Basic wedding ceremony scripts: short and simple

Welcome 30 sec

Friends, welcome. We’re here for one wonderful reason — to see [Partner A] and [Partner B] married. Thank you for being their people.

A few words 45 sec

[Partner A] and [Partner B], you’ve found in each other a partner and a best friend, and today you make it official. Marriage is simply the promise to keep choosing each other — on the easy days and the hard ones — for the rest of your lives.

Declaration of intent 45 sec

[Partner A], do you take [Partner B] to be your [wife / husband / partner], to love and to stand beside for all your days?

[Partner A]: I do.

And [Partner B], do you take [Partner A] to be your [wife / husband / partner], to love and to stand beside for all your days?

[Partner B]: I do.

The vows 1 min

Please join hands and repeat after me. [Partner A]:

I take you, [Partner B], to be mine. I promise to love you, to be honest with you, and to stand beside you always.

And [Partner B]:

I take you, [Partner A], to be mine. I promise to love you, to be honest with you, and to stand beside you always.

The rings 45 sec

[Partner A], place this ring on [Partner B]’s hand and say:

With this ring, I marry you.

And [Partner B]:

With this ring, I marry you.

Pronouncement 30 sec

Then by the power vested in me by the [state / jurisdiction], it’s my joy to declare you married. You may kiss.

[The couple kisses, to applause.]

Recessional 15 sec

Everyone, [the newly married couple]!

[The couple leads the way out.]

Welcome 1–2 min

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome. Please, be seated. We’re gathered for the happiest of reasons — the marriage of [Partner A] and [Partner B], surrounded on purpose by the people who mean the most to them. Thank you all for being here.

On this couple 1–2 min

What everyone here can see is how much better you are together — steadier, quicker to laugh, more yourselves. [Add one short, true line about the couple.] Marriage won’t change that so much as protect it: it’s the decision to keep choosing each other, deliberately, on the ordinary days as much as this extraordinary one.

Declaration of intent 1 min

[Partner A], do you take [Partner B] to be your [wife / husband / partner] — to love, to respect, and to stand beside, for all the days of your life?

[Partner A]: I do.

And [Partner B], do you take [Partner A] to be your [wife / husband / partner] — to love, to respect, and to stand beside, for all the days of your life?

[Partner B]: I do.

The vows 2 min

Please face each other and join hands. [Partner A], repeat after me.

I, [Partner A], take you, [Partner B], to be my [wife / husband / partner]. I promise to love you as you are, to be honest and kind, and to stand beside you through whatever comes, for as long as I live.

And [Partner B], repeat after me.

I, [Partner B], take you, [Partner A], to be my [wife / husband / partner]. I promise to love you as you are, to be honest and kind, and to stand beside you through whatever comes, for as long as I live.

The rings 1–2 min

The rings, please. A ring is a small circle with no end, worn where the world can see it. [Partner A], place it on [Partner B]’s finger and repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a sign of my love and my promise. Wear it, and know that I am yours.

And [Partner B], repeat after me.

I give you this ring as a sign of my love and my promise. Wear it, and know that I am yours.

Pronouncement 1 min

[Partner A] and [Partner B], you’ve made your promises and sealed them with rings. And so, by the power vested in me by the [state / jurisdiction], it’s my great joy to declare you married. You may kiss.

[The couple kisses, to applause. The officiant lets it crest.]

Recessional 30 sec

Friends and family, for the first time — [the newly married couple, announced as they wish]!

[The couple leads the recessional, the party behind them.]