Customizable Wedding Ceremony and Sermon Templates

Before printing

Replace every name and placeholder. Choose the vow form, optional sections, sermon approach, and final introduction with the couple. Remove unused alternatives and rehearsal notes. Read the whole ceremony out loud once.

The core ceremony

Nine steps. Optional sections are marked. The order follows Parker's ceremonies.

1. Processional

Agree the order with the couple and coordinator. In my usual flow, I go first and wait with the groom before the bride enters.

2. Optional: giving away

Who gives this woman away to be married to this man?

Answers in the sources: "I do" or "Her mother and I." Agree the words and who answers with the couple and family beforehand. Then: "You may be seated."

3. Welcome

Good evening! On behalf of [Groom] and [Bride] I'd like to welcome you and thank you for coming today as we celebrate the ordinance of marriage. Marriage was ordained by God Himself at the very beginning of human history, and we honor marriage as Scripture calls us to do (Hebrews 13:4). It is fitting on this occasion that we seek God's blessings.

4. Opening prayer

Father, we thank you for this beautiful day where we can come together, family and friends, to praise you for this couple that stands before us! We know that you've been writing their story since before they were born and you knew this day could come. Your ways are perfect and we praise you in all things. We pray that today you receive all the glory! Amen!

Optional: family and friends pray. Invite people forward to lay hands on the couple and pray. Tell them, "When I say 'Jesus' name,' we'll all say amen together." Only with the couple's agreement.

5. Scripture and message

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 from the CSB, then give the message. If you intend to stop at the first sentence of verse 8, mark your reading 13:4-8a. Choose one of the sermon approaches below.

6. Vows

Have the couple face each other. Choose one form, or combine one with personal vows.

Repeat-after-me vows

I, _____, take you, _____, to be my wife/husband. Before God and these witnesses I promise to be faithful to you. I will tell you the truth and listen when you tell me yours. I will forgive you as Christ has forgiven me. I will pray for you, stand with you in hard days and celebrate with you in good ones, for as long as we both shall live.

Question format

[Name], do you take [Name] to be your wife/husband? Before God and these witnesses, do you promise to be faithful, to speak truthfully and listen with care, to forgive as Christ has forgiven you, and to pray for and stand with [Name] in hard days and good ones, for as long as you both shall live?

Response: “I do.” Repeat for the other person.

Optional: personal vows. The couple may write and read their own, before or after the spoken vows. Ask to see them in advance so they are similar in length.

7. Optional: communion

[Groom] and [Bride] have a conviction that Jesus Christ is to be the foundation of their lives. Therefore they are going to take communion as a symbol of that conviction. Communion is recognizing the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a time to remember the sacrifice that was made for the atonement of our sins.

Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

The couple takes communion on their own while family and friends look on. That is my normal practice.

Variation: if the couple wants to invite others, add: "Communion is for followers of Christ. If you have made a profession of faith then please join us for this time of remembrance." Follow your church's practice.

8. Rings

Ring pledge

"[Groom], in placing this ring on [Bride]'s finger, repeat after me:"

[Name], I give you this ring as a sign of my promise and my love. Wear it and remember that I am yours, today and for the rest of my life.

Repeat for the bride.

Optional: blessing. Pray over the couple or read Numbers 6:24-26. End with "And everyone said? Amen!"

9. Pronouncement, kiss and presentation

[Groom] and [Bride], today we have heard you make your promises and watched you exchange rings. We stand with you as you begin this marriage. May your home be a place where you serve each other, welcome grace, and keep growing in your love for Jesus.

By the power vested in me by the State of [jurisdiction — verify locally] and our Lord Jesus Christ, I now pronounce you husband and wife! [Groom], you may kiss your bride. Family and friends, please welcome [the introduction the couple chose]!

Confirm local eligibility and ceremony, license, witness and filing requirements before using any legal pronouncement. Changing the words does not establish legal authority. If a religious celebration is separate from legal solemnization, arrange and verify those roles beforehand. A Lord-only phrase may be considered for that religious portion after the distinction is clear.

Building the message

• Keep it short. The couple is standing.
• Open with a personal word about the couple, using only what they have cleared.
• Read the passage, give one main idea, and speak directly to them.
• If guests may not know Jesus, say plainly where this kind of love comes from.

Four sermon approaches

Approach 1: Love that lasts

Text: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

• "I have to be honest with y'all, the most exciting days are ahead but the hardest days are ahead also."
• "The closer you lean in together, it gets both more beautiful and more messy. Things that have never bothered you are now the end of the world."
• "The fact that the trash hasn't been taken out will feel like a bigger deal than it really is."
• "The way you love the Lord, and the way you love each other, will carry you through the highs and lows."
• A successful marriage takes commitment through ordinary conflict. Keep practicing patience, kindness, hope and perseverance together.

Commitment here means working through ordinary conflict. It is never a reason to stay in abuse. See Resource 2.

Approach 2: Relentless pursuit

Text: Matthew 19:5-6

• "If I could give you any advice for the future it would be to continue that RELENTLESS PURSUIT."
• "First, to the Lord." Use the triangle: "As you each grow closer to Jesus individually, you can't help but grow closer together."
• "Secondly, to your bride." Speak to each of them about pursuing the other. The source material here was personal to each couple and is withheld; write your own.
• "Someone once told me that there is a unique equation in marriage where 1+1=1."

Approach 3: You never have to go alone

Text: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

• "No matter what's ahead you never have to go alone."
• "Whether you're traveling to the ends of the earth or to the kitchen for a late night bowl of cereal you will always have each other."
• "The things you love about each other and the things that drive you crazy."
• (This is an application, not something the passage itself states.) The passage commends companionship. You can invite the couple to build their marriage around the Lord as a Christian application; do not say the text explicitly names him as the third strand.

Approach 4: Don't compare, don't compete, do compliment

Text: Matthew 19:5-6

• Don't compare. "You are on the journey God has called you to. Stay focused on the calling on your life knowing that comparison kills purpose."
• Don't compete. "You're not in competition with each other. You are running this race together, and you will cross the finish line together... The goal is not competing, or winning, the goal is progressing together as one."
• Do compliment. "Keep honor at the center of your marriage. Honor God, honor each other, and honor others. Encourage each other often and be each other's biggest supporters and protectors."

A fifth idea, outline only: covenant, not contract

"This oneness in marriage is not simply a contract, but a divine covenant before God." The manuscript's fuller wording for this theme was borrowed from other writers and is not reproduced. If you preach it, read Matthew 19:5-6 and Ephesians 5:31-32, and write the contrasts in your own words.