Renewal of Vows

Maureen and Michael
Renewal of Vows

~ Moment of Remembrance ~

“It is Maureen and Michael’s wish that as we get started today you all join with
them in a moment to remember Michael’s father Nick and brother Steven, whose
names and spirits live on in Maureen and Michael’s son Steven. Let us also
remember all of the other loved ones who for what ever reason could not be here
physically, but who are here in spirit, Maureen and Michael a lifetime of happiness.”

Pause

~ Opening Words ~

“Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to join in celebration of the
many blessings that Maureen and Michael already share. If our lives are as a strand
of pearls, the memories that we share of events like this, are a gift that we give to
those who are important to us. The thread that holds everything together and the
moments of a lifetime are equally important, but it is the sharing of them with those
we love that adds the luster! It was a year ago that Maureen and Michael first made
their promises of “for better or worse”… and what a year it has been for them!
They have been blessed with a beautiful son and a home of their own, and although
it hasn’t been easy the rewards have been well worth the effort. The potential of
love is limitless, yet it is marriage that brings it’s highest fulfillment. The levels of
commitment they share are like nothing they have ever known before. The
realization of what it is to be married, to be joined in spirit and in flesh as husband
and wife and parents has for them been an amazing journey.”

“As it is said in Psalm 118:24
‘This is the day the Lord has made...
let us be glad and rejoice in it.’”

~ Welcoming of the Guests ~

“Maureen and Michael would like to take a moment to thank all of you for being
here with them today. Their parents who, taught them to cherish friends and family
and who have set a wonderful example of what it means to be married through all
of the difficult and wonderful things that the years bring. The bridal party, for all the
effort that it takes, to be not only a part of a wedding day, but also a part of their
lives. And all of you, who have won a place in their hearts that earn you the title of
family. Through your countless acts of love and kindness and unwavering support,
in so many ways, you have made their lives rich beyond measure of the material
world. To have so many of you here, who love them and want to celebrate this day
with them is such a blessing in today’s world. Your presence was the only thing
missing from their first ceremony, and the only thing that now makes the happiest
day of their lives sparkle and shine just a little bit brighter. So once again, thanks for
coming!”

~ Rose Ceremony ~

“Donna and Barbara, as the future comes from the past, know that without you this
day would not be taking place. As we all know marriage is a coming together of two
lives and a celebration of the love of two people. But it is so much more than that
alone. The love that Maureen and Michael feel for one another is the flowering of a
seed planted by you in their hearts years ago. The very reason they know how to
give and receive love itself is a direct result of the love that they were shown by you
their mothers as they grew into the man and woman that we see here today. Your
children love you very much and thought that now would be the perfect time to
remind you of this, by offering you these symbols of eternal love, these roses.”

The Bride and Grooms mothers are presented each with a rose

“May you be blessed with many healthy happy years of watching the next
generation thrive.”

~ Maureen and Michael ~

“When asked to tell me a little about themselves Maureen began by calling Michael
her angel. His support has become as vital as the air she breathes. He in turn knows
beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is nothing she would not risk for him, for
she has already proven that he can trust her with his very life. She was there for
him in his time of need and their relationship progressed quickly. They came to
each other when both were at a place in their lives when their walls were down, and
they were each ready to accept the love of a lifetime. There has always been an
ease of communication between them and theirs is a love that grows stronger every
day. Michael has a protective and gentlemanly quality that reminds Maureen of her
father. They share the same sense of family values and have similar backgrounds.
Confirming their choice in one another has been the fact that the people they each
love most on the world have come together as smoothly as if they were merely the
family each had just not met yet.

To get a better glimpse of what love, their relationship and marriage truly means
from their perspective Maureen and Michael have chosen to share with you these
words……

“This Day I Marry My Best Friend”
Author Unknown

“This day I marry my best friend
...the one I laugh with as we share life’s wondrous zest,
as we find new enjoyments and experience all that’s best.
...the one I live for because the world seems brighter
as our happy times are better
and our burdens feel much lighter.
...the one I love with every fiber of my soul.
We used to feel vaguely incomplete,
now together we are whole.”

addressing Bride and Groom

Today is the public affirmation and acknowledgment of all that you are to each
other. Seemingly your relationship will be as it has always been, yet there is a power
in the spoken word. May that power bring you all the warmth and closeness,
security and comfort, joy and happiness that this world has to offer.”

~ Invocation ~

"Maureen and Michael come before us today with precious gifts,
Their Love, their Faith in each other,
And their trust in many bright tomorrows.
Let us each pray in our own way
that they may find life’s deepest meaning.
And richest happiness.
That blessings shall forever continue to shine upon them,
Granting them prosperity and abundance,
Health and happiness, joy and peace
In both the physical and spiritual world
For all the days of their journey.”

~ Presentation of the Rings ~

“May I have the rings please?”

Officiant is given the rings

“It means the world to Maureen and Michael that they can proudly say they have
both come from families blessed with long and lasting marriages. The rings that they
are exchanging this day, like all rings with their perfect circles, speak of love that
has no beginning and no end. Yet these rings are very special as they were
exchanged thirty-three years ago with a promise of forever by Michael’s parents
Barbara and Nick. They honor and tap the strength of generations past and at the
same time they celebrate a future that belongs uniquely to Maureen and Michael.”

~ Ring Vows ~

“Maureen and Michael have chosen to write their own vows.
Michael will you now tell Maureen what is in your heart?”

Michael speaks his heart

“Will you now place the ring on Maureen‘s finger and repeat after me?”

Michael places the ring half way on to Maureen’s finger

“Maureen, you are my life, my love, my best friend
And with this ring, I thee wed
May it be a reminder of how much I love you,
Not only on this precious day,
But every single day of my life.”

Michael places the ring the rest of the way on to Maureen’s finger

“Maureen will you now tell Michael what is in your heart?”

Maureen speaks her heart

“Will you now place the ring on Michael’s finger and repeat after me?”

Maureen places the ring half way onto Michael’s finger

“Michael, you are my life, my love, my best friend
And with this ring, I thee wed
May it be a reminder of how much I love you,
Not only on this precious day,
But every single day of my life.”

Maureen places the ring the rest of the way onto Michael’s finger

~ A Reading From the Gospel of Paul ~

“Maureen and Michael have chosen to close their ceremony with a reading from the
1st Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.”

“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;
it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on
its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices
in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things. Love never ends; So in faith, hope, and love, abide these three; but know
the greatest of these is love.”

“As often as we hear this passage doesn’t it just say everything there is to be said
about the art of love, marriage, parenting and family so concisely and eloquently?
Maureen and Michael remember these words. And remember it is your humanness
that you love most in one another. It is what has made you each so special that you
have chosen to spend a lifetime exploring all many wondrous qualities God has
given each of you, to bring out the goodness in one another and to forgive the
mistakes that growing and learning means you will each make, knowing in your
hearts that your love is what matters most.

You are now as your hearts have always known you to be,
Husband and Wife. You may kiss your beautiful Bride!”

Bride and Groom kiss and exit to greet their guests!