue to find in each other resources which will nurture their marriage. May they continue to grow together and may their love for one another deepen with the passing years.

We give thanks for the nurture and support of family and friends. Let us, who share the circle of celebration today, be renewed in our own commitments to one another, that we may be participants in a healed and healing society.

All this we ask in the spirit we have seen in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

BENEDICTION with BLESSING

Go into the world and fulfill your lives. Hold fast to your ideals.
Give to one another new experiences of joy.
Challenge one another that you may grow.
May the love you hold for each other, now sealed in marriage, continue to mature that your life together may be a source of strength and inspiration to the community of your family and to the wider circle of the world.

THE KISS
INTRODUCTION of the COUPLE

Please join me in our Reception Room after the Recessional to greet this new couple, Jane and John Roe

RECESSIONAL