Sarah and Dan ’s Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Day: May 22, 2005

 

( Lisa and Dave sing a song when song is complete start to process)

 

Processional music begins (Canon in D)
Jeff/Officiant begins at the center

Entering:

1. Ushers – Andrew , Matthew , Nick

2. David Falkoff and Christina Carvey

3. Dan , David H. , Ruth H.

4. Sarah Carvey , Phil C. , and Barbara C.

Details of sitting TBD

Officiant:

Welcome to Guests

Good afternoon. Because you have shared in the lives of Sarah and Dan , through your friendship and love, you have been invited here to witness their wedding ceremony and to share in their celebration. Thank you for being here.

Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Phil C : Her mother and I.

Chuppah is held on 4 sides by Matthew, Christina, Lisa, and David F.

Daniel and Sarah reside inside Chuppah with Jeff .

Officiant:

Dan and Sarah , you met on a blind date where you went to an Improv comedy show and dinner. That night you both shared your passion for laughter and food and agreed it was worth seeing each other again to see if the chemistry could continue. You then learned that your relationship together wouldn’t always find a sunny day when you went on a second date on a whale watch on a cold and rainy Memorial day. That day you showed that you were happy together even when each of you was cold, wet, and sea-sick. From then you quickly became and then remained close friends who have shared your lives together in the past two years including trips to Italy , France , Puerto Rico , Toronto , the Grand Canyon , and Las Vegas (twice). It is surprising you didn’t get married when you joked about going to the chapel in Vegas .

Dan and Sarah , today you pledge your commitment to join each other to build a family that will love and grow together. When a partnership is made by two people who belong together, their love reaches out and touches everyone around. All of our lives have been enriched as we have shared in the happiness and excitement of your lives as individuals and together. Like a stone dropped in a still pond, the ripples of energy from your wedding today will resonate throughout our world.

Ruth :

We are joined in spirit by your family who could not attend today including Dan ’s grandfather and aunt in Toronto and your grandparents who are no longer with us, Louise and Hyman Housman , Randolph Anderson, and Evelyn Wigdor . All of them would have delighted in congratulating and celebrating with you today. We joyfully gather with you to share your life together as you pledge your commitment before us, your family and friends.

Barbara :

We are gathered in a Chuppah, a Jewish tradition. The Chuppah are the four posts and the canopy around us. The Chuppah represents the home that Sarah and Dan will establish together. The four posts of the Chuppah are supported by their close friends and family. This symbolizes the importance of support from the people who love them in creating a sturdy home. Including people in the Chuppah also is a demonstration that the home they are building is not a location to hold their possessions but more importantly a place where their community of friends and family can come to share in their lives. Sarah and Dan intend their home to be a place filled with the laughter, joy, and celebration of their friends. It will also be a place for people to find support or to give them support when they need it. The walls of their home are open like this Chuppah so that you will always be welcome inside.
Reading #1

And now we will have a reading by Dan ’s Mother, Ruth Housman
Friendship Bond

Sarah and Dan , you are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the person whom you love best. You are adding to your life not only the affection of a spouse, but also the companionship of a deep, lifelong trust. You are agreeing to share strength, to share responsibilities, and to share love. Where before at times you walked in life separately, from this moment forward you shall always walk together. Please take these seven steps to solemnize the bond of your friendship:

The first step to nourish each other
The second step to grow together in strength
The third step to preserve your blessings
The fourth step to share your happiness
The fifth step to care for your children
The sixth step to live long and happy lives together
The seventh step to remain lifelong partners and friends,

Two imperfect halves to make a more perfect whole.

Sarah and Dan together:

With these 7 steps we have bound our friendship. // You have become mine forever. // From today forward we will share equally // in all that life offers us.

Reading #2

And now we will have a psalm from Bruce Nickerson

Exchange of Vows

Officiant:

Please face each other and join hands.

The gift of your hands... Reach out to each other. Always be there as partners, companions, helpmates and friends. Now that you have found each other, stay close as you journey through this world.

