Blessings – Christian and Contemporary



#5 Blessing and Prayer Examples – Religious and Contemporary

The blessing examples can be used as readings, by someone you wish to include in your ceremony, or by your Officiant. Some blessings are religious in nature and others contemporary. They may be used in any style of wedding, placed as optional readings, or included following, or replacing another prayer, the benediction, or the ring exchange (as noted).

You do not need to choose prayers, because they will be prepared for you, but they are provided so you may choose if you would like to. The prayers include the traditional “Prayer for the Marriage” Service Ministries uses. There are other prayer examples you may use instead, or add to your wedding ceremony.

Table of Contents

Page # Title

1. Table of Contents

Blessings

2. Apache Blessing

3. Blessings for your Marriage

4. Blessing of Hands – Religious (To be used after ring exchange)

5. Blessing of Hands – Contemporary (To be used after ring exchange)

6. Blessings on your Wedding Day

7. Blessings this Day

8. Irish Blessing

9. May You be Blessed with Love

10. Wedding Blessing

Prayers

11. Cherokee Prayer

12. Make Us an Instrument of your Peace

13. Make Us Instruments of your Peace

14. My Prayer for You

15. Prayer for God’s Blessings

16. Prayer for the Marriage – Service Ministries Traditional and Option of The Lord’s Prayer

17. Prayer for the Groom and Bride - A

18. Prayer for the Groom and Bride - B

19. Prayer for the Groom and Bride - C

20. Prayers of the Faithful

21. Wedding Prayer

Apache Blessing

Now you will feel no rain,

For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now you will feel no cold,

For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no more loneliness,

For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two people,

But there is only one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place

To enter into the days of your togetherness

And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

Treat yourselves and each other with respect,

And remind yourselves often of what brought you together.

Give the highest priority to the tenderness,

Gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.

When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship –

As they threaten all relationships at one time or another –

Remember to focus on what is right between you,

Not only the part which seems wrong.

In this way, you can ride out the storms

When clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives –

Remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment,

The sun is still there.

And if each of you takes responsibility

For the quality of your life together,

It will be marked by abundance and delight.

Blessing For Your Marriage by James Dillet Freeman

May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring,

And may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding. 

May you always need one another - not so much to fill your emptiness

As to help you know your fullness.

A mountain needs a valley to be complete;

the valley does not make the mountain less but more;

and the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. 

So let it be with you and you.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness.

May you want one another, but not out of lack.

May you entice one another, but not compel one another.

May you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces.

May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.

If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense -

Enough - to take the first step back.

May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another's presence;

No more physical than spiritual,

Warm and near when you are side by side,

And warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.

May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.

May you have love, and may you find it loving one another! 

Blessing of Hands – Religious

(May be used following the exchange of rings in place of a unity element.)

Groom and Bride, look closely upon each others hands that you hold on this, your wedding day.

These are the hands of your best friend, strong and full of love, holding your hands as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years.

These are the hands that through the years, with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin, as they raise your face, to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you.

Optional lines in red depending on the couple.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength to hold on when you need it.

Throughout the years you will love, laugh and cry together, and share your innermost secrets and dreams.

These hands will continue to tenderly and gently nurture you with love throughout your lives.

These are the hands that when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

May these hands continue to build a relationship founded in care and devotion for one another.

We ask that God bless this couple, these hands, and the wedding rings worn upon them, as they symbolize the promises made here today.

Blessing of Hands - Contemporary

(May be used following the exchange of rings in place of a unity element.)

Groom and Bride, look closely upon each others hands that you hold on this, your wedding day.

These are the hands of your best friend, strong and full of love, holding your hands as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years.

These are the hands that through the years, with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin, as they raise your face, to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you.

(Optional)

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength to hold on when you need it.

Throughout the years you will love, laugh and cry together, and share your innermost secrets and dreams.

These hands will continue to tenderly and gently nurture you with love throughout your lives.

These are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

May these hands continue to build a relationship founded in care and devotion for one another.

May this couple, these hands, and the wedding rings worn upon them, be blessed, as they symbolize the promises made here today.

Blessing on Your Wedding Day (Author Unknown)

Today is a day you will always remember

The greatest in anyone’s life

You’ll start off the day just two people in love

And end it as Husband and Wife

It’s a brand new beginning the start of a journey

With moments to cherish and treasure

And although there’ll be times when you both disagree

These will surely be outweighed by pleasure

You’ll have heard many words of advice in the past

When the secrets of marriage were spoken

But you know that the answers lie hidden inside

Where the bond of true love lies unbroken

So live happy forever as lovers and friends

It’s the dawn of a new life for you

As you stand there together with love in your eyes

From the moment you whisper ‘I do’

And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real

May success find its way to your hearts.

Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys

But today is the day it all starts.

Blessings This Day (Author Unknown)

May this day shine eternally in your lives.

May it add brilliance to every achievement

And cast a divine light over any misfortune.

May you care for each other in all sadness.

May you give cheer to each other.

May you give vitality to each other in all undertakings.

May all that is virtuous, beautiful and honest, remain with you always.

Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

The rains fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again

May God hold you in the palm of his hand

May green be the grass you walk on

May blue be the skies above you

May pure be the joys that surround you

May true be the hearts that love you

May God be with you and bless you

May you see your children's children

May you be poor in misfortune

And rich in blessings

May you know nothing but happiness

From this day forward.

May You Be Blessed with Love

Groom and Bride, in joining your lives

May God, with his grace, bless you with...

Love - To afford each other a special quality of time together.

Joy - In the accomplishments of one another.

Understanding - That your interests and desires will not always be the same.

Friendship - Based on mutual trust.

Courage - To speak of a misunderstanding and work on a solution before the setting of the sun.

Compassion - To comfort each other in pain and sorrow.

Foresight - To realize rainbows follow rainy days.

Imagination - To keep with you - part of the child you used to be.

Good Humor - So you may always find a silver lining through your sense of humor.

Awareness - To live each day with the knowledge that there is no promise of tomorrow.

May God bless you and keep you in the palm of his hands.

Wedding Blessing (Author Unknown)

May you never take each other for granted

but always experience the wonders of your union.

May your love consist not only in gazing into each other’s eyes,

but also in looking outward in the same direction.

May your life together be a source of strength and inspiration

to yourselves, your families and your friends.

May you never forget the beginning of your love for one another,

take care of it, nurture it, and allow it to grow

strong and firm in the years that are to come.

May you always concentrate on making each other

happy and secure in your commitment to one another.

May you always rely on your ability to keep the promises

you have made to one another today

throughout the thick and thin of life’s experiences.

And may you always be in love.

May your love be as beautiful each day you share

as it is on this day of your wedding

and may all of your wishes come true.

Cherokee Prayer

God in heaven above

please protect the ones we love.

We honor all you have created

as Groom and Bride pledge

their hearts and lives together.

We honor mother-earth -

and ask for their marriage to be abundant

and grow stronger through the seasons;

We honor fire -

and ask that their union be warm -

and glowing with love in their hearts;

We honor wind –

and ask that they sail though life

safe and calm as in our father's arms;

We honor water –

to clean and soothe their relationship -

that they may never thirst for love;

With all the forces of the universe you created,

we pray for harmony and true happiness

as Groom and Bride forever grow young together.

Amen.

Make Us an Instrument of Your Peace

(Prayer modified for the Bride & Groom from a Prayer by St. Francis of Assisi)

God, make Groom and Bride instruments of your peace:

That where there is hatred, may they bring love;

Where there is hurt, may they bring the spirit of forgiveness;

Where there is conflict, may they bring agreement;

Where there is doubt, may they bring faith;

Where there is despair, may they bring hope;

Where there is darkness, may they bring light;

Where there is sadness, may they bring joy.

For it is by giving that they shall receive,

By losing that they shall find,

By forgiving that they shall be forgiven.

God grant that they seek to comfort, rather than to be comforted,

To understand, than to be understood,

To love, than to be loved.

Amen.

Make Us Instruments of Your Peace - Prayer by St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let us sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is discord, union;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, Grant that we may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

My Prayer for You (Modified from a prayer from Paul written in Ephesians 1:17-19)

As a Prayer for the Bride and Groom:

Let us Pray:

God, our prayer for Groom and Bride, is that the Spirit of Christ may be more and more at home in their hearts, living within them as they trust in you. May the root of their love for one another go down deep into the soil of Your marvelous love. May You open the eyes of their hearts. Let Your presence in their lives give them the wisdom to know, feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how glorious, how long, how wide, how deep and how high Your love really is. God, grant that they may experience this love and hope for themselves - though they will never see the end of it, or fully know or understand it - and so at last - they will be filled with the Spirit of God himself. Amen.

