Wedding Ceremony Template & Officiant Guide

This resource is designed to help you, as a Christian Wedding Officiant, confidently lead a Christ-centered, legally sound, and personally meaningful wedding ceremony.

• Part 1 gives you a full sample ceremony (liturgy) you can use or adapt.

• Part 2 gives you a block-by-block guide to understand what you’re doing at each step and how to customize it.

Part 1 – Sample Wedding Ceremony (Liturgy)

You can use or adapt this as your working script.

Order of Service

1. Prelude

2. Seating of Parents/Grandparents

3. Lighting of the Unity Candle (optional)

4. Processional – Wedding party to Position One

5. Bridal Processional

6. Declaration of Purpose

7. Giving of the Bride / Blessing of the Couple → Move to Position Two

8. Invocation and Meaning of Marriage

9. Declaration of Intent

10. Exchange of Vows

11. Exchange of Rings

12. Unity Candle or Sand Ceremony (optional)

13. Scripture Reading

14. Message

15. Declaration of Marriage

16. Presentation of Groom & Bride

17. Recessional

Position One and Position Two (Simple Definitions)

• Position One – Where the wedding party stands right after walking in.

  • Bridesmaids and groomsmen lined up at the front.

  • Officiant and groom in place.

  • Bride has just arrived or is about to arrive.

• Position Two – Where everyone stands for most of the ceremony.

  • Officiant at center front.

  • Bride and groom together in front of you.

  • Wedding party in final places behind or beside the couple.

At the rehearsal, you can literally say:

“This is Position One after we walk in. Then, after the giving or blessing, we’ll move to Position Two for the vows and rings.”

Full Sample Script

DECLARATION OF PURPOSE

We have come together before the face of God to join ____________________ and _____________________ in marriage.

We seek to honor the will of God for marriage, the concern of the Christian Church for its well-being, and the interest of the state in the orderly development of society.

GIVING OF THE BRIDE / BLESSING OF THE COUPLE

Standard (younger couple) option:

Who gives this woman to this man?

Answer:
“Her mother and I” or “We do” or “I do”

Alternative (older couple / second marriage) option:

If the couple prefers not to use “giving” language, you may instead say:

“Who blesses this marriage and supports this couple as they begin this new chapter?”

Family and friends respond:

“We do.”

For an older couple, they may also choose to walk down the aisle together, already standing side by side as you ask for the family’s blessing.

After the giving or blessing, the officiant leads the bride and groom to their main ceremony spot at the center front—this is Position Two. Bridesmaids and groomsmen also move into their final standing places behind or beside the couple.

INVOCATION

God, our Father, we praise you for making and redeeming us to live together in love. We thank you for the love and trust which bring ____________________ and _________________ to this their marriage day. Favor them with the honor of your presence at their wedding. Unite them by your Spirit so that together they may reflect the love of Christ for his church. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

INSTITUTION AND MEANING OF MARRIAGE

In marriage, as instituted by God, a man and a woman covenant to live together in a lifelong, exclusive partnership of love and fidelity. (Genesis 2:18; Matt. 19:5–6) The apostle Paul sees the union of husband and wife as a symbol of the union between Christ and his church (Eph. 5:31–32). If marriage is to be pleasing in the sight of God, those who enter into this covenant of life must share a common commitment to the Lord of life.

In putting His blessing on a marriage, God intended that it would provide:

— a context within which husband and wife can help and comfort each other and find deep companionship;

— a setting within which husband and wife may joyfully share marital intimacy as a holy gift from God, expressing their covenant love as living souls and whole persons;

— a secure environment within which children may be conceived, born, and taught to know and serve the Lord; and

— a structure that enriches society and contributes to its orderly function.

When these purposes are prayerfully pursued in union with Christ, the kingdom of God is advanced and the blessedness of husband and wife assured.

In Ephesians 5 the apostle Paul admonishes all Christians to develop a mutual respect and love when he says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” When he applies this to the marriage relationship, he instructs the wife to be subject to her husband as the church is subject to Christ, its head. He also instructs the husband to pattern his love for his wife after the example of Christ’s love for his body, the church. Paul says, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,” and “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” In marriage this requires that the husband and wife serve each other by providing the love, nurture, and faith which will enrich their lives together and build a Christ-centered home.

Our sinful and selfish tendency to break down what God has built threatens marriage with tensions, agony, and even with broken bonds. People who marry in the Lord, however, may trust that he will lead them and graciously provide for their needs when they follow the biblical pattern for love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (Taken From CRC Psalter Hymnal)

DECLARATION OF INTENT

Now that you have heard the will of God for marriage, do you promise to abide by it?

EXCHANGE OF VOWS

In the presence of God and before these people I now invite you to exchange your vows.

Groom/Man:

I take you, _____________________________ to be my wife and I promise before God and all who are present here to be your loving and faithful husband, as long as our lives shall last. I will love you and give myself up for you.

I will serve you
with tenderness
and respect, and
encourage you to develop
the gifts that God has given you.

Bride/Woman:

I take you, _____________________________ to be my husband and I promise before God and all who are present here to be your loving and faithful wife, as long as our lives shall last. I will love you and give myself up for you.

I will serve you
with tenderness
and respect, and
encourage you to develop
the gifts that God has given you.

RINGS

Rings are a symbol of your covenant in Christ.

Groom:
I give you this ring as a symbol of our Covenant in Christ.

Bride:
I give you this ring as a symbol of our Covenant in Christ.

LIGHTING OF THE UNITY CANDLE OR SAND CEREMONY

(Many times a song is sung when this happens.)

SCRIPTURE READING

(Read one or more passages such as Genesis 2, 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 5.)

MESSAGE

(Short wedding message / sermon given by the officiant.)

DECLARATION OF MARRIAGE

As a minister of the church of Christ and by the authority which the state has vested in me, I now pronounce you, _____________________________________ husband and wife, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matt. 19:6)

PRESENTATION OF GROOM & BRIDE

It is my joy to present to you ________________________________________________.

RECESSIONAL

(Couple and bridal party exit to joyful music.)

Part 2 – Block-by-Block Guide for the Officiant

Use this section like a coach’s cheat sheet.
It explains what each part does and how you can adapt it.

Ceremony Flow Guide

Final Encouragement to the New Officiant

• Start by printing the liturgy and this guide.

• Mark your copy with notes, pauses, and highlights.

• Practice reading key parts out loud.

• Remember: this template is a starting place, not a prison.

Over time, you will develop your own signature style, but this structure will help you stand steady at the front and serve couples well from your very first ceremony.