Ryan:
Welcome to the marriage of Benjamin Swank and Phoebe Royse.

The poet Rumi once wrote:

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May it be sweet milk,
this marriage, like wine and halvah.
May this marriage offer fruit and shade
like the date palm.
May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day a day in paradise.
May this marriage be a sign of compassion,
a seal of happiness here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
an omen as welcome
as the moon in a clear blue sky.
I am out of words to describe
how spirit mingles in this marriage.

The Bride and Groom pour each other a glass of wine.

Ryan:
The years of our lives are a cup of wine poured out for us to drink. The grapes when they are pressed give forth good juices for the wine. Under the winepress of time, our lives give forth labor and honor and love. Many days you will sit at the same table and eat and drink together. Drink now and may the cup of your lives be sweet and full to running over.

The Bride and Groom touch their glasses and drink a sip of wine.

Ryan:
Now, Benjamin and Phoebe, will you take vows here, before all of us, which symbolize the many unseated vows you have already made and will continue to make to each other throughout your relationship.

Phoebe:
The words I say to you now are ones I have waited a lifetime to utter, words I say in love and in confidence. I see you as a strong, growing partner, the person with whom I wish to share my life. I offer you all the days before me, no matter what may come our way. I freely take you, Benjamin, as my husband. Take this ring as a sign of my commitment.

Ben:
I promise to stand by you, to be there when you need me, and to share the happiness and sadness of my life with you. If the secret of life is to enjoy the passage of time, then let us share our time together from this day forward. I come to this place today as a man standing alone; I will walk from it by your side. Today, I shall take you across these sacred waters and enter into a new and lasting lifetime commitment. I freely take you, Phoebe, as my wife. Take this ring as a sign of my commitment.

Ryan:
When you share a joy, it is doubled, and when you share a sorrow, it is halved.

You have both pledged your love to each other before these witnesses. Therefore, I joyfully pronounce you husband and wife. Benjamin you may kiss your bride.

 

The Bride and Groom raise their glasses and drink their wine.

 

Ryan:

Ladies and Gentleman Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Swank