The groom and bride have decided to arrive at the wedding venue together.

They arrive and are greeted by the Celebrant.

The Celebrant calls all the assembled people together and invites them to take their seats so as to be ready to welcome the bride and her attendants.

The Celebrant ensures that the designated witnesses are ready to take up their station beside the groom and bride. He then announces the arrival of the couple and asks everyone to be up-standing.

The Celebrant formally greets bride and groom reassuring them.

The selected music is played during the arrivals.

Good afternoon everyone my name is Jeff Oates and I am very pleased to officiate at this occasion here today.

On behalf of ______________ and ____________ I would like to welcome you all and ask that you join with us in this service of marriage. _________________ and _____________ have chosen to be married in this ____________________________________________________. They would especially like everyone to share with them their special day.

I am duly authorised by law to solemnize marriages according to law.

Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter.

Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of a man and a women to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.

We now come to the formal part of the ceremony so can I ask that _______________and ________________ turn towards each other, join hands and respond to my questions:

Do you, ____________, take ____________ to be your wife, to love, comfort, and cherish from this day forth?

I do.

Do you, ____________, take ____________ to be your husband, to love, comfort, and cherish from this day forth?

I do.

The next part of the services is where ___________ and _______________ declare their love and commitment to each other.

I call upon the persons here present to witness that I __________ take you __________ to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish ‘till death shall part us. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness.

I call upon the persons here present to witness that I __________ take you __________ to be my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish ‘till death shall part us. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness.

________________ and __________________ have decided that they wish to exchange rings as a symbol of their love and commitment to each other.

Place the ring on ___________ finger and repeat after me:

____________, with this ring I thee wed. Take it and wear it as a sign of my love and as a symbol of all we share.

Place the ring on ___________ finger and repeat after me:

____________, with this ring I thee wed. Take it and wear it as a sign of my love and as a symbol of all we share.

Let these rings serve as locks – not binding you together – but as keys, unlocking the secrets of your hearts for each other to know, and thus bringing you closer together forever.

Having thus pledged yourselves to each other as husband and wife and exchanged rings, I do now, by virtue of the authority vested in me, pronounce you husband and wife.

Please feel free to celebrate your marriage (with a kiss) and then I invite the bridal party and close relatives to come up to congratulate you both.

The Celebrant invites the bride and groom with the bridal party to retire to sign the register and certificates.

Ladies and gentlemen please be up-standing and welcome for the first time Mr and Mrs _____________________.

Return to the Marriage Process