An example of the Civil Ceremony by Suncoast Weddings
The ceremony of marriage in which you come to be united in is the first and oldest ceremony of recorded history. Marriage has lasted through the centuries because of its special qualities. You see marriage is a gift that is given to comfort the sorrows of life and magnify its joys. It is the clasping of hands, marriage is the blending of hearts and the union of two lives as one.
Your marriage must stand not by the authority of the state, nor by the seal of the wedding certificate, but by the strength of your love and by the power of your faith in each other.
Many people get married believing the myth that marriage is a beautiful box full of all the things they have longed for: companionship, fulfillment, intimacy and friendship. The truth is that marriage at the start is an empty box. You must put something into the box before you can take anything out. There is no love in marriage: love is in people and people must put it into their marriage. There is no romance in marriage; romance is in people who must infuse it into their marriages. A couple must learn the art of and form the habit of giving, loving, and serving — always keeping the box full. If you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty.
I ______, take you ______ to be my wife, my partner and my best friend for the remainder of our days in this life. I promise to love and respect you, and honor your feelings and wishes always. I will rejoice with you in the sunny, happy days of our lives and support and stand by you during the storms that may blow into our lives. I want to grow old with you and share our lives and memories, laughter and sorrow, turbulent times and joyful moments. I will be slow to anger and quick to forgive, and never lose sight of the love and happiness we share on this our wedding day, till death do us part.
I ______, take you ______ to be my husband, my partner and my best friend for the remainder of our days in this life. I promise to love and respect you, and honor your feelings and wishes always. I will rejoice with you in the sunny, happy days of our lives and support and stand by you during the storms that may blow into our lives. I want to grow old with you and share our lives and memories, laughter and sorrow, turbulent times and joyful moments. I will be slow to anger and quick to forgive, and never lose sight of the love and happiness we share on this our wedding day, till death do us part.
Rings: For as long as we can remember the wedding ring has been the symbol of marriage. There is a reason for this… a ring is an unending circle made of a precious metal. This has come to symbolize the unending love promised and sealed with the gift of this ring. Because of the precious metal… it has come to symbolize the love promised today as a pure and perfect love.
As you place this ring on her/his finger you are promising all you are and all you have … a pure and perfect love forever.
Sand: The more modern symbol of the uniting of a couple in marriage is the sand ceremony. These two shells are filled with grains of sand symbolizing their individual lives. As they mingle the grains of sand together into this container, you will no longer be able to separate them. It is their symbolic pledge that they are now one…a team to deal together with the joys and sorrows of life. One in name, one in aim, one in a glorious destiny…
Pronouncement - According to the laws of the sovereign State of Florida. I pronounce that you are both husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.