Alternate Version:

Groom and Bride, as the Apostle Paul prayed, the same is our request for you:

Our prayer for you is that the Spirit of Christ may be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. May God open the eyes of your hearts. Let His presence in your life give you the wisdom to know, feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how glorious, how long, how wide, how deep and how high his love really is. God grant that you may experience this love and hope for yourselves - though you will never see the end of it, or fully know or understand it - and so at last - you will be filled with the Spirit of God himself. Amen.

Prayer for God’s Blessings

Dear God,

Please bless Groom and Bride.

May their love be nurtured by You, always, and forever.

May this marriage be held in Your hands and ministered unto by Your angels.

We dedicate this love to You.

May it serve Your purposes; may it increase Your dominion.

May this man grow strong in the arms of this woman.

May this woman grow glorious in the love of this man.

May the earth be brought closer to heaven through this love.

May all the world be blessed hereby.

Thank You for all your blessings.

Amen.

Prayer for the Marriage: Revised

Service MinistriesTraditional – with the option of including the Lord’s Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We ask that you look with favor upon Groom and Bride whom you make one flesh in holy matrimony.

Grant that their wills and spirits be so knit together, that they may grow in love and peace with one another all the remaining days of their lives.

Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each other's forgiveness. Give them such fulfillment and mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others.

Grant that all married persons who have witnessed these vows may find their lives strengthened and their loyalties confirmed.

(Continued with this option)

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ who taught us to pray:

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father who are in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but, deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

Prayer for the Groom and Bride - A

Lord,

We thank you for this day, in which we celebrate the joining of Groom and Bride,

For the love that unites them, and all who love them.

We thank you for the peace accorded to this day,

And for the hope with which we all dream.

We are truly grateful for the universe, animals and nature that make our lives delightful.

Thank you for our friends and family in all parts of the earth,

And for our loved ones in heaven who are shining down their blessings today and always.

We celebrate the love between Groom and Bride that brought us here today.

May this love continue to deepen throughout the years,

May they know love’s meaning and its mystery.

Give them knowledge, through your grace, to become truly one in sharing their lives with one another, while remaining true individuals in their own uniqueness.

May all be constantly enriched by the beauty and the energy of their love for each other.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

Prayer for the Groom and Bride - B

Lord,

Bless Groom and Bride, with your presence in their marriage.

Enfold them in the arms of your mercy and keep them in your love forever.

Keep them united in bonds of love, though there may be struggles and confusion.

Work to accomplish your goals on earth, through Groom and Bride.

Grant them patience and Your grace, that they may live and serve You in harmony.

We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Prayer for the Groom and Bride – C

Lord,

Thank you for this day, in which we celebrate the joining of Groom and Bride, and for the love that unites them, and all who love them. Thank you for the peace accorded to this day, and for the hope with which we all dream.

We are truly grateful for your guidance and grace. May all who are gathered here today know the greatness of love, trust, and faith. Thank you for our families and friends, and for our loved ones who shine down their blessings upon us today and always.

Bless Groom and Bride with patience through your presence in their marriage. Enfold them in the arms of your mercy and keep them in your love forever. May all be constantly enriched by the beauty and the energy of their love for one another.

We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Prayers of the Faithful by Margaret Roycroft - Modified

A Catholic Ceremony Element

- For our all the clergy everywhere that they may lead us to deeper faith in God and a strong love for others, let us pray to the Lord.

- For our president and all leaders of government that they may be effective in achieving peace and eliminating poverty, let us pray to the Lord.

- For married persons that they may continue to give, be able to forgive and find happiness deepen with the passing of each day, let us pray to the Lord.

- For Groom and Bride now beginning their life together, that they may have divine assistance at every moment, the constant support of friends, the rich blessing of children, a warm love reaching out to others and good health throughout their years, let us pray to the Lord.

- For those who are sick, lonely, discouraged or oppressed that they may be strengthened by God’s help and aided by their friends, let us pray to the Lord.

- For those who have passed on to rest, (especially for ______) as well as the relatives and friends of all present for this wedding that they may enjoy perfect happiness and total fulfillment in eternal life, let us pray to the Lord.

- (You may modify this prayer if you wish)

O ever-living and caring God, Jesus taught us to ask, to seek and to knock. We have just done so, confident that you will now look upon our many needs, consider our trusting faith and in your great love grant these request which we present to you through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Wedding Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson

Lord, behold our family here assembled.

We thank you for this place in which we dwell,

For the love that unites us,

For the peace accorded us this day,

For the hope with which we expect the morrow,

For the health, the work, the food,

And the bright skies that make our lives delightful;

For our friends in all parts of the earth.

Amen.

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