The gift of your hearts... Trust each other. Be gentle with your feelings, cherish your dreams, share your joys and hurts. Let the times you fall short be few and be forgiven. And let the times you surpass your needs and hopes be many.

The gift of yourselves... Believe in each other. Do not desire to change or possess, but only to know each other honestly and completely. Respect your individuality and the differences that make you a complement to the other. Honor your togetherness and the things that make you one.

The gift of your love... Care for each other truly and deeply, putting your commitment before all else. Live for your love... and your love will live forever.

This now is your promise, your pledge of love to each other.

Dan , repeat after me:

I, Dan , take you Sarah to be my wife /
To have and to hold from this day forward/

For better or for worse/

For richer or for poorer/

In sickness and in health/

To love and cherish/

All the days of my life.

 

Sarah , repeat after me:

 

I, Sarah , take you Dan to be my husband /
To have and to hold from this day forward/

For better or for worse/

For richer or for poorer/

In sickness and in health/

To love and cherish/

All the days of my life.

 

Exchange of Rings

Officiant:

An exchange of rings is deeply embedded in many traditions. A circle is the symbol of the sun and the earth and the universe. It is a symbol of wholeness, perfection and peace. The ring is also the symbol of infinity with no beginning and no end. The rings that you give and receive this day, then, are symbols of your link to the infinite progression of the many generations before you and the many generations that will follow from your union. It connects you to each other and to the natural world that you both love to experience together like your annual camping trips in Bar Harbor, walks together at the arboretum with Leelin the pug dog, and climbing the hill in the Dover woods in Fall, Winter, Summer, and Spring. When you are apart these rings will make each of you whole as they remind you of your love, comfort you in your loneliness, and show people your dedication towards the happiness and success of your partner in life.

May I have the rings, please?

Dan , place this ring on Sarah 's finger.

Dan :

Sarah . I love you. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.

Officiant:

Sarah , place this ring on Dan 's finger.

Sarah : Dan . I love you. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.

Officiant:

These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, they always can turn to one another for support and affection. When one calls in need the other will answer. May they always find in each other the love for which all men and women long. May they grow together in understanding and in compassion for their strength. And, may these two rings symbolize a spirit of undying love in their hearts.

Pronouncement

Dan and Sarah , you have made a sacred promise to each other to share your lives in marriage. But remember that marriage is not a destination, but a journey. It is not I standing before you that makes your marriage real. It is the continuing honesty and sincerity between you. May you be blessed with a lifetime as partners in happiness, and may you always be blessed in your hearts with the wonder of this special day.

Will you who have witnessed these promises do all in your power to uphold Dan and Sarah in their marriage.

Audience: We will

By the authority vested in me, and on behalf of all present, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.

Dan kisses bride

Lisa and Dave sing: (Wherever you go) Note – Lisa will need to leave the Chuppah and be relieved by Andrew )

Breaking of the glass

David Housman : The final act of this ceremony is the breaking of the glass. The breaking of the glass is an irreversible event that serves to remind us of two very important and opposite aspects of a marriage.

The journey Sarah and Dan have taken and what has occurred today is irreversible as will be all of the days that they spend together from this day forwards.

But there is also a warning of the fragility of their life together. A single event can damage their marriage in ways that are impossible to undo. So they must always listen to each other’s needs and desires to sustain a happy marriage.

( Dan and Sarah stomp on glass together.)
Introduction

I have the honor to introduce you as Mr. and Mrs. Daniel and Sarah Housman . Congratulations.

Recessional: Dance me to the End of Love – Leonard Cohen

Recessional order:

1. Dan and Sarah

2. Christina C. and Dave Falkoff

3. Lisa H. and Matthew C.

4. Andrew Carvey and Nick Howard

5. Dave Falk

 

Receiving line:

Mother of the bride, father of the bride, mother of the groom, father of the groom, Sarah , Dan